Scent Of An Oman
The Sultanate has always preferred to tackle disagreements through engagement, rather than brinksmanship, posturing, or provoking—the strategies that define Saudi-Iran relations today. Read Here – Foreign Affairs
Tag: Iran
The U.S. Military Loves The Obama Doctrine. Can It Survive Trump?
What comes next in Iraq is on everyone’s mind. Trump will inherit Iraq, its internal ethnic divides and external pressures between Iran and Saudi Arabia. He will inherit a complex, deliberate way of war solidified over eight years by Obama, yet born of the experiences of U.S. generals — including several who will now serve […]
Why Saudi Arabia And Egypt Are Competing For Influence In Africa
Some Middle Eastern countries are showing a great deal of interest in Africa these days, and although Africa seems to welcome the attention, it can do without the drama. Read Here – Al-Monitor
Rafsanjani, Iran’s Wiliest Revolutionary, Dies
Rafsanjani’s death reflects a growing reality for Tehran’s theocrats. The first generation of revolutionaries are now in their late sixties, seventies, and eighties. They are, literally, a dying breed. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has served as Supreme Leader since 1989, will be seventy-eight this year. Read Here – The New Yorker
Trump And Iran: Yet Another Hostage Crisis
Short of last-minute diplomacy, Donald Trump will inherit another hostage crisis with Iran on Inauguration Day—thirty-five years after the first hostage drama at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran ended, as Ronald Reagan was sworn in, and exactly one year after the Obama Administration’s swap to free five more Americans. Read Here – The New Yorker
General Bajwa’s Battle
“Every Army chief has had his own legacy or way of doing things,” says Saad, who is a barrister in Islamabad, “our father believes in the supremacy of the Constitution. He always says he wants the Pakistan [that the] Quaid-e-Azam envisioned, a Pakistan where institutions are more important than individuals.” Read Here – Newsweek
Is India Finally Getting Serious About Its Connect Central Asia Plans?
Although Central Asia holds many strategic advantages for India, not much has been done to take this forward. But recent developments in our neighbourhood could serve as the much-needed wake up call to New Delhi to pursue its regional policy plans. Read Here – The Wire
China’s Approach To The Middle East Looks Familiar
Over the past few decades of China’s rise, Beijing’s soft power pitch to the developing east has been an indictment of Ugly Americanism. China had fallen victim to Western and Japanese imperialism, and as a result pledged to act not as a patron but a partner in decolonialism and development. Read Here – The Diplomat
Think National Security Is Complicated Now? Wait Until Trump Gets Started
DONALD TRUMP IS the next commander in chief. Envisioning a Trump foreign and defense policy challenges the imagination and leaves allies abroad and observers at home scrambling to sketch a vision of the future. As a candidate, Trump didn’t outline his policies in detail, and his previous thoughts on a given issue aren’t terribly reliable indicators of current or future […]
OPEC, Russian sanctions and Iran: What could Trump do to oil?
A Trump victory could be followed by a rapprochement with Russia. This could mean lifting of Treasury sanctions on the Kremlin and a boost to investment in Russian energy assets. Does any of that sound bullish to the oil price? More investment in Russian infrastructure surely means more oil capacity from the world’s largest producer, […]
looking beyond borders 