Absent a war with Iran—which seemed increasingly likely absent a deal—the neocons will be deprived of their raison d’etre. Yes, they can rail about China, which is making dangerously provocative moves against Japan this week. But the Middle East is where the real action is for the neocons. Iran has been a crucial enemy, the […]
Despite the breakthrough, John Kerry is right when he says that the “next phase … will be even more difficult”. The harder part of the P5+1-Iran talks was always going to be reaching a lasting comprehensive solution. The lopsided nature of the interim agreement may have further complicated this process. Read Here – The Nation, […]
The problem for King Abdullah and the other members of the House of Saud, as well as most Saudis, is that they don’t trust Iran in the diplomatic sphere and they don’t trust Shiites religiously. Read Here – The Atlantic
The battle of spin has begun in great earnest after the signing of the Iran nuclear deal Read Here – Al Jazeera
India and China find that pragmatic flexibility trumps ideology in trade policies. Case in point: Israel. Read Here – The Diplomat
The president’s negotiation could remake global politics—but he faces recriminations from domestic opponents and foreign allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia. Read Here – The Atlantic
With the United States bogged down by economic troubles at home, wriggling to organize its departure from Afghanistan and grappling with a variety of crises in the Middle East, it comes as no surprise that China is using the opportunity to invest considerable time and money into reviving the so-called Silk Road. Read Here – RealClearWorld
What is most interesting to consider, however, is whether we are witnessing the first stages of a reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Russia. Riyadh and Moscow, of course, have some apparently irreconcilable geostrategic imperatives. Russia’s close ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran and its unstinting support of Bashar al-Assad in Syria puts Moscow at […]
Until cars and trucks can be powered by solar, wind, or nuclear energy, the entire world depends on the free flow of oil from the Persian Gulf region. That requires American security guarantees, which require our presence. And until radical Islamist organizations utterly lose their local appeal, we’ll have little choice but to intervene periodically […]
Sustainable food self-sufficiency is unattainable for the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Domestic production meets only a small proportion of needs, yet consumes significant economic resources and almost monopolizes water use Read Here – Chatham House
looking beyond borders 