Russia’s Grand Plan To Gain Power In The Shadow Of U.S. Sanctions

The expiration of U.S. sanctions waivers for buyers of Iranian oil exemplifies how difficult it is today, even for the United States, to achieve foreign-policy goals without significant loses. Russia is in a prime position to deliver the oil removed from markets because of U.S. sanctions against Iran, which will result in development of cooperation between Moscow […]

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Trump’s Iran Policy Is Counterproductive

Iran is not an existential threat to the United States, but treating it as such could turn it into one. The Trump administration’s concerns about Iran are understandable, but its latest policy is  unnecessary, counterproductive, and harmful to American interests. Read Here – Defense One

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Have Sanctions On Russia Changed Putin’s Calculus?

The United States and the European Union have steadily ratcheted up sanctions on Russia since its 2014 invasion of Ukraine. The West’s goals include punishing Moscow, pushing it to withdraw from Crimea, deterring it from further aggression, and signaling that national borders must be respected. But a half decade on, what is there to show for all […]

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Trump’s Big Iran Oil Gamble

The Trump administration’s announcement Monday that it is ending waivers allowing several countries to keep importing Iranian crude is likely to push up oil prices and sour relations with U.S. friends and rivals alike that rely on Iranian energy, all while stoking more tensions in the waters around the Persian Gulf. Read Here – Foreign […]

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G-20: It’s ‘Now or Never’ In The ‘Fight Of The Century’ Between Donald Trump And Xi Jinping

Trump, by standing firm in Argentina this weekend, can accelerate the trend of disengagement of the American and Chinese companies. Yet it is not only the American president who is pushing factories out of China. Xi Jinping is also helping the cause of disengagement by punishing American companies in China, turning Fortune 500 behemoths into […]

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Facing Sanctions, Iran Pioneers Framework For Cooperation With Russia, China And India

With Iran’s convening of its first “Regional Security Dialogue” summit in late September 2018 with deputy national security advisors from Russia, China, and India, Tehran has taken a significant step toward creating a multilateral framework for Eurasian security cooperation in the face of renewed U.S. sanctions.  Ostensibly devoted to combatting terrorism in Afghanistan, the summit’s concluding declaration indicates a […]

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US Renews Iran Sanctions; India, China Get Oil Waivers

The United States snapped sanctions back in place to choke Iran’s oil and shipping industries, while temporarily allowing top customers such as India and China to keep buying crude from the Islamic Republic. Having abandoned a 2015 Iran nuclear deal, US President Donald Trump is trying to cripple Iran’s oil-dependent economy and force Tehran to […]

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Why India Looks The Other Way On Myanmar

While the West moves to re-isolate Myanmar after a short period of re-engagement, neighbouring India is taking a more realpolitik approach to reports of massive rights abuses by the nation’s security forces. Indeed, India is doing its utmost to improve relations while the United States and European Union impose new sanctions aimed specifically at Myanmar’s military, […]

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Regional Risks Of Rising U.S.-Iran Rivalry

The U.S. is pursuing a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran that includes the re-imposition of key energy and banking sanctions. With Tehran refusing to capitulate over its nuclear program or regional policies, the U.S.-Iran rivalry could escalate across the region. Read Here – International Crisis Group

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