Iraq is reducing its reliance on Iranian gas (40% of its needs) by boosting domestic production. Major projects with TotalEnergies, GE Vernova, Siemens, and others aim to capture flared gas, build power plants, modernize grids, and expand solar capacity. Iraq’s strategy seeks energy independence while navigating U.S.-Iran tensions, sanctions risks, and internal corruption. Iraq is... Read More

Meta killed stories, throttled conservatives, and suppressed voter information in 2020 — all while quietly building CCP-approved censorship tools. Mark Zuckerberg appeared on “The Joe Rogan Experience” in January sporting a new hairstyle and a gold chain — an image makeover that began with the billionaire tech mogul sparring with MMA fighters in 2023. He... Read More

Relations between Algeria and France have nosedived lately, due to disagreement over autonomy for the Western Sahara, immigration tensions, a series of diplomatic incidents, and Algeria’s historic grievances over the war of independence and French nuclear testing on Algerian territory. The potential unravelling of relations between France and Algeria will create opportunities for others to... Read More

It is said, “each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” and so it is with France and Algeria. Relations between France and Algeria have recently deteriorated due to a combination of diplomatic disputes, immigration policies, and historical grievances. France’s 132-year rule of Algeria, ending in 1962 after an eight-year war of independence, still... Read More

On 1 March 2025, after his first Cabinet meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump said the Taliban should return the equipment the U.S. abandoned in Afghanistan as it withdrew in August 2021. In February 2025, the Taliban replied the abandoned weapons were “spoils of war” and would be used against attempts to seize them. Washington may... Read More

Axios recently reported that Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer “lashed out” at U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler in a “tense” phone call for negotiating with terror group Hamas for the return of a kidnapped U.S. citizen. In February, the U.S. informed Israel of its intent, Israel advised against it, but the U.S. went ahead... Read More

Iraq’s Development Road aims to reduce dependence on oil by turning the country into a key trade corridor between Asia and Europe. The project involves Türkiye, Qatar, and the UAE, but faces resistance from Iran, Kuwait, and the U.S. The project faces internal challenges like corruption, security concerns, and Kurdistan’s limited participation. In May 2023,... Read More

The economic and geopolitical pressure on Iran is set to increase in 2025, with renewed U.S. sanctions, nuclear tensions, and the risk of conflict with Israel and the U.S. Despite tensions, Iran and Trump may negotiate a new deal, as both sides have signaled openness to diplomacy. Hardliners in the U.S. and Israel are pushing... Read More

President Donald Trump is clearly benefiting from Elon Musk’s enthusiastic support, with Musk’s leadership role as co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) giving him direct influence over US policy. But Musk’s growing influence now seems to extend into shaping Trump’s defense policy, raising serious national security concerns. Trump has already appointed Jared Isaacman,... Read More

Central Asia navigates complex relations among major powers. Water scarcity, climate change, and governance challenges threaten agriculture and stability. The region is looking to make the most out of Western initiatives while safeguarding relations with Beijing. In 2024 Central Asia weathered the geopolitical competition between the Russia, China, and the United States, as the major... Read More

Iraq is a developing democracy, but its location — between Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Syria — means that it always faces pressure from outside its borders. The list of challenges it faced in 2024 ranged from ongoing security threats, including attacks on U.S. military bases by armed groups, political shifts and discussions about the... Read More

The year just ended was a tumultuous one for Afghanistan, marked by many significant events that will continue to challenge the country in 2025. ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) carried out at least 19 terrorist attacks, targeting Hazara and Shia civilians, Sufi adherents, foreign nationals and Taliban officials. One notable incident was the assassination of Khalil Rahman Haqqani,... Read More

The shame of American military assistance in Iraq and Afghanistan is that while our troops and their local allies were fighting bravely, the leaders of our so-called allies were getting rich. We have seen something even worse in Ukraine: While Ukrainian military personnel and civilians fight valiantly in a fierce contest for independence, Ukrainian leaders... Read More

Donald Trump is back, and so is the “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran to “drastically throttle” Tehran’s oil sales. But 2025 is not 2018. Although Iran was on the ropes then, things are different now. America’s support for Israel’s campaigns against the Palestinian and Lebanese people has eroded local support for U.S. moves, as many... Read More

From energy resources to economic growth, the region holds key assets for US foreign policy, trade, and security interests When President-elect Donald Trump starts his second term January 20, he will face a full foreign policy agenda, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Taiwan tensions, and looming trade disputes with China, Mexico, and... Read More

The potential return of Donald Trump and the "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran could reshape U.S.-Iran relations, but regional dynamics have shifted since 2018. Iran has increased its economic resilience through stronger alliances with China and Russia, expanded oil exports, and strategic infrastructure projects. Both sides face an opportunity to negotiate a pragmatic deal focused... Read More

Israel recently attacked banks in Lebanon it alleges are part of the financial network that supports Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah (a member of the Lebanese government). While Israel is great at the blowing-up aspect of fighting Hezbollah’s financial network, a bank is just a building, a mailing address — not “the network.” The U.S. government... Read More

Iraq’s leaders have a lot on their minds, stuck between Israel and Iran as the two countries veer closer to open conflict. Washington generally has a permissive attitude to whatever Israel wants to do, so if the attackers cross Iraq the assumption will be that the Americans approved, or did not disapprove, of the attack... Read More

President Zelensky’s ambassador to the United States caused a scandal with Republican lawmakers during his recent visit to Pennsylvania. She set up a visit to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, where much-needed 155mm artillery rounds are made. The visit turned into a clumsy attempt to help Democrats garner votes in this important state. Republicans expressed... Read More

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently declared, “Israel is trapping Iran and America.” If that is true, perhaps the U.S. and Iran should cooperate to extricate themselves from that trap. In the wake of the most recent exchange of fire between Israel and Iran, the region is on the cusp of more violence and instability, but... Read More

Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban just announced the country will re-open its embassy in Muscat, Oman. This follows the United Arab Emirates’ acceptance of the credentials of the Afghan ambassador in August. And in January, Chinese leader Xi Jinping personally accepted the credentials of the Afghan ambassador to Beijing. (China’s new ambassador to Afghanistan was officially received... Read More

Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, recently declared he will defeat the Taliban “no matter the odds.” For Massoud to mount a military threat to the Taliban, he would need the cooperation of the Central Asian republics, Iran or Pakistan (among others) to do the job. However, Afghanistan’s neighbors have... Read More

Afghanistan and Uzbekistan strengthen trade ties with new agreements, including the Termez International Trade Center and the UAP Railway Project. Trade between Afghanistan and its neighbors, including Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, is growing rapidly, with projects like the TAPI Gas Pipeline and Trans-Afghan Corridor. Potential challenges include regional instability, U.S. sanctions, and internal Afghan political... Read More

China is frustrated with Pakistan's inability to protect Chinese workers on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which has slowed progress due to violence and instability. Pakistan has launched an anti-terrorism campaign targeting the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), but tensions with Afghanistan complicate efforts to secure the region. Central Asia is developing alternative trade routes, like the... Read More