Europe: Stuck in the Twenty-first Century
The twentieth century was initially the worst of times and then the best of times for Europe. In that century’s first half, the continent experienced the two most deadly and destructive wars in all of history. During the first of them, communists seized control of the Russian empire and from there spread their rule westward […]
The Real Iran Problem
For almost five decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has survived sustained American pressure not through strength, legitimacy, or economic resilience, but through strategic utility. Tehran has learned to convert asymmetric tools—hostage diplomacy, proxy warfare, and ideological export—into leverage within a shifting global order. Unfortunately, Washington has treated Tehran as a self-contained Middle Eastern problem […]
American Security Interests in Asia
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took a calculated gamble to call for elections only four months into her tenure. The Liberal Democratic Party was in deep trouble with the Japanese electorate. While LDP objectionable behavior seems modest compared to European or US values, it represented an arrogance by the LDP that deeply offended Japanese voters. […]
Iran at the Edge: Pressure, Transition, and the Responsibility of Clarity
Maximum Pressure Is a Strategy — Not a Spectacle In a recent interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News, Reza Pahlavi — son of the late Shah of Iran — spoke about the brutal repression inside Iran, where protesters are executed, dissidents are silenced, and a generation lives under the constant shadow of state violence. […]
Marco Rubio at Munich: Sovereignty, Deterrence, and the Strategic Recalibration of the West
At the 62nd Munich Security Conference, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a speech that signaled not merely rhetorical reassurance, but a strategic recalibration of transatlantic expectations. Rubio’s central message was grounded in sovereignty and deterrence. While reaffirming that “the United States and Europe belong together,” he made clear that partnership must be anchored […]
America Pivots Away From Syria’s Kurds
A decade ago, as it sought to strengthen its campaign against the Islamic State in Syria, the United States adopted the Syrian Democratic Forces – a coalition of opposition militias dominated by the Kurds – as its partner of choice. The SDF quickly distinguished itself as a capable ally, helping dismantle ISIS’s territorial control and […]
The Middle East Is Now a Live-Fire Test of American Maritime Deterrence
The Middle East is no longer a peripheral conflict. It is an active battlespace in which U.S. naval power, global commerce, and allied security are being tested in real time. When a U.S. carrier strike group such as USS Abraham Lincoln operates in or near the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, it does so as […]
Why Trump’s Charm Offensive in Japan Worked
Your Sunday probably wasn’t as good as Sanae Takaichi’s. The Japanese prime minister romped to victory in her country’s general election, which handed the Liberal Democratic Party its biggest majority ever in the House of Representatives. President Donald Trump, who had endorsed Takaichi, sent his congratulations and called her “highly respected and very popular” in a social […]
Iran, Time, and the Test of Diplomacy
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrival in Washington this week is not a routine diplomatic engagement. It comes at a moment of strategic significance , as the United States resumes indirect negotiations with Iran under Omani mediation and reassesses its broader posture. Any serious discussion of Iran must begin with reality, not aspiration. The Islamic Republic […]
The Case for Foreign Intervention in Iran
As with many contemporary challenges, the case for foreign intervention in Iran has a clear precedent: NATO’s intervention in the former Yugoslavia against the murderous regime of Serbian president Slobodan Milošević. That regime did not pose a direct military threat to NATO. Instead, the intervention that took place was moral and humanitarian, initiated in response […]
