Defense & Security
In Focus: Middle East & North Africa
Phones and Force: The Geostrategy of Smartphones in an Era of US-Chinese Competition
By Anthony Consalvo |
Smartphones will gain geostrategic significance. The Gulf States, through Apple and Huawei, have aligned with the United States and China, respectively. Their strategic importance makes them noteworthy test cases in the rising geostrategic significance of supply chains.
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Enrichment and the End of the JCPOA
By John Ashley |
The JCPOA is dying a slow death. The US should try to save the JCPOA, while also thinking about a potential successor agreement based on the central tenets of the NPT and nuclear nonproliferation.
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Iran in the Time of Maximal Compellence
By Jonathan Stutte |
The United States' strategy of maximal compellence against Iran is frustrating, but not yet compelling. To reduce the risk of war, the Trump administration needs to soften and broaden its approach.
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ISIS Fighters Will Be Punished for Their Actions. Their Children Need Our Protection.
By Claire Downing |
From repatriation, to direct services, to assurances from their home countries that they will be treated with dignity, the children of ISIS fighters can be one step closer to escaping their parents’ horrible choices with help from governments and the international community.
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Iran, Enrichment, and Arms Control
By John Ashley |
The NPT does not grant a right to enrich, as Iran claims. However, it does allow for verification-based access to nuclear power.
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Political Chaos is Knocking Down Barriers in Algeria
By Desmond Jordan |
The lack of leadership in Algeria has led to an unstable political environment, weakening the structure of the state. An Arab-Spring inspired revolution is underway as protesters challenge the government, as well as the military who has seized political power; for now.
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Beyond the Iran Deal
By John Ashley |
The recent escalation in tensions between the United States in Iran has jeopardized the already imperiled JCPOA. It is imperative that the JCPOA continues, as it would prove to skeptical states that arms control agreements could be successful.
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Can the U.S. Senate Reshape the Yemen War
By Sheila Archambault Helke |
As the Trump Administration has been unwilling to confront Saudi Arabia over Yemen, Congress should step in. The Senate has made the first move, but the House must follow suit to show the world US foreign policy is anchored in its human rights ideals.
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Exploring the ‘What If?’ in Middle East Peace
By Caroline Rose |
Understanding the Middle East's cartography is key to resolving the region's contemporary conflicts. The King-Crane Commission explores this "alternative history."
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Do States Have a “Right to Exist”?
By Anthony Angelini |
The recent resurgence of violence between Israel and Palestine brings questions of national sovereignty and a state's "right to exist" back into focus, but is it the time for philosophical questions?
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A New Type of Money: Iran’s Hope to Bypass U.S. Sanctions
By Kristen Cheriegate |
The US is struggling to adapt to the emerging digital market and cryptocurrencies. This creates potential security gaps which actors like Iran have the potential to exploit.
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Tunisia’s Enduring (But Fragile) Democracy
By Michael Purzycki |
Tunisia provides a stark rebuttal for anyone who thinks of the Arab Spring as a failure. But democratic institutions do not defend themselves; they need citizens to stand up for them.
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