Section: The Washington Institute (USA)
Russian Reactions to the U.S. Strike on Soleimani
In the days since the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, officials in Moscow have lamented his loss and decried the U.S. operation as an “adventurous” move that will lead to regional destabilization. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the strike a gross violation of international norms, much like his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif....
Bahrain’s Perception Problem
After the kudos of hosting a major economic and peace conference last month, Bahrain, the principal base for U.S. and British naval forces coping with the Iranian threat, is now being criticized for executing Shia activists convicted of terrorist offenses. In June, the world’s attention was focused on Manama as leading officials gathered at...
Turkey’s Energy Confrontation with Cyprus
The hydrocarbon riches of the Nile and Levant geological basins have already transformed the Egyptian economy and expanded Israel’s energy options, but the possibility of similar good fortune for Cyprus is being undermined by a dangerous Turkish power game. Apparently unable to find oil or natural gas in its own Mediterranean waters, Ankara...
The Erbil Shooting: Implications for U.S.-Turkish Policy
On July 17, a Turkish official and two local civilians were killed by gunmen at a restaurant in the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Erbil. Contacts in Iraq suggest the attack was carried out by members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the designated terrorist group that has waged intermittent warfare against the Turkish government for decades. If...
Iraqi Kurdistan’s New Government
On July 10, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s parliament voted in a new cabinet led by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, eldest son of former president Masoud Barzani. Masrour succeeds his cousin Nechirvan Barzani, the long-serving KRG premier who was sworn in last month as president. The cabinet now comprises twenty-one ministers,...
U.S.-Qatar Talks Likely to be Crucial to Iran Policy
When Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani goes to the White House on July 9, it will likely be with a sense of triumph. The Qatari leader has survived more than two years of diplomatic and economic isolation by his immediate neighbors, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. And with its giant al-Udeid airbase, Qatar is now central to U.S....
Possible Iranian Links to the Claimed Houthi Missile Launch Against the UAE
On December 3, Houthi rebels in Yemen announced that they had fired a “winged cruise missile” at the construction site for al-Barakah nuclear power plant, located 230 km southwest of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. UAE military authorities dismissed the claim, asserting that no strike was launched in their direction and that...
Netanyahu Goes to Moscow
On September 21, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow against a backdrop of major developments in the Syria war. While Washington signals that it is still not planning to play a major role in the conflict, the Kremlin is further stepping up its direct support for the Assad regime. Following...
