Latest in Israel
Iraq braces for the upcoming Kurdish independence referendum, Saudi Arabia's economic reform project reaches a critical juncture, and the Gulf states seem to be changing their posture toward Israel.
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The Trump administration lays out its game plan for decertifying the Iran deal, the Islamic State is being squeezed in Deir Ezzor, and Trump offers to fix the Gulf crisis.
Saudi Arabia is grooming a royal rival in Qatar, the Trump administration’s latest diplomatic tour in the region has officials scratching heads, and officials are trying to give Iraqi Kurds a reason to postpone next month’s vote on secession.
The Islamic State claims credit for attack in Barcelona, the Houthis and Ali Abdullah Saleh reach their breaking point, and the Israeli prime minister's response to the neo-Nazi rallies in Charlottesville suggests he is wary of offending Trump.
Russia can’t wrangle its proxy in Syria to abide by its ceasefire agreements, Rouhani addresses Trump’s wavering commitment to the JCPOA in his inauguration speech, and Netanyahu could be indicted for corruption.
Two weeks of protests appear to be ending in Jerusalem, France pushes through a ceasefire in Libya but peace remains elusive, Saudi Arabia and Qatar trade accusations of politicizing the pilgrimage to Mecca, and Lebanon’s Saad Hariri lobbies Washington.
A terrorist attack touched off a new round of clashes in Jerusalem, the United States has ended its clandestine support to rebels fighting the Assad regime, the Qatar crisis is having effects in Gaza and Yemen, and Trump wants a pretext to avoid recertifying the JCPOA in three months.
Countering Iran requires gains “on the ground” from tangible measures such as sanctions and, where necessary, the use of force, and also requires gaining the moral high ground of legitimacy in the war of ideas.
Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia over the weekend on his first foreign trip as president, while U.S. coalition forces in Syria bombed pro-Assad forces.
In light of press reports that President Trump may have revealed sensitive counterterrorism information originating from the Israeli government to Russian officials, it’s useful to take a step back and run through what foreign liaison relationships do and why they are important to U.S. counterterrorism.