Recent Posts

Read comment and analysis on international affairs from Madain experts and guest writers.
October 24, 2023
Our nuclear guardrails are slowly melting away

The deterioration of nuclear arms treaties, especially within the context of the war in Ukraine, presents worrying trends not seen in generations as Washington and Moscow are one step away from direct conflict. The Doomsday Clock “now stands at 90 seconds to midnight–the closest to global catastrophe it has ever been,” according to the Bulletin

Read More
October 20, 2023
US troops in Iraq, Syria fending off spate of armed attacks

The U.S. military has been quietly reacting to a spate of drone and rocket attacks against its troops in the Middle East this week, mindful that the region has become a tinderbox and the chances for the situation slipping into a wider war are growing every day.“Right now, this conflict is contained between Israel and

Read More
October 20, 2023
Forget 'peace,' did Abraham Accords set stage for Israel-Gaza conflict?

It’s easy to forget now, but the shocking and horrific violence that set off the current hostilities in the Middle East, where Hamas militants slaughtered and kidnapped innocent Israeli civilians, was predicted. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Donald Trump warned in October 2020 that terrorist violence was set to be imminently inflamed.

Read More
October 19, 2023
‘This whole thing is about Iran’: GOP blasts Biden's Israel ambassador pick

During a hearing to be the next U.S. ambassador to Israel, Biden nominee Jacob Lew was sure to affirm Washington's support for Israel as it responds to Hamas’s attacks by shelling Gaza with missiles and preparing for a possible ground invasion. But the former secretary of the Treasury spent just as much — if not

Read More
October 19, 2023
How China and Russia can help us avoid escalation in the Middle East

The United States faces two preeminent threats flowing from Hamas’s attack on Israel and Israel’s response. The first is the lethal threat to Israel that would be posed by a combination of assaults by Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran (especially if helped by Russia), and a renewed Intifada. The second is the danger that such a regional

Read More
October 17, 2023
Reports: US Marine Rapid Response Unit heading to conflict zone

The Pentagon has sent a U.S. Marine rapid response unit consisting of 2,000 Marines and sailors to the region "to send a message of deterrence to Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah" in the conflict in Israel-Gaza, according to reports early Tuesday morning.According to CNN, the unit will join the two U.S. carrier groups

Read More
October 17, 2023
Danger for US deepens as Gaza crises escalates

Hamas’s attack on Israel last week was what any reasonable person would consider an atrocity deserving of moral outrage. Hundreds of innocent civilians were killed, and dozens more were taken into captivity. It thus is understandable that such an event would elicit intense emotion and a thirst for revenge.Being understandable is not the same as

Read More
October 17, 2023
Danger for US deepens as Gaza crisis escalates

Hamas’s attack on Israel last week was what any reasonable person would consider an atrocity deserving of moral outrage. Hundreds of innocent civilians were killed, and dozens more were taken into captivity. It thus is understandable that such an event would elicit intense emotion and a thirst for revenge.Being understandable is not the same as

Read More
October 15, 2023
Biden refuses to talk 'ceasefire' though it could prevent a regional war

Hamas’s horrific attacks last weekend and the subsequent Israeli bombings of Gaza have put the entire world on edge. Beyond concerns for the fate of the 2.2 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza with nowhere to flee, there is also a palpable fear that the conflict will escalate into a region-wide war. None of the main

Read More
October 13, 2023
DW: Surprise, Putin and Zelensky don't agree on Gaza war

As much of the world’s attention shifted to the Middle East this week, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky staked out contrasting positions on the war between Israel and Hamas. The Russian president has reportedly not called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the weekend, and did not release a message of support

Read More
1 2 3
magnifier linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram