Headlines

Will Russia moderate its extreme demands on Ukraine?

President Donald Trump telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, March 10. In the hour-long conversation the two leaders discussed the Iran and Ukraine conflicts. Trump told Putin he wants to see progress on a Ukraine settlement. Putin surely understood that

From Suez to Hormuz: parallels in imperial overreach

Seventy years after the 1956 Suez Crisis humbled Britain and France, the world is witnessing a strikingly similar drama at another strategic maritime chokepoint: the Strait of Hormuz. In both cases, a Western power intervened militarily to secure control over a vital artery of

Iran war could push a flagging US economy over the edge

The “fog of war” refers to confusion and uncertainty on the battlefield and the attendant possibility of fatal error. This principle has a parallel when it comes to the economic consequences of wars as well, especially when they occur in a region that is a chokepoint for the

The juvenile bravado of Hegseth’s Iran kill talk

When Secretary of Defense James Mattis addressed the intensification of US combat operations against the Islamic State group in 2017, he assured the American public of his commitment to “get the strategy right” while maintaining “the rules of engagement” to “protect the