The Russian FM’s Gulf Tour: A Bellwether of US-Saudi Relations

As Russian FM Sergei Lavrov embarks on a four-day visit to the Gulf, Middle Eastern leaders are either struggling to get a grip on Joe Biden’s recalibration of US policy in the region or signaling their refusal to adapt to the president’s approach.

McConnell, Trump, and the GOP

Lev Stesin
March 9, 2021
Paper No. 1955

Mitch McConnell embodies what it takes to govern, but Donald Trump represents what it takes to win. Separately, however, these archetypes can achieve neither. Yet unity may prove elusive as both sides, even when pursuing the same goals, have personal characteristics that oppose one another.

Israeli Intelligence Cooperation with Arab Allies Thwarts Iranian Terrorism

Erfan Fard
March 8, 2021
Paper No. 1954

The magnitude of the terrorist threat in the Middle East has grown steadily since the outset of the so-called “Arab Spring.” The need to modernize intelligence in the service of counterterrorism is a matter of particular concern to the Persian Gulf states, which share the common goal of impeding the spread of Iran’s transnational terrorist network and reducing the damage caused by Iran-affiliated Shiite militias. The newly formed intelligence cooperation between Israel and several Arab states has already thwarted Iranian attacks.

Israel’s Multifaceted Power

It is far more difficult to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Israel than it is to do the same for a Western European country. Israel has a great deal of hard and soft power, but it also seriously underperforms in terms of diplomatic power and the combating of anti-Israel propaganda.

The Shiite Crescent: The Middle East’s Arc of Crisis

Iran’s hegemonic ambitions depend on an unbroken Shiite arc from Bahrain to Lebanon. It is for this reason that the Islamist regime considers the maintenance of its influence in Syria to be a top priority. If Iran is to be prevented from projecting its totalitarian imperialism throughout the region and beyond, it will have to lose its foothold in Syria.

The FBI and Iranian Espionage

Erfan Fard
March 7, 2021
Paper No. 1950

On February 13, 2021, the FBI issued a public appeal to locate Monica Witt, a former US counterintelligence agent who defected to Iran in 2013 and was formally charged with espionage in 2019. Witt is suspected of assisting Iranian intelligence and targeting her former fellow agents on behalf of the regime. She is also alleged to have disclosed the code name and classified mission of a DIA Special Access Program.

Toward a Palestinian State? The US Confers Legitimacy on the Palestinian Authority and Hamas

Since taking office, the Biden administration has been in direct contact with Palestinian Authority leaders, encouraged and assisted by Israeli leftists who want to bring a Palestinian state into existence as quickly as possible. The Israeli government is not in the picture except in one regard: the administration is pressuring PM Netanyahu to enable Palestinian elections not only in the West Bank and Gaza but also in East Jerusalem, which would prove to the world that Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is no longer valid.

Russia and Iran Sign an Intelligence Pact

The Islamic Republic of Iran has experienced a number of serious counterintelligence failures over the years. Last month, Iran and Russia, a close ally of the Islamic regime, signed a pact that should assist it as it attempts to reform its counterintelligence.

The President of Tunisia Slanders the Jews

Dr. Edy Cohen
March 3, 2021
Paper No. 1947

The president of Tunisia, disturbed by demonstrations against his country’s economic mismanagement, pulled out the one card that has always worked for Arab presidents and kings who need to divert attention away from their own failures: blame the Jews.

US Intelligence Report Leaves Saudi Arabia with No Good Geopolitical Choices

The Biden administration’s publication of a US intelligence report that holds Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi creates a fundamental challenge to the kingdom’s geopolitical ambitions.

Perspectives Papers