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Search Results for: Irina Tsukerman – Page 2

The Houthi “Khums” Tax at the Center of Iran’s Geopolitical Strategy

Iran has successfully coopted local separatist movements and uprisings in an effort to create a globalized and integrated network of proxies with international reach. The Houthi Hashemite “Khums” tax is the first step toward systematizing the acquisition of lands, property, and natural resources in support of Iran’s geopolitical agenda. It is also intended to resurrect the concept of Hashemite descent for rulers and religious authorities in an effort to displace the Arab governments that stand in the way of the Islamic Republic’s dominion and control over the ultimate prize: Mecca and Medina.

Iran’s Lawfare in Europe Normalizes Its Geopolitical Strategy

Iran has shifted away from political assassinations of Ahwazi Arab and Kurdish opposition figures in Europe. It is now trying to normalize its ethnocentric, Khomeinist revolutionary agenda abroad by using lawfare and playing politics. This new approach is a more “diplomatic” and “acceptable” means of asserting hard and soft power, and poses a danger to the prospects for effective US sanctions enforcement.

Is Yemen the Next Frontier for the Turkey-Russia Conflict?

Turkey and Russia are embroiled in separate proxy conflicts on multiple fronts in Syria and Libya, but could be on a collision course in the complex political landscape of Yemen. This can be avoided if Turkey does not try for an aggressive Islamist takeover and respects Russia’s desire to share gas profits, exercise political influence with whatever factions end up dominating the sphere, and retain access to strategic waterways.

Qatar’s Anti-Saudi Seeds of the Islamist Quartet

The Islamist Quartet consists of Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan, and Malaysia. The seeds of its agenda were planted by Qatari Emir Hamad’s and Libyan dictator Muammar Qhaddafi’s plot to take down the Saudi royal family and divide the Kingdom. Qatari lobbyists have since managed to bury the long history and strategic depth of these relationships by reshaping the narrative with a focus on the 2017 Gulf Crisis.

Will Kurdish Unity Talks Lead to a More Muscular US Policy on Syria?

The US is backing Kurdish unity talks as part of a policy centered around appeasing Turkey’s national security concerns about the PYD’s essential role in Syria. However, all signs indicate that Turkey sees this gesture as no more than a ruse to normalize its enemies. Only a more involved and active US foreign policy will cement any gains around a more stable and unified Kurdish presence.

Why Coronavirus Hasn’t Stopped Iranian Aggression

In sum and substance, Iran has a clear objective, a strategy, and the willingness to invest and take risks to fulfill it. The US demonstrates exactly the opposite in every respect. Thanks to its unswervable focus and determination even in the face of calamity, the Islamic Republic's march through the Middle East is likely unstoppable.

Turkey Is Building a Geopolitical Alliance Between Sunni and Shiite Islamists

The recent news about the involvement of Iranian diplomats in the murder of an Iranian dissident in Turkey sparked a flare of international interest from within the all-encompassing coronavirus pandemic coverage, largely thanks to unflattering comparisons with coverage of the Jamal Khashoggi murder in 2018 (which the Iranian press promoted with gusto). The relative lack of interest in the crime from within Turkey itself reflects Ankara’s willingness to consort with Shiite Islamists to its own advantage.

Turkey’s “Defense Line”: An Ideological Front

Turkey’s latest moves in Libya and the eastern Mediterranean should be viewed in the context of the recent Kuala Lumpur Summit, which announced the emergence of a new ideological bloc to counter Saudi Arabia consisting of Iran, Turkey, Qatar, and Malaysia. Turkey’s new geopolitical strategy is as much ideological as it is “defensive.”

Why No Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran Will Ever Last

Rumors of an impending meeting between Iran's President Rouhani and President Trump have quieted down somewhat amidst the uprisings in Iran and Iraq and the sudden US foreign policy reversal on Syria, which paved the way for Turkey's incursion and bombardment of northern Syria. The attack has been described by Erdoğan as an offensive against the YPG, and widely condemned as a betrayal by the US of its Kurdish allies. However, while much attention has been paid to the apparently impulsive and uncoordinated last-minute decision to withdraw a small remnant of the US contingent from Syria, few are discussing the events unfolding in Iran and Iraq, with the latest news including Iran’s decision to send 7,500 troops to Iraq.

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