Iran is in open conflict with the West and with Saudi Arabia too. Ayatollah Khamenei has adopted a totalitarian interpretation of Islam.This raises questions about the facile assumptions of change
Israel needs a more active and aggressive diplomatic strategy to thwart what seems to be an escalating campaign of pressure from the international community on the Palestinian issue; a campaign that President Obama can be expected to lead in his final months in office.
As the West's nuclear negotiations with Iran heads toward additional extensions, it is likely that future negotiations will focus on the concessions Iran seeks to secure.
The recent discovery of substantial natural gas fields in Israeli and Cypriot territorial waters challenge Turkeyโs claim as the central energy hub for Europe. Greece, Israel and Cyprus should increase their strategic cooperation in order to counter Turkish hostility.
Turkey's foreign policy reorientation โ away from the West and toward Islamist countries like Iran and Syria โ changes the balance of power in the Middle East, negatively affects the pro-Western orientation of the Central Asian republics, weakens NATO, and threatens the East-West energy corridor.
Ahmadinejad has repeatedly asserted that the West needs Iran more than Iran needs the West. While Iran has the economic influence to inflict significant damage on the world economy, Ahmadinejadย's flippant remarks have little basis in reality and his policies are likely to incur significant damage to his country.