International Law and the Downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752

Iran’s prevarications about its responsibility for the shooting down of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 during the recent escalation of tensions with the US magnify its culpability and could lay it open to reparations claims by Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, and the UK, all of which lost citizens in the disaster.

Photo-Ops Notwithstanding, Iran Faces the US Alone

Iran is now assessing whether it should retaliate further against the US for the targeting of Qassem Soleimani, and if so, how. Its relationships with Russia and Turkey might look warm, but they are troubled. Neither is likely to leap to Tehran’s side in its clash with the US. Israel should exploit Iran’s fissures with Russia and Turkey to its advantage.

How Qassem Soleimani Forced Donald Trump Back into the Middle East

Qassem Soleimani was emboldened by the US administration’s failure to respond to repeated Iranian efforts to destabilize the Persian Gulf—so much so that he felt it was safe to attack Americans directly in Iraq. President Trump, who so recently was eager to leave the Middle East, ordered the killing of Soleimani in retaliation—drawing the US back into the Middle East.

The Soleimani Killing and Left-Liberals

Many in the West have expressed great dismay at the killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. Such responses to the removal of perhaps the world’s leading terrorist seem to suggest that the democratic West has descended into decadence. If that is the case, it is worth examining the extent to which the liberal-left dominance of much of Western public discourse is undermining the stability of democracy itself.

Democrats Challenge Trump’s Authority to Conduct Military Operations Against Iran

The US House of Representatives has passed a resolution, initiated by the Democrats, to restrict President Donald Trump's ability to conduct military operations against Iran. If approved by the Senate, the resolution could adversely affect the US campaign to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power and other important security issues in the Middle East.

Soleimani’s Death Opens Door to Alternative Security Arrangements in the Gulf

The killing by the US of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani has widened the opening for a potential restructuring of the Gulf’s security architecture.

The Soleimani Killing: Trump’s New Approach to the War on Terror

Soft power and coercive diplomacy tools have not worked for almost 20 years against “peaceful Iran” (as Obama used to call it), and America has opted instead to exercise hard power. Trump’s order to kill Qassem Soleimani exposes once again the vast gap between the US and Europe on the problem of Iran.

The Iraq Uprising: Where Does It Go From Here?

Ofra Bengio
January 10, 2020
Paper No. 1398

The killing of Qassem Soleimani could prove to be a turning point in the history of the Middle East as a whole, but first and foremost in Iraq. That country has been contending for months with a popular uprising that has produced chaos and turned it into an arena for a titanic battle between Iran and the US.

Iran Seeks to End Direct Clash with US and Return to Asymmetric Comfort Zone

Tehran doesn’t want outright war. It is sticking to the long game in its goal of ejecting US forces from the region and completing its takeover of neighboring Iraq.

Iran’s Missiles and Its Evolving “Rings of Fire”

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's warning on the emergent Yemen-originating missile threat corresponds to Iran's modus operandi of surrounding its foes with missile “rings of fire” and will enable Tehran to complete the missile encirclement of the Jewish state as a step toward its eventual demise. Israel must do its utmost to confront this new strategic threat by establishing an alert system and defense capabilities against Yemen-originating cruise and ballistic missiles, whatever the cost.