Tom Barrack travelled to Erbil to meet representatives from Iraq and Syria to discuss Kurdish-American cooperation and the need to tackle pro-Iranian militias
As support for Israel weakens across the US political spectrum, once-taboo questions about military aid, lobbying influence, and US backing are moving into the mainstream
There are fears that a divided country could yet splinter into a patchwork of overlapping fiefdoms led by warlords and terrorists, with neither a military nor diplomatic solution looking likely
The powerful militia controls half the country, battling the Sudanese Armed Forces for the rest, but has had several setbacks as of late, including defections to the other side
Beyond Israel's immediate security aims lies a much larger struggle over Lebanon's future—one that will unfold over years, in multiple stages, and cannot be reduced to a simple question of force.
Israel's recent assassination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad will do little to sway the group's decision to stick to its guns, which it views as a 'sacred right' and a defence against Israeli-armed gangs
Legislation to fund the American military and intelligence services will include requirements that Israeli defence firms be involved in sensitive projects and that classified information be shared
Even if diplomatic progress continues, the Strait could be closed again. As a result, the geopolitical risk premium attached to Gulf energy exports is unlikely to disappear entirely.