Trump’s Designation of the Muslim Brotherhood: Next Steps
On November 24, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that begins the process of designating three Muslim Brotherhood chapters (in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon) as “foreign terrorist organizations” and “specially designated global terrorists” under US law. This decision marks a turning point in how the United States approaches the ideological landscape of the Middle […]
Truth Has Finally Defeated Fear
Thank you President Trump. Thank you for understanding what so many refused to confront. Thank you for doing what generations of leaders hesitated to attempt. Thank you for exposing the dark machinery that has shaped the Middle East’s tragedies for far too long. I write as someone from an Arab and Muslim country, someone who […]
Reforming the Department of State: A Vision for an Elite, Agile Diplomatic Corps
How to reform the State Department? Michael Gfoeller’s plan would return the American Foreign Service to an elite corps focused on its core strengths of operational know-how and regional expertise.
Confronting the Muslim Brotherhood: A Practical Roadmap for the Trump Administration
The Trump administration should address challenges presented by the Muslim Brotherhood, writes Haisam Hassanein.
The United States as an Offshore Balancer
Michael Mandelbaum looks at the traditional British practice of offshore balancing as a potential role model for current American foreign policy.
Lessons Learned From Fighting Narcoterrorism in South America
The fight against narcoterrorism has returned to the vocabulary of American policymakers. The Trump administration has deployed Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps assets to the Caribbean and destroyed several drug-carrying vessels, just the beginning of a campaign according to the President. This time the US effort is centered on Venezuela, but it is nevertheless […]
No Real Alternative: Why the Gulf Will Rely on the US
Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, on September 9 jarred the region and spurred a new outburst of skepticism about the value of US security commitments. The US has long sought a stable regional environment in which American partners do not attack one another, which the Doha attack obviously disrupted. Nevertheless, the Middle East simply has […]
America’s Options in Afghanistan
Four years have passed since the United States withdrew in chaos from Afghanistan, abandoning important projects, leaving behind billions of dollars of equipment and handing the Taliban many other assets in that country. The Taliban still rule Afghanistan. They face a mountain of unresolved problems yet are ready to employ as much force as necessary […]
The War on Soft Power
In the first Trump administration, then director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney said “There’s no question this is a hard-power budget. It is not a soft-power budget. . . [We want] to send a message to our allies and our potential adversaries that this is a strong-power administration. So you have […]
A US-Led Multinational Mechanism for Syria
Optimism about Syria abounds. The regime, despite its Islamist orientation, has adopted a generally moderate and pragmatic approach (though there are legitimate concerns about its security forces’ actions in the predominantly Druze area of al-Suwayda). Israel’s decimation of Hizbullah and weakening of Iran – the former Asad regime’s primary pillars of support – created this […]
Sanctioning One of Lebanon’s Largest Banks
Hizbullah has long treated Lebanon’s financial system as its personal bank vault — laundering funds, moving money through shell companies, and using quasi-banks like Al-Qard al-Hasan, a US-sanctioned entity, to keep its financial empire humming. But on July 15, something remarkable happened: Lebanon finally pushed back. The country’s central bank banned financial institutions from dealing with Al-Qard […]
Reconciliation Bills and the Defense Budget
Both during his presidential campaign and since taking office, President Donald Trump has repeatedly echoed Ronald Reagan’s famous phrase “peace through strength,” while emphasizing the major emerging long-term threat from the People’s Republic of China. Despite Trump’s pronouncements, however, his fiscal year 2026 budget falls short of the defense spending levels that the Biden administration […]
