Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Maysam Behravesh
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Iran’s policy in Syria post-US troop withdrawal
US President Donald Trump’s abrupt announcement last week of the withdrawal of American troops from Syria caught many people off guard, including his own administration officials. It actually prompted the resignation of Defence Secretary James Mattis. The surprise, however, was perhaps greater in Tehran’s corridors of power. Less than...
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Is Saudi Arabia turning East after Khashoggi fallout?
Having won back control of the House of Representatives after eight years, Democrats seem determined to take a closer look into President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy. “The White House needs to take us seriously, and if they don’t, we are going to make sure they take us...
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The unlikely – and ironic – effects of Daesh’s fall in Iraq
Daesh has been routed in Iraq. On 5 October, the militant group lost the northern town of Hawija – its last urban stronghold after Iraqi forces recaptured Mosul and Tal Afar earlier this year. The brutal battles for these cities have been well documented. Less noticed, however, has been...
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Why it’s risky for the US to label Iran’s IRGC a terror group
US Navy ship fires warning shots near Iranian vesselOnce again, the US Navy has opened fire on an Iranian vessel in the Gulf. US sailors fired warning shots Tuesday after the Iranian patrol boat – apparently operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – came within 150 yards...