Analysis & Commentary
Taliban rejects ceasefire extension, resumes attacks on ‘internal puppets’
The Taliban has rejected a request by the Afghan government to extend its short-lived ceasefire. “Mujahideen throughout the country are ordered to continue their operations against the foreign invaders and their internal puppets as before,” the group said in a short statement published...
Iran: The Shi’ite Imperial Power
The sectarian wars in Iraq and Syria have fundamentally changed the Islamic Republic. They have become arenas for a new militant Shi’ite solidarity that has crossed the Arab Persian divide: Iranian-led, non-Iranian militias, thousands strong, now fight in foreign lands.
Deal or No Deal, The IAEA Must Monitor Iran’s Nuclear Program
Although the United States is withdrawing from the nuclear deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) retains both the right and the obligation to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.
How the US Can Keep Venezuela from Becoming a Failed State
On Sunday, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro will face his country’s hungry, impoverished voters. The election will be neither free nor fair, so another win for the corrupt Socialist party is almost guaranteed. Already, Western countries are rightly rejecting the outcome.
State Sponsors of Terrorism: An Examination of Iran’s Global Terrorism Network
Since its establishment, the Islamic Republic of Iran has viewed Latin America as a fertile ground for the export of its revolution. Tehran wants the Western Hemisphere to become a hotbed of anti-Americanism and a forward operating base for Iran.
Pushing Back on Putin: Gaining Leverage with Cheaper Oil and Gas
For three years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has seemed immune to the dual stresses of increasingly tighter economic sanctions and stubbornly low oil prices. He has maintained covert pincers on Ukraine sovereignty, captured a diplomatic and military foothold in Syria, and attacked the...
The IAEA’s Right and Obligation to Inspect Military Facilities in Iran
In order for the nuclear deal with Iran to ensure the “exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program,” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) must be able to inspect all necessary locations either in the territory of Iran or under its control elsewhere, including all...
U.S. should oppose Turkish plans to confront YPG – analysis
The United States should oppose Turkish plans to extend an operation against fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria’s Afrin to other parts of the country’s northern region, said Romany Shaker, research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Monitoring Iranian Weaponization Activities: Another Crucial Flaw of the Nuclear Deal
The nuclear agreement has emboldened the Islamic Republic. Since signing the deal in the summer of 2015, Iran’s behavior around the world and especially in the Middle East has become more aggressive.
FDD Profiles of Leading Iranian-Backed Militias
Iran has built a network of Shiite militias, now fighting across the Middle East, whose fighters number in the tens of thousands. These militias include battle-hardened fighters as well as poorly trained recruits. They hail from countries across the Muslim world and have varying motivations...
Evolving Terror: The Development of Jihadist Operations Targeting Western Interests in Africa
After the Arab Spring, North African countries experienced growing instability, and jihadist groups capitalized on both social unrest and local conflicts. As these groups strengthened, jihadists expanded their operations into the Sahel, and were able to propagate their transnational ideology...
Norsk hykleri fanger USAs oppmerksomhet
Vi har lenge ment at oppblussingen av antiamerikanismen etter Trumps valgseier før eller siden vil fange amerikanernes oppmerksomhet og koste Norge goodwill i USA.
Certifying Iran’s Compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
On August 31, major Western media outlets reported that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had once again certified Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. is assertion, which purported to reflect the IAEA’s seventh and latest post-implementation report on Tehran’s...
Verifying Section T of the Iran Nuclear Deal
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) made at best a general statement in its last quarterly reporting (spring 2017) about its monitoring and verification of Section T, annex 1 of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This innovative, key section closes a loophole in the...
Revisiting Parchin
Fear of derailing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and facing political pressure led the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the summer of 2015 to negotiate a problematic arrangement with Iran regarding nuclear weapons development activities at a site at the Parchin...
A return to transparent safeguards reporting
This paper reviews changes introduced in recent years by the Secretariat to the Safeguards Implementation Report (SIR) in providing less information about inspection goal attainment while adding more financial information.
The Last Palestinian: The Rise and Reign of Mahmoud Abbas
The Last Palestinian, drawing from interviews with key figures in the West Bank, Israel, and Washington, is the first English biography of Abbas.
Terror Finance Briefing Book
The Terror Finance Briefing Book is a product of FDD’s Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance (CSIF) created to help policymakers better understand how terrorist groups fund their operations so that they may be targeted more effectively. This publication will compile financial assessments...
Boko Haram Financial Assessment
Boko Haram (“Western education is forbidden”) is reeling under the pressure of Nigerian military operations, but its mobility and relatively low-cost operations in poorly governed territory will likely allow it to mount attacks despite dwindling resources. As Boko Haram is degraded...
Experts
TCIL Executive Director, CEEW Advisor
