Politics & Diplomacy

Dismantlement of the Taliban regime is the only way forward for Afghanistan

By Davood Moradian

Ask ten individuals about the Taliban, and you will receive ten different answers—or as one might phrase it, the “Taliban in the eye of the beholder.”

A revived nuclear deal doesn’t stop Iran’s backing of Houthis in Yemen. More must be done.

By Muammar Al-Eryani

The international community seems indifferent to the risks of Iranian hostile behavior and intrusion through its support of Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

In Syria, cutting and running is not on the cards for Turkey

By Malik al-Abdeh and Lars Hauch

If diplomacy fails, the military option is always on the table, as President Recep Tayyip reiterated in a speech on August 25.

Your guide to Sweden’s fringe-driven general election

By Aaron Korewa and Eric Adamson

Once taboo, negotiating with the far-right Sweden Democrats will now be a political necessity if center-right parties want a change in government.

AC Selects: War in Ukraine: Latest expert analysis and insights from Danish Defense Minister

Events from the week of September 2 and 9, 2022 Six months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hear from European policy and security experts as Ukrainian soldiers prepare a major counteroffensive against Russian forces in Southern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Danish Minister of Defense Morten Bødskov highlights the critical next steps for allies to support Ukraine and […]

Rumors of Mojtaba Khamenei being crowned with the Supreme Leader’s turban have been circulating for years. Now it may happen.

By Anonymous

As President Ebrahim Raisi has stumbled, the prospects of the only other likely candidate for Supreme Leader have advanced. Attention is now focused on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s second son Mojtaba, who seemed from the outset to be orchestrating Raisi’s presidency.

Europe can win Putin’s gas war but must learn Nord Stream lessons

By Anders Åslund

With Russia now dropping all pretense and openly declaring that it will not renew gas deliveries to the EU until sanctions are scrapped, it is vital to learn the lessons from Europe’s earlier refusal to recognize the Kremlin’s weaponization of energy exports.