The US can leave Iraq. Really.

Earlier this month, Iraq’s prime minister said American troops were no longer needed in his country. That might sound surprising, but it’s nothing new: Iraqi leaders have been calling on the U.S. to withdraw its forces for years.

American troops in Iraq completed their mission fully more than five years ago, in March 2019, when ISIS lost all of its territory. Yet for inexplicable reasons, U.S. troops have remained, overstaying their welcome and becoming magnets for insurgent attacks, including from Iranian proxies.

Hezbollah couldn’t save Gaza or Lebanon: Only state-building can ensure our future

Criticising Hezbollah isn’t sectarian nor does it ignore the Israeli threat. Resistance is a must but we must think about our future, says Karim Safieddine.

October 7 happened. Since then, Gaza has witnessed a brutal genocide which has killed over 41,000 Palestinians and indefinitely paralysed and destroyed the Strip’s economy and social fabric.

From the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure and whole neighbourhoods to the deliberate bombing of universities, schools, and hospitals, it has been a plan of erasure meant to depopulate Gaza and ethnically cleanse the Palestinian population.

Claims Swirl Around Israeli Strikes Very Near Russia’s Air Base In Syria

Israeli conducted strikes near the Syrian coast this morning, with explosions reported in the vicinity of the Russian-operated Khmeimim Air Base, near the city of Latakia. At this stage, it’s not clear if the Russian airfield was actually hit, deliberately or otherwise — which would be a first. Either way, however, the attacks represent a notable escalation in terms of Israel’s willingness to prosecute targets that are very close to this key Russian military facility in Syria and a major point of pride for Moscow.

Israel is replicating its brutal Gaza playbook in Lebanon

Analysis: Whether indiscriminate mass bombing, forced displacement, or targeting civilians, Israel is employing the same tactics in Lebanon as it did in Gaza.

As Israel officially began its invasion of south Lebanon this week, a sense of déjà vu immediately struck people who have been living through or observing Israel’s year-long war on Gaza.

10 Things to Know About Hezbollah

  1. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Islamist terrorist organization

Hezbollah (also spelled “Hizballah”) is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and a political party based in Lebanon. The group seeks the destruction of Israel and conducts terrorist and criminal activity around the globe. Hezbollah provides its Lebanese supporters with public services, including social welfare, schools, and housing, and indoctrinates them with its Shiite revolutionary ideology.

Iran Braces for Israeli Attack That Could Change the Middle East Forever

After carrying out an explosive act of vengeance against Israel, Iran is preparing for the country to strike back in another dangerous round of escalation that has the potential to push the Middle East into an all-out war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Iran would “pay” after the Islamic Republic fired up to 200 missiles against its longtime foe in response to the assassination of Hamas’s chief in Tehran, the killing of the leader of Hezbollah and a senior Iranian military official in Beirut and other Israel-linked actions across the Middle East.

Iran’s Missile Attack is a Challenge Israel Can’t Ignore

Iran will be hoping that it has reinforced its credibility in the Middle East with its attack on Israel, but it is more likely to prompt a damaging Israeli response.

It will take time for both confirmation and reliable assessments of damage on the ground to come out, but at the moment and based on various government briefings, it appears that between 180 and 200 ballistic missiles were launched from Iran at several targets in Israel on the evening of 1 October. This is nearly double the number of ballistic missiles involved in Iran’s attack in April. At the time of writing, there do not appear to have been any accompanying cruise missiles or drones, including anything launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah.

Grand strategy: Alliances

Key points

  • Alliances are usually temporary arrangements among states to counter—or “balance” against—a specific common threat. The United States’ Cold War alliances, by contrast, have become seemingly permanent.
  • States tend to balance power when they face a major threat. Bandwagoning, by contrast, is a particularly poor option for states with the capability to put up a fight. When threatened, states tend to join forces in alliances rather than surrender their national survival to the whims of a more powerful aggressor.
  • Alliances, however, entail costs and risks. These include the dangers of being drawn into war through entanglement and entrapment, the deleterious effect on deterrence by allies that neglect their defense by “free-riding,” and the moral hazard produced by enabling allies to act like “reckless drivers.”
  • Over time, the United States has shifted from a deep skepticism of “entangling alliances” to a global network of security dependents that are treated as an end in themselves, rather than a means to an end. This posture has left the United States overextended, while encouraging allies to neglect their own capabilities and preparedness.
  • The United States can and should significantly reduce its alliance commitments, particularly in Europe and the Middle East, where threats to the U.S. are remote and local powers can balance adversaries. In Asia, the United States should act as a backstop to the regional balance of power rather than a vanguard.