The Anbar Precedent
Twenty years ago, a war Americans watched on television cost Republicans Congress and forced a change in Iraq. This time voters are watching it at the gas pump.
Mark Pfeifle
Mark Pfeifle was deputy national security advisor for strategic comm. & global outreach from 2007-2009. He led the effort to promote President George W. Bush's "surge" of U.S. forces in Iraq
Mike Collins Always Wanted Another Rewrite
My mentor taught me how to make news with mule teams, billboards and a Rolodex. Today, his 700-word arguments are losing to the 1.7-second scroll.
The Section 1245 File
Trump wants to sell Turkey F-35s. The Russian S-400 and Congress stand in the way, and the midterms may change who Ankara has to win over.
The Saudi Stress Test
With Hormuz squeezed and drones hitting its pipeline, Riyadh rerouted oil, signed up new allies and asked Beijing for help.
ACTION MEMO FROM THE GULF: Trump Needs a War Czar
A Stephen Miller for Iran: a relentless executor with the President's backing and authority to make his government move.
The Hormuz Ledger
Eight ships went through Hormuz on Tuesday. The prewar figure was about 140 a day, and only one of Tuesday's eight was headed out of the Gulf.
How Iran Plays The Game
Lebanon, Hormuz, and Iran’s nuclear program are one pressure system, and Washington is treating them as three separate diplomatic wins.
The Pressure Trade
The memorandum is a pressure trade rather than a peace agreement, and Israel is the party with the most leverage to break it.
The Donroe Doctrine
Pressure vs. Pressure tracks where pressure is rising, where systems are holding, and where pressure is starting to break.
Russia's Grind, Iran's Clock
Russia is winning on maps and losing on math. Iran is running out of room.
Beijing’s Chokepoint
China spent years buying discounted Iranian oil. The bill arrived at Hormuz.
Find Your Strait Of Hormuz Before It Finds You
The Strait of Hormuz was studied for decades before it became a crisis this spring. The same pattern is now running through the federal budget, the universities, and the healthcare system.
