War in Gaza: The 40-Year Anniversary of the Lebanese War in Practice

11/30/2012
2012-11-30 by Robbin Laird The 1982 Lebanese War was a significant event on many levels. But one of those levels was the testing of military equipment and operational approaches.  The Israelis used new unmanned aerial vehicles, new weapons against tanks, and new approaches to air-ground operations to defeat its enemies in…

US Policy Toward Iran in Obama’s Second Term: In the Jet Wash?

11/20/2012
2012-11-20 by Richard Weitz In his first post-election press conference on November 14, President Obama reaffirmed interest in achieving  a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute since he believed the “window of opportunity” for a negotiated settlement, though closing, was still open. Obama explained that, “there should be a way…

The Middle East and North Korea: CTBT Hard Cases

10/19/2012
2012-10-19 by Richard Weitz The current nuclear crises involving Iran and North Korea make it unlikely that either of these two countries, or Egypt and Israel, will soon join the CTBT. Current U.S. priorities are rightly on preventing further North Korean nuclear tests as well as keeping Iran from developing…

Iran: Ankara’s Partner or Rival?

08/07/2012
2012-08-07  by Richard Weitz Turkish analysts are well aware of Iran’s considerable influence in Iraq. Tehran disposes of several important assets in the country, including (like Turkey) geographic proximity, a newly self-conscious and empowered Shiite majority that appreciates Iran’s centrality to the Shiite faith, and influential pro-Iranian factions embedded within…

Iran’s Widening Tool Box in Iraq

08/03/2012
2012-08-03 By Richard Weitz Iran had several motives for assisting the Iraqi insurgents during the 2005-2008 period. A first goal was to create a security buffer zone. Many Iranians saw Iraq as their first line of defense against a foreign invasion, considering that many past attacks had come from the west.…

The Iranian Offensive in Iraq: The Initial Push

07/30/2012
2012-07-30 By Richard Weitz Many consider Iran the ultimate victor of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Although the subsequent military occupation of Iraq that ended in 2011 was carried out by the United States and its allies, Iranian influence in Iraq grew tremendously following the elimination of the Saddam…