Senior Manager for North America at Strong Cities Network. Middle East policy wonk at heart. Helping prevent hate, extremism, and polarization at home first.
@jimgeraghty on Tuesday's pod you lamented that no-one in DC discusses what would have happened to Iraq had the US not invaded...
To that I say, hold my beer...
https://t.co/sChiw2KLgf
On the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War, here's a counter-factual: What if the US didn't invade, and Saddam had to face the Arab Spring? A thought experiment... #Iraq20YearsOn
https://t.co/OAoxmqY6ZM
On the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War, here's a counter-factual: What if the US didn't invade, and Saddam had to face the Arab Spring? A thought experiment... #Iraq20YearsOn
https://t.co/OAoxmqY6ZM
This is a deliberately informal, scattershot strategy aimed at obscuring the degree of Iran’s direct involvement in terrorist plots in the Gulf.
Ironically, the strategy has left Iran with few gains relative to the exaggerated influence attributed to it by its GCC adversaries.
In short, while in Iraq/Lebanon Iran invests in established militant groups, in the Gulf it has relied on transnational religious networks, ad-hoc militias, individual terror cells, and out-of-area proxy groups to do its bidding.
What's the likelihood that Iran will further invest in the Houthis and develop them as an enduring proxy group in Yemen?
This new report explores: https://t.co/RkatB0xrD8
Due to Iranian machinations and the fallout over the killing of #Soleimani, the pressure on Iran has been greatly reduced.
RAND's @Jordan_R_Reimer explains: https://t.co/LRRhCeWHtt
Iran has restored its regional influence, says RAND's @Jordan_R_Reimer. What could the U.S. do now to push back against the regime effectively—and without the threat of war? https://t.co/pSCI3CNHhb
Late last year, Iran was facing tremendous pressure in the region.
RAND's @Jordan_R_Reimer explains how the regime has been able to turn back the tide: https://t.co/oqernAGtDO
This would mean ensuring that the demands of protesters for accountable, nation-above-party governments are met, along with any needed constitutional reforms, without necessarily overthrowing the constitutional systems themselves. /end
https://t.co/eZfIrlbSWS
As the current flare-up deescalates, the US could still push back against Iran, effectively and without the threat of war, by doing what it can to ensure that a key goal of the protests is met: removing Iran’s disproportionate influence in Iraq and Lebanon. 8/9