James Phillips is a former visiting fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at The Heritage Foundation.
View all authorsInternationalCommentary
Iran wasted no time setting a terrible tone for its 2021 foreign policy this week, making it clear that Tehran remains firmly committed to expanding… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Iran is building an underground advanced centrifuge assembly plant at its Natanz nuclear facility, according to satellite images obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. This… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Veteran political leader Saad al-Hariri was designated as prime minister for the fourth time on Thursday and faces the daunting challenge of resolving Lebanon’s festering problems. Hariri, who stepped down as prime minister in October 2019 due to… Read More
SecurityCommentary
This article is an excerpt from the “2020 Mandate for Leadership: A Clear Vision for the Next Administration.” It looks back at policy decisions made… Read More
InternationalCommentary
The United Nations Security Council soon will be plunged into a momentous debate as the Trump administration seeks to kill the 2015 Iran nuclear deal… Read More
SecurityCommentary
The historic peace accord between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is a major victory for the Trump administration’s “outside-in” negotiating strategy. More Arab nations soon… Read More
InternationalCommentary
As Lebanon continues to struggle in the aftermath of the August 4 Beirut explosion, one thing is clear: The cause of the blast needs to… Read More
SecurityCommentary
The Trump administration’s lead official on Iran policy is underscoring its determination to relentlessly prosecute a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, which he says has… Read More
SecurityCommentary
Tensions in the Persian Gulf are rising again as a result of provocations mounted by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. President Donald Trump warned Iran in a… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Lebanon—already crippled by overlapping political, economic, and regional crises—faces catastrophic consequences from the COVID-19 pandemic. The worsening public health crisis has magnified Lebanon’s severe economic,… Read More
InternationalCommentary
The embrace of coronavirus conspiracy theories by Iran’s Islamist regime in recent days has exposed the cynicism and desperation of a beleaguered dictatorship focused on… Read More
Health CareCommentary
Iran, which faces one of the most widespread COVID-19 coronavirus outbreaks outside of China, is paying a heavy price for the mismanagement, dishonesty, and self-serving… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did better than expected in Israel’s March 2 elections, but nevertheless still might lose his job. Netanyahu is seeking a… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Iran is preparing for another set of rigged parliamentary elections Friday. Once again, Iran’s clerical regime has vetoed the candidacies of almost half of the… Read More
InternationalCommentary
President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan on Tuesday at a White House ceremony attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump declared… Read More
SecurityCommentary
The U.S. airstrike Thursday night that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Suleimani was a bold and decisive effort to remove a key Iranian military and terrorist… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Iran’s Islamist dictatorship has been challenged and rebuked in recent weeks by massive political protests—not only at home, but also in the spheres of influence… Read More
InternationalCommentary
What started out as spontaneous protests Oct. 17 opposing a tax imposed on a popular messaging service escalated into the largest political protests in Lebanon… Read More
SecurityCommentary
Caught up in a conflict between long-standing NATO ally Turkey and a recently engaged Kurdish tactical partner in Syria, the Trump administration has accommodated the… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Iraq has been convulsed for the last week by widespread popular protests against government corruption, high unemployment, and inadequate government services. The risk grows that escalating… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Turkey recently marked the three-year anniversary of the country’s failed July 15 coup attempt, which resulted in hundreds of deaths and almost succeeded in ousting… Read More
InternationalCommentary
President Donald Trump’s new round of sanctions against Iran is the latest salvo in a wide-ranging effort to pressure the regime in Tehran. The goal… Read More
InternationalCommentary
The Turkish government Tuesday reaffirmed its intention to complete the controversial purchase of a Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system, a move appropriately drawing the… Read More
InternationalCommentary
The slow-motion confrontation between the United States and Iran is heating up, one year after Washington withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. On Sunday, national… Read More
InternationalCommentary
President Donald Trump rebuffed congressional efforts to withdraw U.S. support from the war in Yemen on Tuesday, vetoing a bill that would have forced the… Read More
InternationalAnalysis
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clinched yet another victory in Israel’s elections on Tuesday, winning a historic fifth term in office that could soon make him… Read More
InternationalCommentary
In a historic move on Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization…. Read More
InternationalCommentary
It’s a new day in American foreign policy. On Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a forceful speech in Cairo, Egypt, in which he… Read More
SecurityCommentary
President Donald Trump signaled a major shift in U.S. policy on Syria with a short tweet on Wednesday: “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my… Read More
InternationalCommentary
The Senate voted twice on Thursday to challenge the Trump administration’s policies on Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led war in Yemen. In a unanimous vote,… Read More
