Responsible Statecraft
Live Last read · last published · next check
Yemen’s front lines have barely moved since the 2022 truce, but the war around them is changing. Ballistic missiles and drones are striking far beyond established positions, and forces associated with the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government are responding more aggressively to infiltrations and military buildups. As commanders review readiness across key fronts, Yemen’s political…
Esmail Qaani has a habit of not announcing his visits to Baghdad. He simply appears, meets whoever needs meeting, and leaves before most Iraqis know he was there. His trip on August 10 was no different. The commander of Iran’s Quds Force, the branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for backing armed allies abroad, met with Iraqi militia commanders and officials from the…
The Mecca Pact ranks among the most momentous developments to have reshaped the Middle East since the upheavals that followed the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Though defensive in nature, the agreement — which creates a mutual defense commitment between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey — could have major repercussions for the regional balance of power. Much hinges on how its signatories…
On Tuesday, Israel bombed a Syrian airbase that Turkish officials have been helping to renovate, marking the latest escalation in the Israeli government’s effort to beat back Turkey’s influence in Syria. The strikes, which reportedly damaged an airstrip and a storage facility at the Abu al-Duhur Airbase, did not lead to any casualties. Still, they drew a strong rebuke from U.S. Ambassador to…
Nearly six months after the U.S. and Israel launched an operation to overthrow the Iranian government, it’s fair to say their assault hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. Still, the ensuing war has followed a clear, predictable logic. After decades of sanctions failed to persuade Iranians to overthrow the regime, Israel and the U.S. resorted to war; after that failed too, they turned to a naval…
The U.S. has lost 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones, worth at least $1.3 billion, since the start of its war on Iran, the Washington Post reported Friday . The drones can cost between $30 and $50 million each, depending on their sensor and weapons payload. The U.S. military has lost roughly 25% of its pre-war fleet in the past five months. A defense official told the Washington Post that some of the drones…
The United States has always asked extraordinary things of its service members. But this week, a series of remarkable news stories came out documenting the dire conditions of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln , a ship that has been at sea so long that those aboard have not stepped foot on land since 2025. Even families like mine, who have experienced multiple combat deployments, are alarmed…
Today, there is no all-out war, no peace, and no light at the end of the Strait of Hormuz. The Trump administration’s crack at transforming Iran is drifting along in the Persian Gulf, as on-again, off-again negotiations fail to resolve a conflict that has roiled the global economy while the president’s approval ratings plunge . Meanwhile, the Gaza Peace Plan is sinking , too, leaving ordinary…
In the early months following Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, Latin American leaders emerged as some of the world’s sharpest critics of the military campaign. Then-Colombian President Gustavo Petro was among the first world leaders to call Israel’s actions a “genocide.” Chile and Honduras recalled their ambassadors from Tel Aviv, and Belize and Bolivia severed diplomatic ties with Israel. But just…
For decades, U.S. policy in Lebanon has focused on the elimination of Hezbollah, or at least its military wing. But the Trump administration has taken this effort to new heights. The State Department is sponsoring the first ever direct talks between Lebanon and Israel since the Madrid peace talks, with the disarmament of Hezbollah being a central objective of those talks. Washington has also taken…
