The war between the United States and Iran presented China with a complex strategic challenge: maintaining its relations with Iran, the Gulf states, and the United States all at once, while safeguarding its economic and energy interests in the region. Despite possessing the economic tools to exert significant influence, Beijing chose to limit its response primarily to the diplomatic arena and refrained from using the leverage at its disposal. This article argues that Beijing’s conduct should not be viewed as passivity, but...
The Russian Orthodox Church in Israel is commonly viewed as a religious institution whose purpose is to serve the many Orthodox pilgrims who visit the country each year. However, beyond its role as a community of believers, the church constitutes a significant political actor in Russia’s efforts to expand its influence in Israel in particular and the Middle East in general. In practice, the Russian Orthodox Church, through its institutions and representatives, serves as a governing arm of the Putinist regime in Israel. As the issue...
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has operated under varying degrees of international sanctions, with the most significant measures targeting its energy sector and financial system in response to its nuclear program. Over the past four decades, Iran has not only adapted to these constraints but has systematically institutionalized sanctions evasion as a central pillar of its economic survival strategy. In recent years, Iran and Hezbollah have increasingly turned to cryptocurrencies as a way to bypass U.S. sanctions. The...
The nuclear agreement signed between the United States and Saudi Arabia marks a turning point in American nuclear policy and carries broad implications for the regional security architecture. After years in which Washington conditioned any nuclear cooperation on forgoing fuel-cycle capabilities, it is now adopting a more flexible approach that seeks to manage proliferation risks rather than prevent them entirely. In doing so, the agreement creates a significant precedent and raises questions regarding the future of the Nuclear...
The upcoming elections in Israel, to be held on October 27, are not perceived in Egypt and Jordan as a purely internal Israeli affair. Rather, they are depicted in mainstream media in both countries as a strategic junction that could impact their direct interests, the future of the Palestinian issue, and the broader regional landscape. At the same time, an analysis of the public discourse in both countries reveals an ambivalence. On the one hand, many commentators make no secret of their hope that Israel’s current government...
The confrontation between the United States and Iran surrounding the Strait of Hormuz has entered a more dangerous phase than before. The American move, which initially focused on targeting maritime and military infrastructure in the area of Bandar Abbas and applying concentrated pressure on Tehran, has expanded following the Iranian response against vessels, U.S. military bases, and the Gulf states. Washington seeks to combine cumulative military pressure with maintaining an open diplomatic channel; to deny Iran the ability to turn...
Since the outbreak of the “Swords of Iron” war, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has faced a severe fiscal and institutional crisis that has led to numerous assessments regarding its imminent collapse. Yet, as of July 2026, it continues to function and provide basic services. The PA’s survival, despite the dramatic blow to its clearance revenues and the suspension of Palestinian employment in Israel, has been enabled by a significant increase in foreign aid and alternative funding mechanisms. These developments...
The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday to reject an amendment that would immediately end $3.3 billion in promised annual foreign military funding to Israel. Approximately half of the Democratic Party—a plurality of the party’s members—voted in favor of the measure. Although the proposal to end the aid failed due to opposition from the Republican Party and the other half of the Democrats, the significant share of members who supported it reflects the deep rift in the Democratic Party’s relationship with Israel. This...
A year and a half after the fall of the Assad regime, Syria faces a profound paradox. On the external front, the government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa has recorded significant diplomatic achievements: growing regional and international recognition and a wave of investment pledges from the Gulf states, Turkey, the United States, and Europe. On the domestic front, however, the picture is far more troubling: Syria faces ethnic tensions, security threats, ideological divisions, and a severe economic crisis that is becoming a central source...
The State Comptroller’s report highlights significant deficiencies in Israel’s preparedness to counter foreign interference in the digital sphere. These include the lack of a comprehensive national policy, coordination gaps, and only partial preparedness ahead of the elections. This article argues that these findings reflect a broader problem: the absence of an agreed-upon national concept regarding both the threat itself and the methods to address it. Accordingly, it proposes developing an integrated strategic approach...
The Democratic Party’s 2026 congressional primaries have become a major contest between its mainstream and progressive wings, with U.S. policy toward Israel and the role of AIPAC emerging as defining fault lines. Progressives — buoyed by high-profile upsets in New York, New Jersey, California, and Colorado — have made opposition to the U.S.-Israel alliance a de- facto litmus test. Their victories are concentrated in deep-blue districts and the higher-stakes question is whether their anti-Israel positioning proves to be an asset...
The establishment of Syria’s interim parliament marks a critical juncture in the country’s institutional transition, highlighting the inherent tension between the regime’s aspiration for political and international legitimacy and its tendency toward authoritarian centralization. For Damascus, the move is intended to signal a break from the Ba’ath legacy, but in practice, it reflects a sophisticated mechanism of co-optation: alongside the integration of a diverse range of representatives — from women and minorities to...
