The connection between al Qaeda and Iran was hardly recognized until the discovery of documents in Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan

Within the space of a few months, Iranian proxies and allies in Iraq and Lebanon suffered significant setbacks in parliamentary elections. Some commentators have ventured that the era of Tehran’s hegemony may be over. While it is hard to predict the final outcome of these electoral shifts, such hopes might be premature.

The Arab coalition and the US find themselves in the awkward position of directly and indirectly supporting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula while they fight the Houthis in Yemen.

As daunting as it may be, closing the God gap is a necessary step to improving communication with Russia and other important actors in international affairs.

War and religious conflict in the 1600s between Ottomans and Persians still have consequences for politics and beliefs in the Middle East today.

This article about how U.S. foreign policy could build relations with Sunni tribes first appeared in Issue 2 (Winter 2016)…