Analysis

Analysis offers a new angle on a contemporary or historical issue. These articles are policy-oriented and cover current developments around the globe that impinge upon American foreign policy and national security priorities.

Iran-Saudi Normalization: A Regional Process with Chinese Characteristics

The announcement of an agreement to resume diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia on March 10 was not entirely unexpected to those familiar with regional politics. Saudi Arabia and Iran had gone through a series of negotiations in Baghdad...

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China Is Finally Making Progress on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway

China has struggled to gain support from its Central Asian neighbors to build the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway since the 1990s. The CKU railway is crucial to China for two interconnected purposes—to advance its geopolitical interests and to secure favorable...

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Beyond the First Battle: Winning the Long War Over Taiwan

Editor’s Note: This article expands upon ideas discussed in Lonnie Henley’s recent research report, Beyond the First Battle: Overcoming a Protracted Blockade of Taiwan. To read that report, please visit the website for the U.S. Naval War College’s China...

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China’s National People’s Congress Reveals New Initiatives and Ominous Warnings

Barely a week into March, nearly 3,000 delegates gathered at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for the opening of the Fourteenth National People’s Congress and, separately the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Though the National People’s...

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Qatar’s West Asian Moment: The Geopolitics of the World Cup

The FIFA 2022 World Cup has put Qatar on the map, making it the first Middle Eastern country and smallest nation ever to host the tournament. However, along with the spotlight of winning the rights to organize one of...

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Jimmy Carter and the ‘Torture Chamber of Latin America’: Examining a Human Rights Legacy

On February 18, 2023, the Carter Center announced that former President Jimmy Carter would receive hospice care. In the days that followed, a flood of articles appeared that praised his core decency, highlighted his post-presidential global health and humanitarian...

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American Power and the Defense of Taiwan

American officials are increasingly concerned about China’s growing power and assertiveness. While spy balloons over the continental United States may be the current crisis, Washington should stay focused on the most likely flashpoint in the bilateral relationship: the possibility...

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The Turkish Veto: Why Erdogan Is Blocking Finland and Sweden’s Path to NATO

Finland and Sweden grew closer to Western institutions in the post-Cold War era, and EU accession in 1995 meant that Stockholm and Helsinki finally abandoned their neutrality policies. Both countries remained militarily non-aligned but cooperation with NATO increased through...

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Nigeria’s 2023 Elections: A Youthful Revolution?

Since its return to democracy in 1999, Nigeria has been ruled by a male gerontocracy. Muhammadu Buhari, the incumbent president, is eighty, and only 2.6 percent of the seats in Nigeria’s parliament are held by women. People under thirty...

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The Middle Corridor through Central Asia: Trade and Influence Ambitions

The “Middle Corridor”—a loosely defined trade route that spans the Central Asian steppe, the Caspian Sea, and the Caucasus mountains—has both engendered excitement and disappointment for almost two decades. Also known as the China-Central Asia-West Asia Corridor, it links...

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