Analysis

Collective defense is at the heart of European security. Enshrined within Article 5 of its founding treaty, NATO allies see “an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack...

The minarets are our spears, the domes are our shields The mosques are our barracks, the believers soldiers Our faith has been waiting for this spiritual army God is great, God is great – Ziya Gökalp (1876–1924), “A Soldier’s...

“Women, Life, Freedom.” These are the words Iranian women have been chanting during protests for more than 80 days. They are the women and the actions that have captured the world’s attention. They are also what led to a...

Mahsa Amini was killed on September 16, 2022, by the Islamic Republic’s morality police. She was arrested for not wearing her hijab properly and died while in custody. Her murders have not been punished. The news of her death...

Russia is in strategic trouble. Vladimir Putin’s war of choice in Ukraine has weakened Russia’s global posture and eroded the carefully honed image of great-power prowess Putin cultivated for two decades. But Russia’s loss of relative power is not...

Ultimately, Russia and the West can and should be partners, not Russia and China. The infrastructure is in place: numerous oil and gas pipelines, extensive rail connections, and convenient ports. Russia and the West face common challenges from China,...

Current Western policy has framed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an assault on “world order.” While the term has no international definition and is widely contested, at its core “world order” connotes a view where economically or militarily dominant...

On November 15, 2022, the Foreign Policy Research Institute conducted an in-person and Zoom event titled, “The Future of Resistance in Afghanistan,” with Ali M. Nazary, the head of foreign relations for the National Resistance Front (NRF). Nazary, an...

With this issue, Orbis completes its 65th year of publication. Its founder, Ambassador Robert Strausz-Hupé, wanted a publication that would focus attention and debate on the “key international issues on which the nation’s long-range future hinges.” In commemoration of...

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan: The Poorest Countries in Central Asia Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are probably the most dependent on Russia of all the Central Asian states. Some 1.1 million migrant laborers from Kyrgyzstan and 1.6 million from Tajikistan worked abroad...