By Scott Strgacich One day in 14th century Italy, two friars entered the castle of Sir John Hawkwood, the storied English mercenary captain, to petition him regarding some minor business. “May God give you peace, my lord,” they began. “May God take away your alms,” Sir John responded venomously. “Do you not know that … Continue reading Long Wars and Their Discontents
By Keith Blankfield Graffiti on the wall of the closed US embassy in Tehran. © David Holt On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced his decision to impose new sanctions on Iran, thus violating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and jeopardizing the 2015 nuclear nonproliferation agreement between Iran and the West. Like … Continue reading Violating the Iran Nuclear Deal: Reducing American Leverage
By Matthew Petti The mainstream American view of politics in the Muslim world, and particularly the Middle East, is driven by sectarian identity politics. Persians are Shi'ite, the conventional wisdom goes, and most Arabs are Sunni, so the two factions have coalesced around Iran and Saudi Arabia in the continuation of an age-old struggle for … Continue reading Why the Shia-Sunni Divide Doesn’t Matter As Much As You Think It Does
