Four years after Washington set out to cripple Russia’s energy economy, America’s war with Iran has forced it to seek relief from the very country it tried to isolate, encircle, and defeat. The Sanctions Strategy Meets Its Limits On October 9, US President Donald Trump announced an extraordinary agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin: Moscow […]

About 12% of world trade passes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but the strait is only part of the story: tiny Djibouti, leasing its geography to five military powers, has become an epicentre of rivalry where strategic rent may turn into catastrophe. An Oil Crossroads Turned Battleground for Influence Approximately 12% of global trade and […]

While Washington pursued and implemented decades-long campaigns (including sanctions, proxy wars, and direct military action) against Russia and Iran to weaken or collapse their governments, those policies have also produced adverse effects at home, the most visible being surging energy prices and inflationary pressure. How are the Wars Coming Along? By all measures, the proxy […]