Why Isn’t Russia Defending Iran?
Backing the most anti-Western Middle Eastern power was convenient until it wasn’t.
Global
‘This War Is Not Helping Us’
Members of Iran’s opposition want change, and fear for their lives.
Putin Isn’t Actually Enjoying This
Trump is turning out to be a liability for the Kremlin.
The World’s Hardest Bluffing Game
Why are some Iraqis so good at figuring out when a person is lying?
No More Student Visas? No Problem.
Beijing has reasons to want its top students to stay home.
The Condemnations of Israel Are Half-Hearted
Diplomacy often takes the form of staged meetings and statements whose plain meanings differ from what the country’s leaders actually feel. What they actually feel is not usually difficult to discern.
The War Israel Was Ready to Fight
The strategy that led to the October 7 disaster is the same one fueling Israel’s current successes.
Iran’s Stunning Incompetence
A belligerent regime left its people wide open to foreign attack.
Israel’s Least Bad Option Is a Trump Deal With Iran
New rounds of military strikes won’t make the region more stable, but a nuclear agreement could.
No Rational Aid-Distribution System Should Work This Way
The new Gaza relief effort was bound to fail.