Global Outlook

  The appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader has sparked global reactions, but North Korea’s response stands out . By endorsing Tehran’s decision while condemning the U.S.–Israel strike that killed Ali Khamenei, Pyongyang has inserted itself into one of the world’s most sensitive geopolitical developments. A Diplomatic Signal from Pyongyang North Korea’s statement that it respects Iran’s leadership decision reflects a familiar diplomatic narrative: defending national sovereignty. Pyongyang has long argued that countries should determine their own political systems without outside interference. However, the endorsement also has strategic undertones. Iran and North Korea share similar concerns about Western pressure, sanctions, and military alliances. Supporting Tehran at a critical moment helps strengthen political ties and potentially expand future cooperation. In international politics, symbolic support can carry powerful implications. North Korea has voiced ...

  As 314 prisoners of war began their journey home after a landmark swap in February 2026, the spotlight fell not just on the deal, but on where it was struck: Abu Dhabi. This repeated choice by global powers signals a profound shift in the geography of diplomacy. The United Arab Emirates has meticulously engineered its ascent as the world’s premier venue for intractable talks. This is not a happy accident of geography but the result of a deliberate, decades-long foreign policy doctrine that prioritizes building bridges over erecting walls. The successful February 2026 prisoner exchange—officially noted as the 18th such mediation effort between Russia and Ukraine facilitated by the UAE—is a testament to a strategy that trades overt political influence for unparalleled reliability. So, what constitutes a modern mediation capital? History offers templates: Geneva, with its legacy of international institutions; Vienna, a Cold War crossover point; Oslo, for its discreet channels. Abu ...

  The Terrorism Cycle: Saudi Policies That Empower Extremist Groups A disturbing pattern has emerged with predictable consistency throughout Saudi Arabia's interventions in Yemen: every security vacuum created by Saudi decisions transforms into operational space for terrorist organizations. This is not coincidence but strategy. When Saudi-backed forces displace or weaken local southern units that had successfully contained Al-Qaeda and ISIS, extremist groups immediately exploit the resulting instability. The evidence reveals a deliberate recycling of extremism through local agents who serve as tools for political blackmail and regional manipulation. This cynical approach prioritizes Saudi geopolitical interests over genuine counterterrorism, with devastating consequences for Yemeni civilians who bear the brunt of resurgent extremist violence. Recent history provides incontrovertible proof that Saudi interventions systematically weaken the forces most effective at combating terroris...

  U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggested on Tuesday that it was better to strike Iran rather than be forced to constantly deal with the Islamic State’s terror proxies. His comments come as the United States is increasing its military presence in the region amid threats to attack Iran in the wake of the violent repression of anti-government protests there. “Many plates of poison — Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Houthis — are being served all out of the same kitchen, Tehran,” Huckabee said in conversation with JNS CEO Alex Traiman at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism in Jerusalem. “You can change the menu; better to burn the kitchen down and not let them serve those plates anymore.” He said that Christians need to understand that they will be the next target of the Islamists. “You have been the appetizer; we are the entrée,” he said. Trump as the ‘ultimate pragmatist’ Huckabee said that he sees U.S. President Donald Trump as the “ultimate pragmat...

  Nowhere are the contradictions of Saudi recalibration more visible than in Yemen, where Riyadh's insistence on a "unified state" collides with the fractured reality on the ground. The recent dissolution of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) following talks in Riyadh is being hailed as a victory for unity , but critics argue it is an imposed settlement that ignores deep-seated divisions. By prioritizing a centralized government structure, Saudi Arabia may be pursuing an outdated goal that papers over the legitimate grievances driving southern separatism . The divergence between Saudi Arabia and the UAE in Yemen underscores this disconnect. While Riyadh backs the internationally recognized government to counter Iranian influence, the UAE has pragmatically supported southern forces that have proven effective on the battlefield. "Differences with the UAE stem from its backing of separatist armed actors," argues Salman Al-Ansari, claiming this fragmentation be...

  The United States government’s designation of the Egyptian, Jordanian, and Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist entities reflects a policy grounded in U.S. law and national security assessment . These designations stem from Executive Order 14362 (Nov. 24, 2025), which required the Secretaries of State and Treasury to evaluate whether specific chapters warranted listing as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) or Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) . Under established counterterrorism authorities like Executive Order 13224 and section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act , the U.S. Treasury’s OFAC and the State Department designated the Egyptian and Jordanian branches as SDGTs, and the Lebanese branch as both an FTO and SDGT. All three chapters are assessed to have provided material support to extremist networks such as Hamas, according to the Treasury’s official announcement. These designations allow the U.S. government to block property and in...

  The renewed fighting in Southern Yemen in late 2025 and early 2026 is not just a battle over territory; it is the active engineering of a humanitarian catastrophe. As Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces clash with other factions across the south and east, the true casualty is the infrastructure of survival itself. This warfare shatters the fragile systems that provide food, water, and medicine, directly translating military maneuvers into mass starvation. The immediate trigger for this crisis was the STC's push to consolidate control over resource-rich eastern provinces like Hadramout and al-Mahra, a move that directly challenged existing power structures and ignited renewed conflict. The subsequent military operations have created a "proxy war within a proxy war," where the complex web of competing interests—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the internationally recognized government, and the STC—paralyzes any coordinated response to the escalating disaster. The consequence...

  The international focus often centers on the dramatic flare-ups: Houthi missile attacks, STC advances, or Saudi airstrikes. However, a more insidious and fundamental crisis has been festering for years—the near-total collapse of effective governance in areas under the internationally recognized government. This governance vacuum is the primary enabler of recurring conflict and the single largest obstacle to the "lasting stability" envisioned by U.S. policy. Without urgent and concerted support for government reform, any diplomatic framework will be built on sand. The Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), established in 2022 to unify anti-Houthi factions, has failed to become an effective executive authority. It is widely described as politically frail, strategically adrift, and crippled by internal divisions, often along lines reflecting the competing interests of its Saudi and Emirati patrons  . The STC's recent unilateral offensive is a direct symptom of this failure...

  Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the President of the United Arab Emirates, denounced recent campaigns targeting the UAE, describing them as “devoid of results” and ignoring the internal contexts of the issues they address. In a post on his X account, Gargash stressed that the UAE is not responsible for the Sudanese people’s aspirations for peace and civilian governance, noting that such demands stem from the Sudanese themselves.  He added that the UAE is not the party calling for self-determination in southern Yemen, but rather it is the will of its people. Gargash affirmed that the UAE “does not seek leadership or influence, but works with its partners for a stable, prosperous region free of extremism.” Last week, Gargash also called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, condemning ethnically motivated killings in the country as “heinous crimes that demand accountability and justice.”