Middle East & Africa
Protesters react as a man holds up a sign demanding that U.S. soldiers leave Niger without negotiation during a demonstration in Niamey. The sign reads: "U.S. Army: You leave, you move, you vanish. No bonus, no negotiation."
Protesters react as a man holds up a sign demanding that U.S. soldiers leave Niger without negotiation during a demonstration in Niamey. The sign reads: "U.S. Army: You leave, you move, you vanish. No bonus, no negotiation."

The U.S. Military Is Getting Kicked Out of Niger

Although it’s the military’s largest presence in the Sahel, the loss is more symbolic than substantive.

Report
Amy Mackinnon
People with Free Palestine posters walk past a campus gate that reads "PRESENTED BY THE CLASS OF 1929"
People with Free Palestine posters walk past a campus gate that reads "PRESENTED BY THE CLASS OF 1929"

What Columbia’s Protests Reveal About America

Some politicians have called student protesters a threat. Instead, they are providing us all with an education in democracy.

Analysis
Howard W. French
A worker picks fruit at a farm at the Malkia kibbutz.
A worker picks fruit at a farm at the Malkia kibbutz.

Israel Is Desperate to Replace Palestinian Farmhands

Newly arrived Indian workers say abuse is common.

Dispatch
Joshua Yang
Then-U.S. President Barack Obama, standing with then-Vice President Joe Biden, holds a press conference about the Iran nuclear deal at the White House in Washington on July 14, 2015.
Then-U.S. President Barack Obama, standing with then-Vice President Joe Biden, holds a press conference about the Iran nuclear deal at the White House in Washington on July 14, 2015.

U.S. Fixation on Nuclear Deal Let Iran Loose on the Middle East

Washington’s shortsighted policies enabled Tehran and its proxies to destabilize the region.

Argument
Lina Khatib
Protesters speak with police during a demonstration dubbed 'Fabewoso - Bring it on' to raise awareness about the high rate of corruption in the country, in Accra on May 26, 2017.
Protesters speak with police during a demonstration dubbed 'Fabewoso - Bring it on' to raise awareness about the high rate of corruption in the country, in Accra on May 26, 2017.

What Ghana Can Learn From Taiwan

As vote-buying corrupts the country’s politics, the West African nation could learn from Taipei’s effective crackdown on the practice.

Analysis
Audrey Elom Donkor
U.S. President Joe Biden, touching his temple with his right hand, delivers remarks at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.
U.S. President Joe Biden, touching his temple with his right hand, delivers remarks at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.

Congressional Push for Oil Sanctions Puts Biden in a Bind

New measures to punish Iran, Venezuela, and Russia could raise crude prices and hurt Biden in an election year.

Analysis
Keith Johnson
Children with dirt on their faces reach out through bars with large bowls.
Children with dirt on their faces reach out through bars with large bowls.

Why Aren’t We Talking More About the Famine in Gaza?

Israel-Iran tensions should not distract us from the suffering of Palestinians.

Analysis
Howard W. French
A man walks past a banner depicting Iranian missiles along a street in Tehran on April 19.
A man walks past a banner depicting Iranian missiles along a street in Tehran on April 19.

The Iran-Israel War Is Just Getting Started

As long as the two countries remain engaged in conflict, they will trade blows—no matter what their allies counsel.

Analysis
Raphael S. Cohen
Iranian pro-government supporters shout anti-Israel slogans while waving the Palestine flag at Palestine Square in Tehran, on April 14, 2024, in a celebration of the early morning Iran's IRGC attack on Israel. Iran fired over 100 drones and ballistic missiles on Saturday, April 14, 2024, in retaliation to an attack on a building attached to the country's consular annex in Damascus that killed seven members of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on April 01, 2024. Iran has blamed Israel for the attack on April 5, 2024 in Tehran. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Iranian pro-government supporters shout anti-Israel slogans while waving the Palestine flag at Palestine Square in Tehran, on April 14, 2024, in a celebration of the early morning Iran's IRGC attack on Israel. Iran fired over 100 drones and ballistic missiles on Saturday, April 14, 2024, in retaliation to an attack on a building attached to the country's consular annex in Damascus that killed seven members of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on April 01, 2024. Iran has blamed Israel for the attack on April 5, 2024 in Tehran. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

The Domestic Pressures Impacting Iran and Israel

How to think about an escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Insider
Ravi Agrawal
Two members of the Iranian navy stand at attention as a truck carries a massive anti-U.S. billboard during a military parade in Tehran, Iran.
Two members of the Iranian navy stand at attention as a truck carries a massive anti-U.S. billboard during a military parade in Tehran, Iran.

Have Israel and the United States Done Enough to Deter Iran?

U.S. allies intercepted hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles, and then Israeli forces counterattacked in a limited strike—but the threat of regional war remains.

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
Newspapers in Tehran feature news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties.
Newspapers in Tehran feature news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties.

How Much Leverage Does China Really Have Over Iran?

Washington wants Beijing to rein in Tehran, but experts say it’s not that simple.

Analysis
Christina Lu
People gather for a picnic under a bridge in Iran's central city of Isfahan, after a reported Israeli strike in the area.
People gather for a picnic under a bridge in Iran's central city of Isfahan, after a reported Israeli strike in the area.

Iran Shrugs off Israeli Strike, Allaying Escalation Fears—for Now

Experts say the attack was designed to showcase Israel’s capabilities without further provoking Tehran.

Analysis
Amy Mackinnon, Christina Lu
Jordanian soldiers stand guard near the “Gate of Peace” at the Jordan Valley site of Baqura, east of the Jordan River, with the Israeli flag flying over the Israeli side of the border.
Jordanian soldiers stand guard near the “Gate of Peace” at the Jordan Valley site of Baqura, east of the Jordan River, with the Israeli flag flying over the Israeli side of the border.

Why Arab States Haven’t Broken With Israel

Arabs across the region are angry, but regimes can’t afford to sever ties.

Analysis
David E. Rosenberg
Iranians visit Azadi Square in Tehran.
Iranians visit Azadi Square in Tehran.

Iran’s Nuclear Crisis Has No Military Solution

Whether Tehran weaponizes its program remains tied to threat perceptions by political leadership.

Analysis
Sina Azodi
An Iranian military truck carries surface-to-air missiles past a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a parade on the occasion of the country's annual army day on April 18, 2018, in Tehran.
An Iranian military truck carries surface-to-air missiles past a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a parade on the occasion of the country's annual army day on April 18, 2018, in Tehran.

Iran Has Defined Its Red Line With Israel

With last weekend's attack, Tehran has undertaken a strategic shift in the region.

Analysis
Sina Toossi
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