Middle East and North Africa

Iran Showdown: Analysis of the Iran Framework Friday, April 3, 2015 11:30AM EST The National Security Network will be hosting a press call on Friday 4/3 at 11:30 AM Eastern time. The discussion will focus on analysis of the substantive aspects of the framework announced between the P5+1 nations and Iran in Lausanne, as well as its implications for the Middle East, Israel, and US politics. The call will be moderated by NSN Executive Director John Bradshaw. Our speakers will include Suzanne DiMaggio of the New American Foundation, Ilan Goldenberg of the Center for a New American Security, and Dr. Jim Walsh of MIT’s Security Studies program. You can find a short bio of each of the participants below. EXPERTS Suzanne DiMaggio is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Iran Initiative… Read More ›

Statement by National Security Network Board Members April 3, 2015 The framework agreement announced April 2 between the P5+1 nations and Iran represents historic progress toward the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.  While much work remains to be done to achieve an effective and verifiable comprehensive agreement, the framework agreement demonstrates that the Obama Administration and international partners have taken a responsible approach to the negotiations and have reached a deal that will ensure the peaceful and civilian nature of Iran’s nuclear program. We support the Administration’s efforts to build on the framework agreement to reach a comprehensive agreement by June 30th. A negotiated resolution to the nuclear issue is the only sustainable way to contain the Iranian nuclear threat. By tying… Read More ›

Clearing the Final Hurdles in the Iran Nuclear Talks Tom Z. Collina, the Policy Director at Ploughshares Fund in Washington DC April 3, 2015 | National Interest Today in Lausanne the United States and its partners achieved a major breakthrough in talks to prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb. Both sides were able to agree on key principles that will—if the talks succeed—keep Iran’s nuclear program exclusively peaceful and under the watchful eye of international inspectors. This is by far the most promising path to resolving this crisis peacefully… “People in Congress who root for the deal to fail have not thought through the alternatives, which are stark: The Iranian program will be limited diplomatically, or we will have a war,” said Major General (ret.) Paul Eaton, a former U.S.… Read More ›

NSN Statement: P5+1 and Iran Framework Agreement April 2, 2015 Washington DC – the National Security Network’s Executive Director John Bradshaw gave the following statement regarding the framework agreed upon by Iran and the P5+1 in Lausanne, Switzerland: The framework announced today between the P5+1 nations and Iran represents historic progress toward the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. While much work remains to be done to achieve a final agreement, the framework demonstrates that the Obama Administration and international partners have taken a responsible approach to the negotiations and have resisted signing any deal that would not adequately achieve the vital goal of preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons. Those who have called for taking military action against Iran should step back and… Read More ›

How to Judge a Nuclear Deal with Iran March 30, 2015 Negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran have intensified this week, as the nominal end-of-month deadline nears for a political framework agreement that would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. There has been a recent flurry of analysis of what the terms of a deal would mean, but this is premature – any agreement that is reached is still under negotiation and still subject to change. If a deal is reached, Congress and subject matter experts will have to assess whether or not it can succeed in preventing Iran from building a nuclear weapon. That means looking ahead at the implications of a deal, not getting sidetracked by possible past violations that are separate… Read More ›

Understanding the Crisis in Yemen March 27, 2015 With Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi facing a Houthi offensive against his refuge in Aden earlier this week, Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Sunni-majority nations launched a military intervention to push back the Houthis’ gains and restore Hadi’s government to Sanaa. Though the United States is not responsible for Yemen’s recent decline, it has for too long emphasized counterterrorism at the expense of political and economic concerns. Going forward, it should look to deescalate the conflict and restart the country’s political transition – the best way to bring Yemen the stability it needs to confront its many challenges. There are ways the United States can do that within the Saudi-led coalition, to which the United… Read More ›

How Regional Power Struggles Stoke Yemen’s Conflict By Brian Katulis, NSN Board of Directors Chair March 26, 2015 | Wall Street Journal For all the complaints from the Middle East about the Obama administration’s reticence to involve itself deeply in conflicts such as those in Syria and Yemen, nations in the region act on their own when motivated. Saudi military intervention in Yemen‘s civil war–actually a joint effort by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain–underscores a broader struggle for power that is accelerating the collapse of states across the Middle East. The key question now is whether regional actions will lead to stability or further turmoil. At its core, Yemen’s conflict is an internal struggle for power between long-competing factions. But in the past year it has taken on dimensions… Read More ›

Senator Ted Cruz’s Imaginary Foreign Policy March 23, 2015 Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced his candidacy this morning at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. His speech was long on rhetoric and short on policy, especially foreign policy. Sen. Cruz stressed goals for U.S. policy, asking his audience to “imagine a president who says ‘I will honor the Constitution, and under no circumstances will Iran be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon,’” to “imagine a president who says ‘We will stand up and defeat radical Islamic terrorism,’” to “imagine a president who stands unapologetically with the nation of Israel,” and to “imagine a president that finally, finally, finally secures the borders.” But this isn’t an imaginary foreign policy: these are the actual goals of current U.S.… Read More ›

A Dangerously Confused AUMF Discussion in Congress as Escalation Looms March 13, 2015 Earlier this week, top officials appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to discuss the Obama Administration’s proposed authorization for use of military force (AUMF) against the Islamic State. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, Secretary of State John Kerry, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey took part in a conversation that highlighted several areas of concern for which additional focus is warranted going forward. In particular, the hearing added confusion to the proposed definition of “associated forces” and how it is currently interpreted or could be interpreted in the future. The hearing also confirmed the proposed language that would prohibit “enduring offensive ground combat operations” lacks significant meaning.… Read More ›

Tom Cotton picked apart by Army general over ‘mutinous’ Iran letter By Jonathan Capehart March 13, 2015 | Washington Post The open letter to the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran signed by 47 senators and instigated by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) was a stunning breach of protocol. One so outrageous that my former colleagues at the New York Daily News dubbed the signers “traitors.” While it is indeed a slap in the face of President Obama and an affront to the presidency, I’m not sure I would go that far, especially since Cotton is an Army veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. So, I turned to retired Major Gen. Paul D. Eaton for perspective. He wouldn’t say Cotton and Co. were “traitors,” either. He had… Read More ›