بایگانی‌های Defense & Security - Strategic Council on Foreign Relations

US Goals behind Decision to Withdraw Arms, Troops from Saudi Arabia

Strategic Council Online: A university professor on geopolitical issues says the United States is withdrawing its Patriot missiles and troops from Saudi Arabia to earn more money from Riyadh. “Economic pressures have prompted Americans to try to test the Saudis to see how much they can help provide funding,” he said. However, the decision does not appear to be final, and it remains to be seen what the Saudis could do to keep Trump satisfied.”

Reasons for Rise in World Military Expenditures and Future Prospects

Strategic Council Online: It seems that India and China will continue arms purchases in the coming years, but countries such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia or some European states whose economies have been hurt by the corona outbreak are forced to adapt to the new conditions and turn a blind eye to the US pressures to buy weapons in the last few months to the US presidential election.
Abdolreza Farajirad – Geopolitical Affairs Expert

Impact of November Election on US-Iranian Relations

Strategic Council Online: Given the economic and social implications of the coronavirus in the United States, maybe it would be more attractive if Trump was defeated by his Democratic rival, Joe Biden. However, even if this would be the case given the US governing structure in practice, it is unlikely for Biden to be able to make effective changes in the US strategy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Saeed Shokouhi – Faculty Member of Allameh Tabatabai University

Canada Ignores Human Rights Issue in Mutual Ties with Riyadh

Strategic Council Online: A West Asian affairs analyst said that Canada’s decision to resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia in open violation of human rights laws in the country, originates from the severe economic recession faced by the Ottawa government. “Human rights claims by Western democracies are used as showoff tools to influence the behaviour of certain statesmen,” he said.

Reasons for ISIS Regaining Strength in Iraq

Strategic Council Online: The issue of engaging the Iraqi popular mobilization forces and resistance groups against ISIS could be a ploy to draw the attention of these groups to the confrontation with terrorists rather than to the United States.
Seyed Reza Qazvini Gharabi – Journalist and Senior Analyst of Iraqi Affairs

Trump and Growing Insecurity of US Bases in Iraq

Strategic Council Online: Analyzing the US decision-making process to respond to the attack on Iraq’s al-Taji base, a university professor stressed that Americans are trying to restore the containment policy against Iran. There are people who have come to the conclusion that the policy of maximum pressure on Iran has failed and they want to encourage Trump to take military action, but Trump will not accept these views in the US presidential election year.

North Korea’s Offensive Strategy; a Response to US Sanctions

Strategic Council Online: An expert on Asian affairs said that the Trump administration’s pressure on North Korea has not been effective, adding that Pyongyang’s efforts to achieve definitive results in negotiations and lack of proper response from the United States have made North Korea mistrustful towards the US and the negotiation table more than the past. Pyongyang also considers diplomacy an ineffective way to restore peace.

Display of Power the Only Option for Ansarullah to End Yemen War

Strategic Council Online: Contrary to existing perceptions, Ansarullah faces a limitation in choosing a scenario for the end of the Yemeni crisis that is limited to the display of military power and boosting it. Of course, the Yemeni people in different scenes have shown their ability to execute such a scenario well, and they are fully in line with Ansarullah, which is one of the important parameters in determining the outcome of this brutal war.
Jafar Ghanadbashi – Middle East affairs expert

French Attempt to Replace American Hegemony in the Region

Strategic Council Online: Former Iranian ambassador to Romania and Hungary says Emmanuel Macron intends to reduce or take over the US role in the West Asian region. “Whether France is powerful enough to accomplish this task or whether it has the tools to do so will be decided in the future,” he said.

Turkey and Multivariate Equations in Idlib

Strategic Council Online: Turkey believes if Idlib is liberated Ankara’s role in the next political process in Syria will decline and the Syrian government may in future seek to oust Turkish forces from other areas, such as Afrin.
Siamak Kakai – Turkey affairs expert

Erdogan and Idlib: From ‘Strategic Confusion’ to ‘Strategic Trouble ‘

Strategic Council Online: An expert on Middle East affairs said Turkey was in a state of unprecedented strategic confusion, especially in Idlib, adding that if Ankara fails to use these tools and is unable to come out of the strategic confusion in Idlib and gain field achievements there would remain no other way for Erdogan than negotiation.

Goals of US-Led Military Exercises in Africa

Strategic Council Online: The presence of US troops in Africa is in line with efforts by Washington and some other Western capitals to create the southern branch of the NATO military alliance.
Jafar Ghanadbashi- Middle East Affairs Expert

Heavy Shadow of West’s Decline on Munich Security Conference

Strategic Council Online: A faculty member of the Shahid Beheshti University outlining the most important issues at the Munich Security Conference described the current state of world security as extremely shaky and noted that the Conference could not accomplish any important results.

New Threats from Ankara and Continued Military Presence in Syria

Strategic Council Online: A West Asia affairs expert said the reading of Russia, Iran and Syria of the Sochi deal appear to be different from what Turkey thinks of the deal. Mr Erdogan is making his own personal interpretation of the Sochi deal, which is tantamount to turning the negotiating table upside down and disturb the rules of the game.

Strategic Goals of Yemeni Resistance Operation against Saudi Arabia

Strategic Council Online: What we have witnessed in the recent widespread operations of the Ansarullah movement and the Yemeni people’s armies against Saudi positions is, on the one hand, an attempt to persuade Saudi Arabia to admit its military weaknesses inside Yemen, and on the other, an attempt to thwart troublesome and armed moves of mercenary groups seeking to disrupt the situation in Sanaa (the capital of Yemen) and create new insecurity in the region.
Jafar Ghanadbashi – Middle East Affairs Expert

Revival of Terrorist Groups in NW Syria Blocks Crisis Solution

Strategic Council Online: Referring to a UN official’s warning against strengthening of terrorists’ positions and efforts to revive ISIS, a West Asian affairs expert said given that Idlib is the last hope for the terrorists and their overseas supporters, the possibility of boosting these terrorist groups exists and therefore the Idlib war will be very difficult to fight.

France’s Failure to Lead Europe with Cold War Era Thinking of Security

Strategic Council Online: An expert on geopolitics has said France has failed to adopt appropriate policies on counterterrorism, saying that while Europe’s top concern has been terrorist acts over less than a decade, Mr Macron thinks we are still in the Cold War era and gives the first priority to developing nuclear weapons and to boast them against Russia.

Russian Response and Warning to Turkey in Syria

Strategic Council Online: What is evident in the Turkish government’s intentions to deploy troops, or in other words maintain military presence in Libya, is that the Erdogan government not only in words but in practice wants to somehow revive the Ottoman Empire by restoring Turkey’s leadership in the Muslim world through a formidable foreign policy game.
Dr Ghadir Golkarian, professor at the University of Near East, Cyprus

Germany’s Reasons and Goals for Increasing Military Spending

Strategic Council Online: German leaders have decided to spend part of their military budget to deploy military forces to bolster the defense of Germany and Europe, as the best defence for countries is to move their strongholds overseas. That is to say, if a country wants to defend itself, it must also be a military activist in its periphery.
Abdolreza Farajirad – University Professor in Geopolitics

Turkey and Syria’s Strategic Operations in Idlib

Strategic Council Online: A Middle East analyst brought up the importance of Syrian army’s success in liberating Ma’arat al-Numan, Khan Tuman and areas of Idlib, saying the most difficult operation is Operation Idlib because it seems that there is a serious disagreement on military operations of Syria and Russia with Turkey in this region and the two sides have different strategies.