RealClearWorld Articles

In his recent speech, President Trump suggested that he may end military action against Iran without the United States securing the opening of the Hormuz straits through direct military action. These straits, through which passed much oil designated for European and Asian countries, do not directly impact the United States, which has enormous oil reserves that are not sent through Hormuz. Other countries are more directly impacted by Iran’s illegal actions. The United States is, however, indirectly impacted by the closure because of the increase in the price of oil which, at least until...

The nature of national security has always evolved with technology, but the pace and scope of change today are unprecedented. A dramatic surge in technological innovation is reshaping how conflicts are fought and how nations defend themselves. For the United States, these advances are a matter of military strength and a cornerstone of national security strategy. National security efforts increasingly rely on systems that reduce risk to human life while amplifying precision and effectiveness. Drones and other remotely operated weapons have become emblematic of this shift. These tools allow...

As international attention remains fixed on escalating tensions between Iran, the United States, and Israel, a quieter but more consequential development is unfolding inside Iran: the state is accelerating executions. This week, Iranian authorities executed two men accused of links to the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), according to reporting by Reuters. Their deaths were not isolated incidents. They are part of a broader pattern of repression that intensifies precisely when the regime faces external pressure. Now, additional cases are emerging that point to what may come next. Vahid...

In June of 2023, the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) signed a 27-year gas deal with Qatar, in which Qatar will supply China with four million metric tons of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) per year. Regarding this, Saad al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Energy Minister and CEO of QatarEnergy, stated that “Today we are signing two agreements that will further enhance our strong relations with one of the most important gas markets in the world and key market for Qatari energy products.” Following this trend of increasing energy reliance upon the Gulf States, just last...

Veteran Al Jazeera analyst Leqaa Makki threw viewers a curveball during a recent news segment. He advocated for an escalation against Iran. A familiar face on the network since 2003, Makki argued that strategic sites, including power plants, electricity infrastructure and assets that would make ordinary Iranians “feel the impact of the war” should be hit, to potentially turn against them against the regime.    This is not language that is expected from Al Jazeera, which is better known for promoting the talking points of its state backer, Qatar. But the Iran...

The Iran war and other recent misadventures by the Trump administration can seem like a radical departure from the U.S. foreign policy consensus. To be sure, the Trump administration has spurned the most sanctimonious aspects of U.S. foreign policy, which arguably reached their crescendo under the Biden administration. The gleeful gangsterism in Latin America and the Caribbean, the territorial threats against Canada and Denmark, the planned luxury condos on the mass graves of Gaza—all are indeed shocks to both the mind and the conscience. Yet the Iran war is actually the culmination of...

The West cannot surmount today’s energy crisis by a single move.  Even if the Iran war ended immediately reconstructing damaged and/or destroyed infrastructure will take a considerable time.  But Ukraine, specifically its Naftogaz energy company, can help mitigate this crisis.  Admittedly, investors must figure war-risks and engage in contingency planning because Russia’s aggression has led Russia to attack Naftogaz repeatedly. Nevertheless, Naftogaz can offer Europe tangible measures of relief from the Iranian war crisis. Naftogaz can exploit its large underground...

President Trump recently released his National Security Strategy, the influential document that guides American economic, military, and diplomatic relations with friends and foes alike. Almost immediately, European leaders bristled at its apparent criticism of the continent.  But while the National Security Strategy contains candid critiques of current European policy choices, it is by no means anti-European. Just the opposite. It affirms Europe's strategic and cultural importance to the United States, underscores trans-Atlantic trade as a pillar of American prosperity,...

The global impact of the Iran War is clear. Closure of the Hormuz Strait and rising oil prices reveal the dependence of all nations on the free flow of shipping through the Strait. It will take many years for countries to recover from this energy crisis. President Trump vows to end the War and reopen the Strait, but the off-ramp from war is not clear. Governing structures have been created to guarantee shipping in other straits that provide lessons for creating a new governing structure for the Hormuz Strait. Perhaps the best model for such a governing structure is that created to guarantee...

In 2024, Texas oil and gas executive Jeremy Paul warned that global energy markets were being suppressed due to policy decisions that ignored economic and geopolitical realities. Paul, CEO of Eagle Natural Resources, argued that oil prices needed to reach a natural equilibrium, ideally between $90 and $150 a barrel, with a realistic sweet spot around $130 to $140. Only at these price levels would exploration be incentivized, production be sustained, and broader economic stability be maintained. He warned that suppressing prices could ultimately lead to "the price of war." The structural...

Europe’s governing class has a problem with free speech—especially when that speech comes from conservatives. Nowhere is that clearer than in Spain, where Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has unveiled a government system to monitor political discourse online. The program is called HODIO. Officially, it tracks “hate speech” and “polarization” using artificial intelligence. In reality, it represents the latest attempt by Europe’s political elites to place public debate under bureaucratic supervision. And it should concern anyone who cares about free...

In recent years, Western European leaders have convened to identify ways to strengthen the region’s global influence. Their proposals to enhance its competitiveness and economic growth range from leveraging financial markets to accelerating investment in clean energy infrastructure. Yet one priority remains more important than the rest: technological innovation. Despite ongoing discussions about improving its technological capabilities by increasing investment in advanced technologies and improving supercomputing infrastructure, Western Europe’s policymakers have not done enough...

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan did not mince words as he toured the Middle East as the war in the region escalated: “It should be especially noted that the primary responsible party for this war, which has drawn our region into an unprecedented crisis, is Israel.” The statement is the clearest articulation yet of Ankara’s effort to position itself as both a critic of the conflict and a broker seeking to end it. Turkey, a strategic ally of the United States and a member of NATO has thus far avoided drawing the ire of Iran’s regime, despite sharing a...

Former President George W. Bush once famously botched an old cliché as his administration painstakingly attempted to sell what would eventually be the illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq, stating “Fool me once … shame on … shame on you. Fool me … you can’t get fooled again.” Today, as the U.S. and Israel wage war on Iran, this hapless statement should serve as a lesson – that sloppy attempts to justify and rebrand military intervention abroad in the name of unachievable goals are likely to produce catastrophe. Yet the same tactics and...

In spite of all the Middle East’s recent volatility, one thing remains clear: Turkey continues to try positioning itself as the region’s indispensable hinge – a state too useful for Washington, Tehran, or Riyadh to ignore. In a world defined by shifting alliances, collapsing regimes, and non-state actors, Ankara is carving out a role nestled in the art of adaptability. Turkey’s road back from its post-Arab Spring overreach has been born out of necessity, above all else. Its wager on Sunni Islamist movements - most notably the Muslim Brotherhood, which has since been...

America’s interventions in Venezuela and Iran show the difference between autocracy and ideology.  Venezuela was ruled by an autocracy with Nicolas Maduro at the top.  Iran is ruled by an ideology that is inculcated throughout its theocratic regime.  Venezuela’s current regime is the remnant of what Hugo Chavez personified and installed over a quarter of a century ago.  In 1992, Hugo Chavez participated in a failed coup attempt.  From defeat, he formed a political party, the “Movement of the Fifth Republic.”  Consistently gaining...

George Santayana’s sage observation, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” has come back to haunt us. In this case, the Trump administration’s war with Iran is a repeat performance of the war with Iraq in 2003, but with a global impact.                         Robert Draper’s definitive account, To Start a War, is a helpful reminder. The book deals with Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz’s...

When Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday, the formalities of diplomacy will conceal a far more consequential negotiation. At stake is not simply bilateral cooperation, but Japan’s ability to operate within an increasingly transactional alliance framework—one in which economic access is implicitly tied to military contribution. For Tokyo, whose export-driven economy depends heavily on the U.S. market, meeting this “security-for-trade” expectation has become an urgent strategic necessity. The Iran situation...

President Trump’s goal in Ukraine is straightforward: stop the killing and secure a peace that lasts. The trilateral talks show that this approach is taking shape. The United States and its allies have moved towards formalized security guarantees for Ukraine. These commitments must be clearly structured and durable, designed to deter future Russian attacks and ensure that Ukraine is not left exposed once this fighting subsides. The security guarantees represent an important shift from temporary aid toward long-term arrangements that raise the cost of renewed aggression. Peace...