Key Takeaway: Hezbollah is attempting to prevent its complete disarmament through a combination of military and political measures. The Lebanese state has taken unprecedented steps to disarm Hezbollah since December 2024 and has made moderate progress in disarming the group south of the Litani River. Hezbollah, however, has employed a …
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“Potemkinism” Is Responsible For False Perceptions Of Russia’s Unreliability
This refers to top “Non-Russian Pro-Russian” influencers’ creation of alternative realities, such as the metanarrative that Russia leads a global network of mutual defense allies that collectively challenges the US, which is verifiably untrue and lends false credence to Western demoralization propaganda. Foreign Affairs recently published a piece about how …
Read More »Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 18, 2026
Toplines Ukrainian, US, and Russian representatives concluded trilateral and multilateral negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 18.[1] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov stated that Ukrainian, US, and Russian representatives met in two groups focusing on military and political issues, respectively, on February 17 and …
Read More »Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis
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Read More »Iran cites ‘good progress’ in nuclear talks with US
Iran’s foreign minister said Tuesday that “good progress” had been made in indirect nuclear talks with the United States in Geneva, describing broad agreement on guiding principles for a potential deal even as tensions between the two countries remained high. The negotiations, mediated by Oman, took place in Switzerland against …
Read More »The Mass Escape of ISIS Detainees Is a Warning Against U.S. Withdrawal From Syria
Serious concerns are emerging over the ability of the Syrian government to maintain security in the northeast of the country following its recent offensive against the Kurdish-led, U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). A Syrian government spokesman admitted on February 17 that since the end of January, thousands of detainees had …
Read More »For a Better Druze Future, Jumblatt Needs New Ideas
Walid Jumblatt, Lebanon’s most seasoned and cunning political operator, has navigated every twist of the country’s turmoil since taking the reins of the Druze community in 1977. Convinced that his father Kamal’s assassination stemmed from political overreach, Jumblatt has pursued relentlessly cautious and conservative policies, always hedging his bets and …
Read More »How Israel Is Eroding Life For Palestinians In The West Bank
Today, a quiet transformation is advancing in the West Bank. It isn’t the same spectacular form of violence that once commanded the global news cycle in Gaza, but it is more methodical and durable — and more difficult to interrupt. It unfolds in three seemingly unrelated processes: financial warfare against …
Read More »Turkish foreign minister warns of nuclear arms race if Iran gets the bomb
On February 9, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan suggested that Turkey would begin developing nuclear weapons should Iran obtain them. During a televised interview with CNN Turk, Fidan warned that Iranian nuclearization would upset the “balance of power” in the Middle East and likely initiate a regional nuclear arms race, …
Read More »Iran Update, February 16, 2026
Toplines The Syrian government is transferring all residents from al Hol internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Hasakah Province to Aleppo Province and Iraq.[1] The government will close the camp in the coming days.[2] The Syrian government had reportedly planned to close both al Hol and al Roj IDP camps …
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