April 17, 2026 Eurasia, Iran, Middle Orient
Amid major diplomatic milestones and major international security threats, three experts explore what it will take to achieve success on multiple negotiating tracks at once. On April 15, The Washington Institute held a virtual Policy Forum with Ambassador Michael Herzog, Robert Satloff, and Hanin Ghaddar. Herzog is the Institute’s Tisch …
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April 17, 2026 Africa, Eurasia, Iran, Middle Orient
Cairo’s efforts send a message to the United States and the region that it still has a place at the diplomatic table. Egypt has been on the sidelines as a mediator in Middle Eastern negotiations for much of the past decade, but its quiet role in facilitating the current ceasefire …
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April 17, 2026 Eurasia, Iran, Middle Orient
Amid a tenuous U.S.-Iran ceasefire, Arab Gulf monarchies are aiming to project strength. “We prevailed through an epic national defense . . . in the face of treacherous aggression,” Emirati diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash wrote on X. Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat emphasized the kingdom’s “intensive political consultations” with regional countries …
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April 17, 2026 Eurasia, Iran, Middle Orient
Key Takeaways The main sticking point in current US-Iran negotiations is reportedly Iran’s enrichment of uranium and its highly enriched uranium stockpile. The IRGC appears to be playing an outsized role in Iranian decision-making in these negotiations, traditionally meant for civilian leadership. Iran appears to have not compromised on its …
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April 17, 2026 Eurasia
Typically cautious Putin isn’t going to risk World War III over foreign drone companies when he wouldn’t risk it after Ukraine attacked his country’s nuclear triad with Western support last summer. Former Russian President and incumbent Deputy Chair of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev warned on X that “Russian Defense …
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April 17, 2026 Balkans, Eurasia
A post‑Orbán reset is coming, but Péter Magyar’s nationalism tempers his pro‑EU signals; expect cooperation on Ukraine and security, and resistance on cultural and sovereignty issues. The Hungarian vote mattered far beyond Budapest: it would reshape EU unity on sanctions, funding, and enlargement; decide whether a NATO member remained a …
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April 17, 2026 Eurasia
La guerre du mondeNous sommes au printemps 2026. Depuis le 28 février, l’Iran fait face à ce que Washington appelle l’opération Fureur épique et Tel-Aviv l’opération Lion rugissant. Une coalition militaire américano-israélienne d’une ampleur sans précédent depuis la Seconde Guerre mondiale : des frappes sur les installations nucléaires de Natanz, …
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April 17, 2026 Eurasia, Iran, Middle Orient
Trump’s war on Iran hasn’t just redrawn battle lines; it has fractured the very architecture of the post-Second World War global order: a transatlantic alliance pushed beyond limits and internally too fractured to be repaired, a rapidly remade Middle East, shifting rules of global oil transit, and a stark exposure …
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April 17, 2026 Eurasia, Middle Orient
As war rages in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, Western intelligence agencies are fighting to cut off the Iran-backed militia, whose military wing is designated a terrorist organisation by the EU while several member states have banned the organisation entirely. A recent Western intelligence report seen by Euractiv details Hezbollah’s …
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April 17, 2026 Eurasia, Middle Orient
The U.S. State Department released a statement after the meeting saying the two sides had “productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades on Tuesday and both sides said they held positive discussions …
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