On July 30, approximately 72,000 people attempted to cross from Morocco into Ceuta, an enclave of Spain on the North African coast. People seeking to migrate to Europe have long sought to breach Ceuta’s heavily fortified borders, but this was the largest and deadliest crossing in the territory’s history, with 88 people perishing in the… Continue reading The Pressures Behind Morocco’s Ceuta Crisis

Iran has built a security doctrine on shifting battles outside its borders, encircling adversaries with proxies and avoiding direct confrontation whenever possible. The test of this strategy is whether it can translate clout into security and sustainable gains at a reasonable cost. Yet from Syria to Yemen, Iran’s influence has entailed staggering losses, while its… Continue reading Strategy Without Gains: How Iran Squandered its Regional Clout

On March 31, the global oil benchmark Brent crude traded at a high of $126.69, and Fereidun Fesharaki, the chairman emeritus of a global energy consultancy, told Bloomberg that a prolonged near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz would put the price at $150 to $200 per barrel within weeks. Similarly, banking giant JPMorgan modeled the… Continue reading Why Has the Price of Oil Remained Below War-Time Expectations?