The White House sent lawmakers a request for an $87.6 billion supplemental funding package Wednesday. Observers warn the request lacks transparency — and that it’s stuffed with pork. Of the $87.6 billion request, a majority ($67 billion) would go to the Department of Defense, mostly to cover the costs of Washington’s war on Iran. But … Read more
After months of diplomacy punctuated by military strikes, the United States and Iran have stopped fighting and signed a memorandum of understanding. The technical grind of nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz will consume much of the 60-day period for negotiations. But the deeper question is whether durable stability is possible without addressing the … Read more
In a flurry of diplomatic activity over the last days, Iran and the U.S. appear at last to have reached an initial agreement to wind down hostilities and open the Strait of Hormuz to seaborne traffic. The agreement is due to be signed in a formal ceremony Friday in Switzerland, but the immediate impact of … Read more
When President Donald Trump announced a possible U.S.-Iran understanding, he did so after placing calls to a number of regional countries: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, and – separately – Israel. Not a single European capital was on the call list. As the Quincy Institute’s Executive Vice President, … Read more