The Iranian Mullah regime came to power in 1979. Iran’s official name is the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran is an Islamic Shi’ite theocracy ruled by Mullahs. The word mullah is an Islamic clerical term. A mullah is a learned scholar of Islamic theology who is authorized to share his knowledge. The Shi’ite clerical order is hierarchical. The most senior cleric in the Shi’ite clergy is Ayatollah ‘Uzma – the Grand Ayatollah. The word Ayatollah is two words that mean “Sign of God.” As we learned in the opening chapter, one of the core Shi’ite narratives is that their God-given right to lead the Muslim world was stolen from them in the year 680 when Hussein Bin ‘Ali Bin Abi…

The Middle East is a chain of links. Everything is connected. Understanding the links is critical to developing an accurate picture of reality. I wanted to take the opportunity to provide a contextualized snapshot of the region along with my predictions of what we can expect in the short term. I hope you find this brief overview helpful.   Lebanon…

Rising gasoline prices in Iran have resulted in an outbreak of mass protests across Iran. Protestors are blocking roads and setting fire to public buildings, banks that are owned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, police stations, etc. They are also burning posters and destroying statues of the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, the first Supreme…

October 21, 2019 The screams and mass protests – unprecedented in volume and intensity – which erupted in Lebanon on Thursday, October 17th are screams of despair and demand for a profound change. The precise, straightforward, and exhaustive way to describe the background to the protests is that the Lebanese – young, old, Sunni, Christian, Shi’ite, Druze – are just…

In Part 1 of my three-part analysis, “Alarms on the Lebanese – Israel Border might be Last Wake-up Call for Western Leaders” (September 11, 2019), I explained and contextualized the events of September 1, 2019, on the Israeli Lebanese border. In Part 2,  “Alarms on the Lebanese – Israeli Border (Part 2) Iran’s Hegemonic Modus Operandi” (September 13, 2019) I…

Over the past week, mass protests and riots have spread throughout Iraq’s major cities. Reportedly, more than 100 protestors have been killed, and more than 6,000 have been injured.  This is not the first time such protests have broken out in Iraq – particularly in Baghdad and southern Iraq. And like before, most of the protesters are Shi’ites. However, there…

The September 14th Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia is a moment of truth for the West and its Middle East allies.  The West is clearly eager to avoid a direct confrontation with Iran. Some argue – at all costs. On the other hand, the Arab Gulf monarchies, Jordan, and Israel are determined to thwart Iran's hegemonic vision at all costs. Because…

In Part 1 of this Article, I explained and contextualized the events of September 1 on the Israeli Lebanese border. I ended the article by saying the following: "It is likely that yesterday’s short round between Israel and Hezbollah might be the last wake-up call for Western leaders. It should be clear that the potential for a severe, rapid escalation…

In Part 1 of this Article, I explained and contextualized the events of September 1 on the Israeli Lebanese border. I ended the article by saying the following: "It is likely that yesterday’s short round between Israel and Hezbollah might be the last wake-up call for Western leaders. It should be clear that the potential for a severe, rapid escalation…

This short document is being written in light of a seemingly – for now – contained, short round of violence between Israel and Hezbollah on September 1, 2019.  In Part 1 of this 2-part article, I will briefly explain how and why we have reached this phase. And in Part 2 I will explain what must be done to prevent…

Iran wants to gain control of the area from Iran to the Mediterranean Sea. The way they are attempting to do that is through flooding the area with militants and missiles. Controlling Iraq is critical to that end.

Will Iran increase and perhaps escalate their attacks on U.S. assets in Iraq? Or does the Iranian compromise signal that they are interested in calming tensions with the US and that they will stop using their proxies in Iraq to provoke the U.S?

The U.S restraint that followed Iran’s shooting down of the drone on June 20th is not – and will not, be reciprocated by Iran. Quite the opposite.