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Trump has a great opportunity to get a deal with Iran to help pivot from the Middle East. He'll need to resist maximalists in his administration to get there. For thoughts on that, see my latest piece. realclearworld.com/articles/2025/…

This is disappointing. US maximum pressure and the failing Houthi strategy are killing the Iran nuclear talks. Not good for US security long-term. Recipe for war. reuters.com/world/middle-e…

The airpower trap looms large in Trump's Yemen war. For analysis of why, see my latest. Would be a disaster for US security. Time to wind down the use of force, look more to diplomacy instead.#Houthis theconversation.com/in-yemen-trump…

U.S. and Israeli interests aren’t 100% aligned. So what you’ve seen from Trump lately—signing a ceasefire with the Houthis; greenlighting nuclear negotiations with Iran; bypassing Israel to get an American out of Gaza; deliberating about Syria sanctions relief; separating

This is fantastic news. Trump stands up to hawks at home and abroad by lifting all sanctions on Syria. A stronger Syria is better for Syrians, regional security, and provides a backstop against ISIS, which means US forces can get out soon. thehill.com/homenews/admin…

1. Trump wants a deal. This is pretty clear. I think it was notable that during nearly every one of his speaking engagements in the Middle East last week, he mentioned how a nuclear deal was not only a possibility, but close to being finalized. I don't buy the finalized part

2. I'm not sure what to make about the Trump administration's public comments vis-a-vis the talks. Witkoff's rhetoric has become quite hawkish over the last few weeks. Over the weekend, he again pushed the "no enrichment for Iran" line ("We cannot allow even 1 percent of an

3. If I was advising Trump, I would tell him to just ignore what the Iran hawks in DC are saying. We know who these folks are; they've been making the same boring, monotonous, lazy arguments about the Iranian threat for at least two decades. Trump basically handed his Iran policy

4. What happens if negotiations break down over competing red-lines and/or technical disagreements? I fear the default response is bombing Iran's nuclear program. Trump has indicated countless times that this is Plan B. We could chalk this up as a negotiating tactic to press

5. In short, a new nuclear deal is possible if Trump is willing to take yes for an answer and is reasonable with his demands (the same goes for Iran).

On why a U.S. security guarantee to Saudi Arabia is a bad idea, see Will Walldorf's paper for Defense Priorities defensepriorities.org/explainers/jus…

As the drumbeat of attacking Iran intensifies, very sharp insight from my Defense Priorities colleague Rose Kelanic on why that's a bad idea and what we should do instead. foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/02/ira…

More good evidence on Syria that as the US steps back and normalizes with the regime, it forces others to moderate tension, find common ground, take up the mantle of regional stability. Nice glide path to now drawdown all remaining US troops there. axios.com/2025/06/11/isr…

It's time for the U.S. to adopt an over-the-horizon counterterrorism strategy in Syria, Will Walldorf persuasively argues. That's the normal progression when a group like ISIS turns local and nearby actors can contain it. Defense Priorities stripes.com/opinion/2025-0…

This is good, let's hope he puts the squeeze on Israel like he apparently did earlier this week not to attack Iran unilaterally. truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTru…

If I'm POTUS or in the admin, I'd be furious if Israel provided 24-48 hours notice to move U.S. citizens away from possible Iranian retaliation. Key Q then: When did U.S. learn of Israel plans? Their screw up or ours?

For all the celebratory tweets from neoconservative stalwarts, it’s notable how much Trump seems to be trying to keep the US out of this. He’s losing his base, and doesn’t seem to know how to slow the spiral to war.

My latest paper with Cato Institute on why US-China competition shouldn't guide US Middle East policy. If navigated correctly, the return of global multipolarity can be an opportunity for the US and allow for an overdue course-correction in the ME. cato.org/policy-analysi…

Just out. Against the backdrop of history, all the reasons to keep a large trop presence in the Middle East no longer exist, so we should withdraw most troops now. There Are No More Reasons for U.S. Presence in Middle East | Opinion - Newsweek newsweek.com/there-are-no-m…

The two issues—oil and terrorism—that have traditionally anchored the U.S. military presence in the Middle East for decades no longer offer good reasons to keep troops in the region today. Will Walldorf explains: newsweek.com/there-are-no-m…