In 2013, Europe was a peaceful place, but elsewhere in Eurasia, things were not as peaceful. This eventful year promises an interesting 2014.
The contest between Iran and Saudi Arabia is manifesting itself vividly in Syria, and now Lebanon is rising as the next geopolitical battleground for the two regional powers.
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran will become more acute in the years ahead. It is in this context that Turkey’s role as a secular power will become more important than ever.
Next year could prove to be a pivotal one for Iran, both internally and in its relations with the outside world.
In Strategic Europe’s final blog post of 2013, Jan Techau and Judy Dempsey discuss the major issues that are (and should be) on the EU’s foreign policy agenda.
Ongoing and difficult diplomacy with Iran does not provide U.S. lawmakers with grounds to require potential 123 partners not to enrich uranium or reprocess reactor fuel as a matter of principle. That would seriously endanger 123 agreements in some cases.
Israel could find itself engaged in some local conflicts with Islamic extremists along the border or in a limited conflict with Assad if he decides to retaliate the next time Israel attacks targets in Syria.
The Syrian war has attracted thousands of foreign volunteers who now fight on almost every front.
The big strategic question is whether testing Iran’s intentions through negotiations is riskier than continuing to sanction and threaten to bomb it.
With the initial Iran Deal done, it is time to look forward to its implementation and verification. That means that the International Atomic Energy Agency will have more work to do over the next six months. But what, exactly, will it be doing?
















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