U.S. technical consultation with Taliban authorities is necessary to advance specific and urgent interests, such as out-migration of Afghans processed for U.S. residency. But senior overtures to Taliban leadership would require a shift in the policy landscape. That may explain some recent actions taken by the Biden administration.
The carnage unfolding in Israel and Gaza makes clear that the status quo there is not sustainable, and even a two-state solution could be untenable. Instead, there is a need for a bolder approach: a three- or even four-state solution. Why should Israel adopt one of these multistate solutions? Because it is in its interest to do so.
The Syrian civil war that has decimated the country for more than decade, provoking a regional humanitarian crisis and drawing in actors ranging from the United States to Russia, has been drawing inexorably to a conclusion for years now. President Bashar al-Assad, with the backing of Iran and Russia, has emerged militarily victorious from the conflict, which began after his government violently repressed civilian protests in 2011. But is the crisis in Syria really over?
The Sudanese armed forces have now lost control of Sudan’s two biggest cities while feeding the public a false sense of hope. In contrast, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, has sold the narrative abroad that its forces are waging a righteous crusade on behalf of the very Sudanese population it terrorizes.