Executive Summary: Armenia is increasingly turning to India for military support, making significant purchases of Indian-made weapon systems, including the Akash-1S air defense system, as part of a $2 billion defense partnership signed in 2020. Armenia’s pivot toward India marks a shift away from its... MORE

Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Azerbaijan reinforced Russia’s ongoing efforts to maintain influence in the South Caucasus, where increased cooperation on food security, labor, and oil production were announced. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s comments on the Zangezur Corridor ignited tensions with... MORE

Executive Summary: Iran and Turkmenistan are rapidly expanding transit routes, enabling Tehran to expand its trade with Russia in support of Moscow’s effort to circumvent Western sanctions and boost its economic links with other Central Asian countries. This route is increasingly important to Russia because... MORE

Executive Summary: The July 31 assassination of Hamas’s head, Ismail Haniyeh, after the inauguration of Iran’s new president in Tehran was a significant victory for Israel, signaling that Jerusalem could eliminate any leader of the Islamic Republic at will. This appears to reflect a deeper... MORE

Executive Summary: Pressure on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to deliver a peace agreement with Azerbaijan before the 2026 parliamentary elections is mounting, driven by questions surrounding the longevity of Armenian economic growth. Pashinyan’s efforts to advance negotiations have seen both progress and setbacks. Unresolved... MORE

Editor's Note: This article is the second in a two-part series. The first part can be found here. In response to the previous article, The Jamestown Foundation received a letter from Eric Xing, President of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. The letter... MORE

Executive Summary: Baku is currently turning away from the West toward Russia and Iran, angry at Western countries for their support of Armenia and criticism of human rights issues in Azerbaijan, and hopeful that Moscow and Tehran will help achieve its geo-economic and geopolitical goals.... MORE

Please note: This article was originally published in Militant Leadership Monitor on May 21 and would normally require a subscription to view. It is being made free for the purpose of publicizing information regarding Yahya Sinwar, who was selected as chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau... MORE

Executive Summary: On July 16, three Islamic State-associated gunmen killed six worshippers at a Shia mosque in Muscat. This was the first al-Qaeda or Islamic State attack in Oman, despite its proximity to Islamist hubs and relatively friendly relationship with Israel. The three attackers were... MORE

Executive Summary: In April, Pakistan and Iran agreed to station liaison officers at their mutual border to coordinate counter-terrorism efforts. Border cooperation will likely reduce local militancy and improve ties between the two states. In January, Pakistan and Iran launched surprise strikes on one another,... MORE