Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy

In this episode of the Contours Podcast, New Lines Director of the Strategic Blindspots portfolio Caroline Rose sits down with Non-Resident Senior Fellow Dr. Karam Shaar and U.S. Department of State counter-narcotics expert Jonathan Earles. Together, they discuss how the fall of Assad’s Syria may affect the captagon trade, including its production and state-sponsored distribution, and the demand f...

2025 will be headlined by the domestic and global impact of Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency. Key diplomatic and security shifts will occur in the Russia/Ukraine conflict as well as in the Middle East, while geopolitical tensions between the United States and China will intensify, both bilaterally and in the wider Indo-Pacific. Read the Annual Forecast here: https://newlinesinstitute.o...

In this edition of The New Lines Institute Middle East Center’s Post-Assad Podcast series, Middle East Center co-director Nicholas A. Heras sits down with Dr. Kamran Bokhari to develop a strategic forecast for Syria in the upcoming year. Dr. Bokhari is a Senior Director at the Institute who is a specialist on Eurasian politics with a particular focus on the Middle East with over three decades expe...

This week, Western countries have organized diplomatic outreach to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria while Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz expressed hope for a potential cease-fire with Hamas. In the Indo-Pacific, members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue finalized plans to hold joint military exercises for the first time, while the U.S. stated it would take necessary steps to prevent furthe...

In this edition of The New Lines Institute Middle East Center’s Post-Assad Podcast series, Middle East Center co-director Nicholas A. Heras sits down with Nidal Betare to assess the potential for a Syrian-led, inclusive process of democracy-building in post-Assad Syria. Betare is a Palestinian-American who was born and raised in Syria, and a well-known expert on civil society and the Syrian politi...

In this inaugural edition of The New Lines Institute Middle East Center’s Post-Assad Podcast series, Middle East Center co-director Nicholas A. Heras sits down with the Center’s Resident Senior Fellow Murad Batal Al Shishani and the Institute’s Priority Sustainable Counterterrorism Portfolio head and Senior Analyst Tammy Palacios to discuss the prospects for stability in post-Assad Syria. These tw...

This week, Syrian rebel groups captured Damascus, President Bashar al-Assad sought asylum in Moscow, and Israeli forces struck key military targets across Syria. In the Indo-Pacific, China held its largest military drills to date in response to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s recent Pacific tour, while the U.S. increased funding for key initiatives for Taiwan. In Ukraine, Russia made significan...

This week, rebel groups in Syria captured Aleppo and other areas in a renewed push against Bashar al-Assad’s government, while Israel bombed Lebanon despite the cease-fire. In the Indo-Pacific, China vowed to halt all exports of critical raw minerals to the U.S. in response to the latter’s new batch of export controls targeting Chinese tech companies, while South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol is...

This week, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a U.S.-mediated cease-fire, while fighting continued in Gaza, with Hamas signaling it could agree to cooperate on ceasing hostilities. In Ukraine, Kyiv experienced the largest drone bombing since the start of the war, and the U.K. unveiled additional sanctions against Russia. In the Indo-Pacific, Taiwanese President William Lai is planning a visit to his d...

On this episode of the Contours podcast, host Tammy Palacios sits down with Paul N.K. Aborampah Mensah, senior program manager for Ghana's Center for Democratic Development. Through their talk, they hone in on the situation and challenges ahead of Ghana's 2024 elections, including the Vigilantism Law, approaches to civic education, and how civil society groups can improve their effectiveness.

This week, Ukraine received authorization from the U.S. to use U.S.-supplied ATACM weapon systems to strike deep into Russia’s Kursk region, followed by the authorization to use British/French Storm Shadow missiles. In the Middle East, U.S. Special Envoy Amos Hochstein visited Beirut and Jerusalem to propose ceasefire conditions for Hezbollah and Israel, while Israel continued its bombardments in...

In this episode, New Lines' Gender Policy Director Kallie Mitchell, along with guests Ruth Whippman and Cait Dallaire, explore the hidden dynamics of identity and power that are reshaping global security, democratic movements, and the future of political engagement.

This week, President-elect Donald Trump nominated members of his incoming government, and the Republican Party retained control of the House of Representatives. In the Middle East, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the annexation of the West Bank amid conflicting reports of a potential ceasefire in Lebanon. In Russia, Ukrainian forces conducted large-scale drone attacks against...

This week, former President Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, while the Republican Party won a Senate majority. In Russia, North Korean troops were reported to have entered combat with Ukrainian forces in Kursk, and Ukraine expressed interest in a Qatari-mediated agreement on the exclusion of energy targets. In the Middle East, Israel continued its assault in Lebanon while an unconf...

Much attention has been paid to the supply of illicit drugs in the Middle East and war-torn Syria, but little has been focused on the patterns and implications of drug consumption in the region. However, a recent MedGlobal report reveals insightful data about Syria's emerging addiction crisis. The report notes that drug consumption has increased 300% since the outbreak of Syria's civil war, with h...

This week, hosts Miloš Maggiore and Andrew Loftesnes provide updates on U.S. domestic developments and examine some of the scenarios that the different U.S. election outcomes could entail across global hotspots. They further look at updates from this week. In Russia, the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that North Korean troops have been deployed in Russia's Kursk region, while Ukrainian Presi...

This week in the Russia-Ukraine war, the presence of North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia was confirmed. In the Pacific, American and Canadian warships transited the Taiwan strait in response to China's blockade training maneuvers last week. In the Middle East, hopes for ceasefire in the Gaza conflict increase in the wake of the death of Yaha Sinwar, Hamas' former leader.

This week, Israel took out Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, while the United States for the first time threatened to cut off arms supplies to Israel and the United Kingdom proposed sanctions against Israeli leaders. In the Indo-Pacific, China held its most intense military exercises this year, staging a blockade within Taiwan’s contiguous waters near its ports. 'In the Russia/Ukraine conflict, U...

This week, the U.S. State Department officially backed Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, as additional Israeli troops were deployed into the country, continuing battles with Hezbollah, with the latter calling for a cease fire. In the Indo-Pacific, North Korea said it would bolster its fortifications along its border with the South, and naval clashes between the Philippines and China resumed in the Sou...

This week, the U.S. State Department officially backed Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, as additional Israeli troops were deployed into the country, continuing battles with Hezbollah, with the latter calling for a cease fire. In the Indo-Pacific, North Korea said it would bolster its fortifications along its border with the South, and naval clashes between the Philippines and China resumed in the Sou...

This week, the Middle East saw heavy military escalation after Israel launched a ground assault against Lebanon following the death of Hezbollah commander Hassan Nasrallah. Iran responded with a missile attack on Israel. In the Indo-Pacific, Russia and China conducted a joint naval patrol along the Arctic, while the U.S. imposed further trade restrictions against Chinese imports. In Ukraine, Russi...

This week, Israel continued its airstrikes against Lebanon and Gaza, as the U.K. proposed increasing sanctions against West Bank settlers and members of the UN General Assembly repeatedly called for a ceasefire. In the Indo-Pacific, a Russian aircraft breached Japanese airspace for the first time, while the U.S. announced new partnerships in the region to increase resiliency for critical infrastru...

This week, Israel conducted a major sabotage operation against Hezbollah, killing two dozen and injuring thousands in Lebanon. In the Indo-Pacific, a Chinese aircraft carrier sailed through Japanese contiguous waters, and the U.S. is facing TikTok in court while having disrupted a new major Chinese hacking group. In Ukraine, Russian forces made advances in Donetsk and in their counteroffensive in...

In this episode of the Contours podcast, host Eugene Chausovsky sits down with Dr. Farid Shafiyev, the Chairman of the Baku-based Center of Analysis of International Relations and former Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Canada and the Czech Republic. Together, they take an in-depth look at Azerbaijan-Armenia relations and their impact on geopolitical dynamics throughout Eurasia and beyond.

This week, Ukraine intensified its attacks on Russia, as it launched its largest drone-attack against Moscow to date, while the US is considering lifting restrictions on use of long-range US-supplied weapons on Russian targets. In the Middle East, Iran is facing sanctions from the West as it supplied Russia with ballistic missiles, while Israel conducted strikes against targets in the West Bank an...