July 30, 2026
Gulf States Distance Themselves from Trump as Iran Tensions Escalate
“Not only are they hardening their stance against Iran, but they also seem to be distancing themselves somewhat from the United States." Despite Saudi Arabia joining the strikes on Iran, it “doesn’t want to go in with both feet” because it still “has to live with Iran”, says former US deputy assistant secretary of defence for Europe and NATO, Jim Townsend.
Watch the full interview on Times News.
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Russia Provokes NATO ‘Grey Zone’ with ‘Clever Bullying’ Tactic, but It Will Escalate
“Eventually something's going to happen in the escalation. I mean, maybe it's a mass casualty event or something that really gets us out of that grey zone into a real provocat...
By Jim Townsend
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Domestic Russia: Security Services, the Economy, and Elections
Today we are turning to domestic Russian politics, with Russia’s State Duma elections coming up September 18th through the 20th. The elections are taking place in a more uncer...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
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Sep 11, ’26 Washington Roundtable
Jim Townsend, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast to discuss the latest on the war in Ukraine,...
By Jim Townsend
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What America’s Adversaries and Allies Hope to Gain at the U.N. General Assembly
This article was originally published in War on the Rocks. This year’s U.N. General Assembly officially opened on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The annual gathering gives diplomats and le...
By Nicholas Lokker