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May 18, 2026
Craig Singleton
The Washington Post

Trump plays a dangerous game, bargaining with Taiwan’s defense

The president’s post-China-summit comments about arms for Taipei invite trouble.
FDD flame icon
May 18, 2026
The Washington Post
Craig Singleton

Trump plays a dangerous game, bargaining with Taiwan’s defense

The president’s post-China-summit comments about arms for Taipei invite trouble.

Reported U.S. Intelligence Notes Threat From Cuba’s Russian and Iranian Drone Stockpile

May 18th
Flash Brief

Netanyahu pushes for US military aid drawdown

May 18th | Bradley Bowman,  Justin Leopold-Cohen
FDD's Long War Journal

Turkey’s Missile Ambitions Should Alarm Europe and the United States

May 16th | Sinan Ciddi
Real Clear Defense

U.S.-China Summit Underlines Stalemate Between Washington and Beijing

May 15th | Jack Burnham
Policy Brief

Immigration as a Weapon

May 15th | Clifford D. May,  Peter Schweizer
Foreign Podicy

Trending Issues

Iran
Reported U.S. Intelligence Notes Threat From Cuba’s Russian and Iranian Drone Stockpile
May 18th
Flash Brief
Trump warns Iran that time is running out
May 18th | Peter Doran
Newsmax2
China
Trump warns Iran that time is running out
May 18th | Peter Doran
Newsmax2
Trump’s Taiwan Gambit is Already a Gift to China
May 18th | Craig Singleton
The New York Times
Israel at War
Israel foils another pro-Hamas flotilla attempting to breach the Gaza blockade
May 18th | Sinan Ciddi
i24 News {French}
Netanyahu pushes for US military aid drawdown
May 18th | Bradley Bowman,  Justin Leopold-Cohen
FDD's Long War Journal
Russia
Reported U.S. Intelligence Notes Threat From Cuba’s Russian and Iranian Drone Stockpile
May 18th
Flash Brief
Can the NPT Survive Amid Global Disorder? 
May 15th | Andrea Stricker
The 2026 NPT Review Conference is unfolding against a backdrop of geopolitical upheaval. Absent strong U.S. leadership inside and outside the conference, even modest success appears remote.
The Diplomat
March 12, 2026
12:00 pm
EVENT: Between Ally and Adversary: Turkey’s Strategic Calculus in the Iran War
As the war involving Iran reshapes the strategic landscape of the Middle East, Turkey finds itself navigating one of the most complex geopolitical dilemmas in its modern history. Sharing a long border with Iran and balancing its role as a NATO member with its regional ambitions, Ankara is attempting to manage the fallout of a conflict that could dramatically alter the balance of power across the region. Turkish leaders have condemned U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran while simultaneously warning Tehran against expanding the conflict, reflecting a delicate strategy of hedging between competing interests.
View All Events
Transcript

Featured Experts

Mark Dubowitz
Chief Executive
  • Iran Sanctions
  • Iran Human Rights
  • Syria
  • Iran Missiles
  • Iran
  • Iran Global Threat Network
  • Hezbollah
  • Iran-backed Terrorism
  • Sanctions and Illicit Finance
  • Cyber
  • Iran Nuclear
Jonathan Schanzer
Executive Director
  • Palestinian Politics
  • Iran
  • Iran Sanctions
  • Iran Global Threat Network
  • Hezbollah
  • Iran-backed Terrorism
  • Turkey
  • Jihadism
  • Sanctions and Illicit Finance
Craig Singleton
China Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow
Behnam Ben Taleblu
Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow
  • Iran
  • Iran Sanctions
  • Iran Missiles
  • Iran Human Rights
  • Iran Politics and Economy
  • Iran Global Threat Network
  • Sanctions and Illicit Finance
RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
CCTI Senior Director and Senior Fellow
Andrea Stricker
Nonproliferation Program Deputy Director and Research Fellow
Elaine K. Dezenski
CEFP Senior Director and Head
Edmund Fitton-Brown
Senior Fellow
View FDD Team
Monographs

Unplugging Beijing

July 21 | Elaine K. Dezenski,  Josh Birenbaum
View Monograph
Visuals
Islamic Republic of Iran Attacks the Arab World
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| Bridget Toomey,  Ahmad Sharawi
What to Know About Iran's Nuclear Program
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| Andrea Stricker,  Anthony Ruggiero
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Marco Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor
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Tsai Ing-wen
Former President of Taiwan
“Thank you for all of FDD’s work… it is so critical to our fight in the United States against terror and against those who seek to do us harm”  … “[FDD has always] held Iran accountable for their continued nuclear activity and for their continued terror activity….which is key to America’s national security and our fight globally against terror, against Iran and its proxies, and against Hezbollah and Hamas and Palestinian Jihad.”
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Jessica Lewis
Former Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State
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Iran's Former Foreign Minister
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former Acting and Deputy Director, Central Intelligence Agency
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Former President

Overnight Brief: May 18, 2026

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Israel,   Iran,   Russia and Ukraine,   Hezbollah ,   Iraq,   Lebanon,   Gulf States,   Middle East & North Africa,   Korean Peninsula,   China,   South Asia,   Asia,   Europe,   Africa,   The Americas,   North America,   United States,   Cybersecurity,   Defense

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