Author: Jordan Henry

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  CRANK Call | July 2025

  CRANK Call is a monthly review of developments involving cooperation, and at times contention, among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea (the CRANKs). July 2025 Highlights Russian Foreign Minister visits Pyongyang as North Korea readies more troops Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a three-day visit to North Korea beginning on July 12, before traveling

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  What Is “Energy Dominance”? And How Does America Get It?

  President Donald Trump has reordered U.S. energy policy in pursuit of “energy dominance.” In doing so, he has established a new National Energy Dominance Council in the White House, issued an extensive series of executive orders addressing almost all forms of energy as well as the U.S. electricity grid, and declared an energy emergency—a move

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  Center President Paul Saunders Discusses the Trump-Putin Alaska Summit on C-SPAN

  President Donald Trump announced Friday he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next week in Alaska, part of his ongoing push to broker a ceasefire in the grinding, three-year Ukraine war. On Saturday, August 9, Center president Paul Saunders told C-SPAN’s Washington Journal that expectations should be tempered. “My expectations are limited,” Saunders said, noting

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  Can Afghanistan Improve American and Regional Prosperity?

  The United States’ “America First” foreign policy under the Trump administration has emphasized security, strength, and economic prosperity. However, its approach to Afghanistan has remained narrowly focused on counterterrorism and the return of American detainees. This raises a critical question: Can Afghanistan contribute to regional stability and prosperity in a way that also aligns with

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  Gulf Arab Perspectives on Regional Security After the Israel-Iran War

  The Gulf Arab countries managed to avoid direct involvement in the recent conflict over Iran’s nuclear program—which pitted Iran against Israel and, briefly, the United States—but the situation in the region remains volatile. The war has significantly altered the strategic landscape, raising critical questions for the security interests of Gulf Arab states. With Israel increasingly

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