Follow us on social

google cta

Analysis | Reporting | Middle East

google cta

google cta

Earlier this month, Responsible Statecraft reported — based on recently obtained documents via a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit — that the hawkish DC think tank Foundation for the Defense of Democracies was at the center of an online harassment campaign funded by the State Department that targeted Americans, including journalists, and human rights advocates, because of their opposition to Donald Trump's Middle East policy. Quincy Institute Multimedia Producer Khody Akhavi breaks the story down:

Analysis | Reporting | Middle East

‘Water War’ rages as India-Pakistan tensions reach boiling point

Top image credit: A view of Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam), which is near the proposed site of the Shahpur Kandi Dam. (Shutterstock/mrinalpal)

A view of Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam), which is near the proposed site of the Shahpur Kandi Dam. (Shutterstock/mrinalpal)

‘Water War’ rages as India-Pakistan tensions reach boiling point

Last week, water became a focal point in the Iran war, as airstrikes hit desalination plants in Iran and Bahrain. Further east, a slower motion water war was playing out — one that is heightening tensions between two nuclear armed powers.

The Shahpur Kandi Dam project was first conceptualized in the late 1970s. In 1982, former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi laid its foundation stone and set a 1988 deadline for the project. But inter-state conflicts between Punjab, Jammu, and Kashmir stalled construction for decades.

keep readingShow less

Pete Hegseth

Top Image Credit: Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine hold briefing on the U.S. - Iran war 3/13/2026 CNBC Television [YouTube/Screenshot]

=

Hegseth lauds Iran campaign but ignores shrinking US stockpiles

At a Pentagon press conference Friday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cheered about how U.S. operations against Iran have blunted Tehran’s munitions capacities and ability to fight.

“Iran has no air defenses. Iran has no air force. Iran has no navy. Their missiles, their missile launchers and drones are being destroyed or shot out of the sky,” Hegseth said, telling reporters the United States and Israel have struck over 15,000 targets in Iran. “Their missile volume is down 90%. Their one-way attack drones yesterday [were] down 95%.”

keep readingShow less

google cta

Want more of our stories on Google?
Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

LATEST

QIOSK