Mark N. Katz

My thoughts on how US intervention against Iran is one more example of how American focus on a smaller adversary can benefit America's larger ones: www.kyivpost.com/opinion/71013

Ayatollah FALLS: Putin’s WORST Iran Nightmare YouTube video by Smart Power Briefing

I spoke with my former student, Jason Jay Smart, on his new YouTube channel about the implications of the U.S.-Iran conflict for Russia's influence in the Middle East: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lWP...

Come what may in Iran, Russia will adapt to preserve influence Russia likely views Iran’s mass anti-regime protests with deep unease, but may ultimately adapt just as it did in Syria to preserve influence whether the Islamic Republic survives or a new political o...

My latest article for Iran International:
www.iranintl.com/en/202601222...

How to lose friends and alienate allies: Russia’s foreign policy losing streak Experts discuss Russia's partnerships in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, and how US policy should adjust as those relationships shift.

Looking forward to participating in this Atlantic Council Eurasia Program discussion on Thursday, January 15:
www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/how-to...

This is great news!

My thoughts for @kyivpost.com on why the new government in Damascus has allowed Russia to keep its bases in Syria:
www.kyivpost.com/opinion/63284

Zarif is right, Moscow wants Tehran locked in confrontation While relations between Moscow and Tehran have generally been good, ties between former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the seemingly perpetual Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov...

My thoughts on former Iranian foreign minister Zarif's view that Russia does not want Iran to have normal relations with the rest of the world:

www.iranintl.com/en/202510177...

Trump sanctions won’t stop Putin unless militarily action is used | Mark N. Katz YouTube video by Times Radio

I spoke with Stewart Willy of Times (of London) Radio about how Trump's sanctions are unlikely to induce Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine:
youtu.be/SG7Ez07WO4U?...

If Putin Were Smart, He Would Accept Trump’s Ceasefire Deal Putin could strategically benefit from ending the Ukraine war by shifting US focus toward China, reducing dependence on Beijing, and regaining leverage—but he is too proud to do it.

My latest article for The National Interest:
nationalinterest.org/feature/if-p...

When will Russia and China turn on each other? Alliances, distrust, mistakes, scenarios? – Mark Katz YouTube video by NEMYRIALIVE

Long interview with Kyiv-based journalist Liudmila Nemirya, whose work I admire greatly: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTqq...

Honored that my 2005 article, "Iran and America: Is Rapprochement Finally Possible?" was included in the just published special issue of Middle East Policy, published by @mideastpolicy.bsky.social, on the Israel-Iran War.

My reflections on what Putin did not do to forestall the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities: www.kyivpost.com/opinion/55053

Why Russia Is Still a Little Skeptical About BRICS Expansion While Putin sees BRICS expansion as a tool to counter Western influence, internal disagreements and differing group goals limit its effectiveness as a unified anti-Western alliance.

I argue in The National Interest that, "As more Global South governments that cooperate with the West join BRICS, it will be harder for Russia to orchestrate an anti-Western consensus within an expanded BRICS."
nationalinterest.org/feature/why-...

Dr Mark N. Katz – Russia, the Middle East and the US: Shifting Regional Politics and a Changing Global Order Dr Mark N.

Dr Mark N. Katz – Russia, the Middle East and the US: Shifting Regional Politics and a Changing Global Order
open.substack.com/pub/duforumo...

Can the Trump Phenomenon Be Considered Revolutionary? While Trump has succeeded in uniting disparate groups with differing interests, it is not clear whether anyone else can do so.

In this article, I discuss how various theories of revolution as well as analogies with previous revolutions can provide suggestive, even if not definitive, answers about whether and to what extent the Trump phenomenon can be considered a revolution.

www.e-ir.info/2025/06/08/c...

Pleased to have contributed a paper on "Russia, the Black Sea, and the Middle East" to the Transatlantic Leadership Network project on "Russian Intentions and Actions in the Black Sea":
www.transatlantic.org/wp-content/u...

Quoted in the Kyiv Post by Jason Jay Smart in an article comparing Cold War Kremlinology with present day Putinology: www.kyivpost.com/analysis/52380

My latest for the Kyiv Post:
www.kyivpost.com/opinion/50648

My latest op-ed for The Hill:
thehill.com/opinion/5176...

My thoughts on the dangers of making an agreement about Ukraine without Ukraine:

www.kyivpost.com/opinion/47276

My thoughts on what Putin said about Syria during his December 19 press conference:

www.kyivpost.com/opinion/44314

Will Russia be able to keep its bases in Syria? It would be in the United States’ and Israel’s interests not to give the new Syrian government reasons to let Russia keep those bases.

My latest for the Atlantic Council:
www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menaso...

Not So Bad After All: How US Foreign Policy Could Navigate a Multipolar World Containing rivals via buck-passing may be less costly for the U.S. than continuing to respond to each and every threat as if in a unipolar world.

Not So Bad After All: How US Foreign Policy Could Navigate a Multipolar World www.e-ir.info/2024/12/15/n...

Experts react: Rebels have toppled the Assad regime. What’s next for Syria, the Middle East, and the world? Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has been ousted as opposition forces quickly took Damascus. Atlantic Council experts share their insights.

Pleased that my comments were included in an Atlantic Council "Experts React" roundup on the implications of the fall of Assad: www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...

My thoughts on what's at stake for Putin in Syria for the Kyiv Post: www.kyivpost.com/opinion/43408

Query: Since "Türkiye" has replaced "Turkey" as the correct spelling for the country, does this mean that "Türkiyish" should now be used as an adjective instead of "Turkish"? That would seem to be consistent in terms of spelling.

ATACMS Missiles and Ukraine: What Will Donald Trump Do? After many months of Ukrainian leader Zelensky asking, President Biden finally allowed Kyiv to fire U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles into Russian territory. What will Donald Tr...

My latest article for The National Interest: nationalinterest.org/feature/atac...

Supporting Ukraine against Russia is not a distraction from China Since China and Russia are so closely aligned, thwarting Russian ambitions in Ukraine and elsewhere is a crucial element of the U.S. effort to contain China.

My latest commentary for The Hill:
thehill.com/opinion/nati...

Trump Is Not the Only Problem: Implications of Declining Supply of and Demand for American Security Assistance In the geopolitical realm, American power and influence in various countries has usually depended on the convergence of two factors: 1) the demand on the part of other countries for American securi…

My first post on Bluesky is something I published today in my long neglected blog on American foreign policy:
marknkatz.wordpress.com/2024/11/14/t...