Matthew RJ Brodsky is a senior fellow at the Security Studies Group in Washington, D.C. He can be followed on Twitter at @RJBrodsky.
The foiled terrorist plot takes place amidst a backdrop of growing discontent within Iran. For more than six months, Iranians have been protesting and in some cases, striking.
Withdrawing from the council and defunding its activities makes the point that the United States will not be held hostage by the lowest common denominator at the United Nations.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is at its core a clash of unbridgeable historical narratives, not just a dispute over land, territory, and security.
The stern response today is a consequence of Qatar not only breaking its 2013 commitments but of stepping well beyond them.
Not only does Qatar have dirty hands, they’re simultaneously sticking them in all regional pies. It was only a matter of time before their neighbors caught on.