From global think tanks
The analyses published here do not necessarily reflect the strategic thinking of The Global Eye
Today’s about: Democratic Republic of the Congo; Gaza; Israel-Iran; Russia’s War of Aggression on Ukraine (and beyond); UN Ocean Summit
Democratic Republic of the Congo
(UN News) As diplomatic efforts continue to end fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN development agency (UNDP) issued an appeal on Friday on behalf of people uprooted by the violence to help them rebuild their lives and livelihoods. Since the beginning of the year, Rwanda-backed M23 fighters have swept across eastern DRC, taking key cities including Goma and Bukavu. The violence has displaced more than one million people in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Speaking from the village of Sake in North Kivu, UNDP Resident Representative Damien Mama described meeting a woman whose house had been destroyed after she fled the advancing fighters in January. – DR Congo crisis: Aid teams appeal for support to help displaced communities left with nothing | UN News
Gaza
(UN News) UN agencies on Friday continue to stress they must be allowed to deliver aid in the Gaza Strip as famine looms and a telecommunications blackout threatens lifesaving operations. The humanitarian network is currently at a standstill because the internet shut down earlier this week after the last fibre cable route serving central and southern areas was cut during heavy fighting. “As the outage continues, partners are unable to communicate or coordinate response activities, and people in need remain isolated and without the information they need to access life-saving support and emergency services,” UN aid coordination office OCHA said in an update. – Humanitarians must be able to deliver aid in Gaza, UN agencies insist | UN News
Israel – Iran
(Matthew Levitt, Michael Eisenstadt, Patrick Clawson, Dana Stroul, Holly Dagres, David Schenker – Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Last night, Israel launched the opening round of what is likely to be a phased, multiday campaign against Iran, with the tacit—if not active—support of the Trump administration. As the operation and its ripple effects unfold, six Washington Institute fellows offer expert takes on the most urgent policy and security implications for the United States and its partners. – Israel Strikes Iran: Initial Assessments from Washington Institute Experts | The Washington Institute
(Middle East Institute) As the situation evolves following Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, the Middle East Institute will host a follow-up on-the-record public briefing at 2:00 PM ET. This expert panel will examine the broader strategic context, including US policy options, implications for regional stability, and potential responses from key actors. – Press Briefing: Assessing Israel’s Strike on Iran and What Comes Next | Middle East Institute
(Middle East Institute) On the night of June 12-13, the Israeli military launched a heavy barrage against Iranian targets associated with its nuclear program as well as killed several top military and security officials. MEI’s experts react to the Israeli strikes and the consequences for the wider region. – Special Briefing: Israel strikes Iran’s nuclear program | Middle East Institute
(Mona Yacoubian – CSIS) On June 13, Israel launched widespread strikes against Iran. They hit military bases, nuclear sites, and residential buildings, assassinating senior Iranian officials and scientists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks would continue for “as many days as it takes to remove the threat” Iran poses to Israel. The attacks came days before U.S. and Iranian negotiators planned to meet for a sixth round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program. U.S. officials denied playing any role in the strikes, and President Trump urged Iran to “make a deal,” warning that more attacks would be “even more brutal.” – Middle East on Edge After Israeli Strikes Derail Nuclear Talks
(Benjamin Jensen – CSIS) Just after midnight on June 13, 2025, an Israeli operation codenamed Rising Lion unfolded in two distinct but mutually reinforcing acts. First came swarms of small explosive drones that Israeli commandos had reportedly pre-positioned inside Iran months earlier, striking air-defense radars and communications nodes, while decoying attention toward Tehran’s western approaches. Minutes later, over 200 Israeli fighter aircraft—many of them F-35 Adirs carrying standoff munitions—conducted precision strikes against more than 100 nuclear and military targets across Iran, including senior military leaders. – Ungentlemanly Robots: Israel’s Operation Rising Lion and the New Way of War
(Daniel Byman – CSIS) In a wave of attacks, the Israeli military struck the Natanz nuclear facility, military bases, and other targets in Iran, and also assassinated Iran’s three top military leaders among many other senior military officials and several nuclear scientists. Israel’s military strikes are likely to set back Iran’s nuclear program, but parts of the program will remain intact to varying degrees, and Iran will seek to retaliate. The resulting mess might lead the United States to become involved, despite the Trump administration’s desire to avoid attacking Iran. – What to Know About the Israeli Strike on Iran
(Heather Williams, Doreen Horschig, and Bailey Schiff – CSIS) On June 13, Israel launched an unprecedented attack on Iran’s nuclear and military targets. The attacks are ongoing, but explosions have been reported across the country, including in Tehran, Natanz, Tabriz, and Karmanshah. The attacks killed key Iranian nuclear scientists, military leaders, and representatives overseeing U.S. nuclear talks, including Mohammad Bagheri, Gholamali Rashid, Hossein Salami, and Ali Shamkhani. While Israel has a history of counterproliferation strikes on adversaries’ nuclear facilities, this attack is unique in its scope and timing. What the recent attack means for Iran’s nuclear program and nuclear risks in the region will depend on three main factors: (1) the success of the Israeli strikes and continued campaign in eliminating key components of Iran’s nuclear program; (2) the international response, including from Moscow and Beijing, who may take the position that the strikes undermine prospects for a diplomatic solution; and (3) geopolitics and stability in the region, which will influence whether or not Tehran perceives a need for a nuclear weapons program in the future. – What Do the Israeli Strikes Mean for Iran’s Nuclear Program?
(Michael Froman – CFR) It’s too soon to tell how exactly the current wave of Israeli strikes could transform the region, but one thing is clear: Israel’s actions have fundamentally reshaped the security landscape of the Middle East. – Israel and Iran: An Early Read | Council on Foreign Relations
(William F. Wechsler – Atlantic Council) There is much we still don’t know about Israel’s strikes on Iran, including exactly what triggered Israel’s action at this particular time, the full scope of their target list so far, their effectiveness against those targets, Israel’s current plans for future phases of this campaign, and its decision matrix for further campaign expansions and escalations. We will all learn these answers soon enough. In the meantime, we shouldn’t lose sight of what we already do know—or at least what we already can surmise with high confidence. – Unknowns, knowns, and early predictions about Israel’s strikes against Iran – Atlantic Council
(UN News) Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities mark a dangerous new escalation in the Middle East, a top UN official told the Security Council during an emergency session convened on Friday. The Council cleared its original schedule to address the rapidly evolving crisis, also hearing from the head of the UN-backed international nuclear watchdog, who warned of the grave risks to regional stability and nuclear safety. Overnight from Thursday into Friday, Israeli military strikes targeted nuclear facilities across Iran, including the Natanz enrichment site. Media reports indicate that Hossein Salami, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as several prominent nuclear scientists, were among those killed. The strikes also caused significant damage, including reportedly dozens of civilian casualties. Airspace in the region has been largely closed and security forces are on high alert. Additional Israeli strikes were reported late Friday local time as well as ballistic missile launches by Iran which have reportedly struck parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv. – Security Council meets in emergency session over Iran-Israel conflict, amid strikes and counterstrikes | UN News
Russia’s War of Aggression on Ukraine (and beyond)
(John E. Herbst – Atlantic Council) It’s not always the weeks with the most activity that reveal the most. After several consecutive weeks of news-making developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine, this past week seemed quieter. Yet upon closer inspection, it did feature some public musings by US President Donald Trump that sadly suggest a certain unwillingness to confront a painful reality. It also saw the administration decide to redirect a shipment of thousands of counter-drone missiles that were originally intended for Ukraine. Taken together, these rhetorical and policy choices only encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to continue his war of conquest and make it harder for Trump to reach his stated goal of establishing a durable peace in Ukraine. – Trump promised peace through strength. When will he use US strength to bring peace to Ukraine? – Atlantic Council
UN Ocean Summit
(UN News) Ships in the port of Nice sounded their fog-horns on Friday, a brassy crescendo to a rare moment of global unity as the Third UN Ocean Conference drew to a close. Moments earlier, more than 170 countries had adopted by consensus a sweeping political declaration promising urgent action to protect the ocean. “We close this historic week not just with hope, but with concrete commitment, clear direction, and undeniable momentum,” Li Junhua, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the summit, told reporters. Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, the five-day event brought 15,000 participants, including more than 60 Heads of State and Government, to France’s Mediterranean coast. With over 450 side events and nearly 100,000 visitors, the gathering, dubbed UNOC3, built on the momentum of previous ocean summits in New York (2017) and Lisbon (2022). It culminated in a shared call to expand marine protection, curb pollution, regulate the high seas, and unlock financing for vulnerable coastal and island nations. – UN ocean summit in Nice closes with wave of commitments | UN News
