Background: Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned, non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option. Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers. If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about. Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers: Following the conclusion of major combat operations in Operation Epic Fury, the international community faces a transformed and volatile strategic landscape. While the kinetic phase has transitioned to a fragile ceasefire, the secondary effects—specifically the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz and the shattering of long-standing diplomatic norms—continue to reverberate. With Brent Crude prices surging and global energy supply chains severed, the “Peace Through Strength” achieved on the battlefield has yet to translate into systemic stability. Furthermore, the shifting nature of U.S. alliances in Europe and the Middle East has left a vacuum in regional security architecture.

Below is a list of prompts that may inspire potential writers:

• Provide options for energy-importing nations to offset the loss of energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, considering both short-term emergency measures and long-term infrastructure shifts.
• Assess the feasibility of a new regional security framework for the Middle East. What actors, guarantees, and structures are required to maintain stability once the current hostilities are fully resolved?
• Assess the impacts of the United States shifting away from long-standing alliances in Europe due to policy disagreements. How does this realignment affect NATO’s collective defense and European energy resilience?
• Provide options for the U.S. and its partners to secure maritime “controlled corridors” in the Gulf without triggering a return to full-scale kinetic conflict.
• Assess the “Long Tail” of Operation Epic Fury on global markets. How can nations mitigate the risk of permanent deindustrialization resulting from prolonged energy price spikes?
• Provide options for reconciling divergent U.S. and Allied objectives in the post-war reconstruction of the Iranian defense and industrial base.
• Assess how the destruction of Iran’s conventional power projection changes the calculus for non-state actors and proxies across the “Axis of Resistance.”

Please limit your submission to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by June 15, 2026.