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  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfSecurity and Defense

    Israel’s Attack on Qatar and the Failure of GCC Defense Cooperation

    Oct 14, 2025Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    On September 9, 2025, Israel attacked Qatar in an act of international aggression that caused shockwaves in Doha, across the Gulf states, and around the world.…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqDemocracy and Governance

    Baghdad Between Tehran and Washington: The Struggle for a Sovereign State

    Oct 9, 2025Patricia Karam

    Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani is walking a delicate tightrope between asserting the country’s sovereignty and maintaining relations with Iran a…

  • Policy Analysis
    QatarThe War on Gaza

    Israel’s Attack on Qatar and the End of Diplomacy

    Sep 30, 2025Nabeel A. Khoury

    On September 9, 2025, Israel attacked a Hamas delegation in Doha, Qatar, as it was meeting to discuss the latest US-brokered ceasefire proposal to halt the war…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenDemocracy and Governance

    Fueling Instability: Hydrocarbons, Protests, and the Limits of Yemen’s Internationally Recognized Government

    Sep 12, 2025Nicholas Brumfield

    In late July 2025, large-scale protests against electricity outages, economic deterioration, and general mismanagement by Yemen’s Internationally Recognized Go…

  • Policy Analysis
    QatarThe War on Gaza

    Striking a US Ally: Israel’s Attack on Qatar and the Erosion of Regional Stability

    Sep 9, 2025Hanna Alshaikh Charles W. Dunne Khalil E. Jahshan Tamara Kharroub Yousef Munayyer Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    On the morning of September 9, 2025, 15 Israeli jets carried out an airstrike on residential buildings in Doha, Qatar. Israel claimed that the strike was a pre…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranDemocracy and Governance

    Political Divisions in Iran and the Uncertain Path to a New Nuclear Deal

    Sep 4, 2025Daniel Brumberg

    Some analysts have argued that the unprecedented Israeli and American June 2025 assault on Iran has created a “new regional order” in the Middle East. But what…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfEnergy and Economics

    OPEC Is Pushing Down Oil Prices Despite a Cash Crunch in Saudi Arabia. Here Is Why

    Aug 21, 2025Jim Krane

    Something odd is happening in oil markets. Demand is weaker than it has been in many years, yet OPEC+ is unwinding cuts and increasing production at a brisk pa…

  • From our Affiliates
    Saudi ArabiaThe War on Gaza

    Saudi Arabia’s Response to Israel’s New Security Doctrine in the Levant

    Aug 14, 2025The Unit for Political Studies

    In July 2025, Saudi Arabia and France jointly convened a high-profile diplomatic conference in New York dedicated to reviving momentum for a negotiated two-sta…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Saudi Arabia and the New Syria: Constructive Pragmatism?

    Aug 7, 2025Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    A large Saudi business delegation traveled to Syria on July 23-25, 2025, and participated in an inaugural Syrian-Saudi Investment Forum at the presidential pal…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Palestine and the Middle East After the Iran-Israel war

    Jul 15, 2025Rami G. Khouri

    The Middle East in recent months has witnessed multiple military and ideological confrontations. Historic changes in regional power balances signal new strateg…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Israel-Iran Confrontation Tests Saudi Arabia’s Quest for Neutrality

    Jul 2, 2025The Unit for Political Studies

    Overnight on June 21-22, American military aircraft launched strikes on three nuclear facilities inside Iran, most notably the fortified Fordow plant. To reach…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The GCC States and the US-Iran Dance Near the Abyss

    Jul 2, 2025Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    Years of shadowboxing and increasingly direct skirmishing between Israel and Iran erupted into 12 days of conflict that began in the early hours of June 13 and…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Pragmatism Shapes Iraq’s Position Toward Post-Assad Syria

    Jul 1, 2025Giorgio Cafiero

    Sharing a 375-mile border with Syria, Iraq has high stakes in its neighbor’s successful transition following the December 2024 fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    Perspectives on the US Attack on Iran and Its Repercussions 

    Jun 23, 2025Charles W. Dunne Imad K. Harb Khalil E. Jahshan Tamara Kharroub Assal Rad Annelle Sheline Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    After waiting for a week following Israel’s June 13 attack on Iran, US President Donald Trump decided to involve the United States directly in the Israeli-Iran…

  • Viewpoint
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    President Trump’s Iran War

    Jun 20, 2025Yousef Munayyer

    As the smoke rises above Iran and Israel after waves of Israeli airstrikes and Iranian retaliation, only one thing is immediately clear: President Donald Trump…

  • Viewpoint
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    Political Divisions Over Israel’s Iran Attack Highlight Tough Choices for Trump

    Jun 19, 2025Charles W. Dunne

    Israel’s attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and an ever-expanding list of targets has exposed fundamental disagreements among Americans over support for Isr…

  • Viewpoint
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    Israel’s Iran Assault Has Created a Crisis for Which Trump Is Not Prepared

    Jun 16, 2025Daniel Brumberg

    Over the last 18 months, Iran quadrupled its stock of 60 percent enriched uranium. Yet however “successful,” this effort was fraught with danger for the Islami…

  • Viewpoint
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    The 2025 Israel-Iran War: The American Dimension

    Jun 16, 2025Khalil E. Jahshan

    For the past three decades as a political figure, Benjamin Netanyahu has been obsessed with Iran’s perceived existential threat to Israel, particularly its eme…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Yemen’s Houthi Movement Reconsidered

    Jun 12, 2025Nabeel A. Khoury

    In January 2019, this author posed the question, “can one make peace with the Houthis of Yemen?” In the six years since, the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy

    Will Trump’s Gulf Trip Exacerbate or Mitigate the Arab World’s Three Plagues?

    May 22, 2025Rami G. Khouri

    The lasting effects of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf region may only become clear in the year ahead, making any suggestions of profound changes…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy

    Deals Without Guarantees: Trump’s Gulf Visit and the Future of US–Saudi Relations

    May 22, 2025The Unit for Political Studies

    On May 13, US President Donald Trump began a four-day tour of Gulf countries, during which he traveled to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UA…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenUS Foreign Policy

    Implications of the US-Houthi Ceasefire Deal

    May 21, 2025Gregory Aftandilian

    President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement on May 6 of a ceasefire deal with Yemen’s Houthis—in which the militant group pledged not to target American shi…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy

    President Trump’s Gulf Trip: Post-Visit Observations

    May 20, 2025Charles W. Dunne Dana El Kurd Imad K. Harb Khalil E. Jahshan Assal Rad Annelle Sheline

    Last week President Donald Trump ended a three-country trip to the Arabian Gulf—Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—where he signed lucrative arm…

  • Viewpoint
    Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy

    President Trump Does Business in Saudi Arabia

    May 13, 2025Imad K. Harb

    In front of a packed hall hosting an investment forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump spoke of an ironclad American-Saudi relationship that …

  • Viewpoint
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy

    Why the Gulf States Might Be the Most MAGA US Partners

    May 13, 2025Andreas Krieg

    The iconic red MAGA hat has arrived in the Gulf. It is quite telling that the cap—so often mocked in liberal circles in Europe and the United States—appears to…

  • Viewpoint
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    Already Focused on Iran, Congress Looks at a New Phase in US-Iran Relations

    May 9, 2025Ethan Mayer-Rich

    Lawmakers returned to Washington after a short break away from the Capitol. Their two-week recess coincided with major developments in the Middle East. The Uni…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    Changing GCC Outlook Toward US-Iran Talks

    May 7, 2025Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    Leaders of the six GCC states have worked assiduously since 2021 to repair and rebuild ties with Iran as part of a ‘de-risking’ strategy designed to take the s…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy

    US Policy and Gulf Arab Interests: More Clash, Less Harmony

    May 6, 2025Jim Krane

    Gulf sovereign wealth funds are grappling with zig-zagging share valuations, while the falling oil price—compounded by a falling dollar—is throttling capital f…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy

    Trump’s Upcoming Trip to Saudi Arabia Amid Regional Uncertainties

    Apr 25, 2025Gregory Aftandilian

    President Donald Trump plans to make Saudi Arabia the first country he will visit during his second term in office—after his visit to the Vatican to take part …

  • Policy Analysis
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    Trump Might Go for a Nuclear Deal Without a Larger Middle East Strategy

    Apr 22, 2025Daniel Brumberg

    Over the last week, Iran hardliners in Washington have issued dire warnings about the Trump administration’s launching of nuclear talks with Iran. Iranian lead…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Saudi Arabia’s Calculated Re-engagement in Syria and Lebanon

    Apr 8, 2025Unit for Political Studies

    On March 28, the Syrian and Lebanese defense ministers signed an agreement in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, affirming the importance of demarcating borders between the…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    Trump’s Impulse-Driven Middle East Policy Creates Dangers and Opportunities

    Mar 27, 2025Daniel Brumberg

    A recent report by a pro-Israel think tank in Washington cautions against making any deal with Iran that does not provide for the total dismantlement of Tehran…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    A Decade after the Saudi Military Intervention in Yemen: An Assessment

    Mar 25, 2025Afrah Nasser

    Exactly a decade ago, Saudi Arabia announced the launch of a military intervention in Yemen, promising to lead a coalition of more than 10 nations—although som…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqEnergy and Economics

    Geopolitical Dynamics Surrounding Iraq’s Ambitious Development Road Project

    Mar 5, 2025Giorgio Cafiero

    Leveraging its geography and resources to serve as an economic bridge between Asia and Europe is not a new concept for Iraq. In the 1980s, the country promoted…

  • Viewpoint
    Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Recent Arab Moves Deserve Bold Follow-Up

    Feb 21, 2025Rami G. Khouri

    Four key political actors in the Middle East have recently made surprising moves that offered hints of how Arab states and non-state actors can collectively en…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy

    Normalization and Displacement: Saudi Arabia and Trump’s Gaza Proposal

    Feb 20, 2025The Unit for Political Studies

    Saudi Arabia is deeply concerned about the risks that Trump’s Gaza project poses to Egypt and Jordan and are uneasy about repeated American and Israeli stateme…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy

    Trump II and American-Gulf Relations

    Feb 11, 2025Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    Donald Trump re-entered the White House on January 20 as the first president to serve a non-consecutive second term since Grover Cleveland in 1893. Any expecta…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arab World

    How Will 2025 Be Different in the Middle East? Perspectives on the New Year

    Jan 15, 2025Khalil E. Jahshan Daniel Brumberg Dana El Kurd Imad K. Harb Patricia Karam Nabeel A. Khoury Yousef Munayyer Annelle Sheline

    The monumental events that took place in the Middle East in 2024 augur radical changes in the region’s geopolitical environment. Israel’s ongoing genocidal war…

  • Policy Analysis
    OmanRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Syrian Regime Change: The View from Oman

    Jan 9, 2025Giorgio Cafiero

    The abrupt end of 61 years of Baathist rule in Syria on December 8 caught the Gulf states by surprise. Both governments and citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Co…

  • Viewpoint
    SyriaDemocracy and Governance

    Will Assad’s Fall Give Iran’s Reformists a New Lease on Life?

    Dec 11, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    For Iran, the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and what was left of his regime—together with Moscow’s decision to throw its leading Middle East ally to the wind…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenUS Foreign Policy

    Recalibrating US Engagement in Yemen Under a New Trump Administration

    Dec 11, 2024Afrah Nasser

    The military escalation between the United States and the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen has significant implications for Yemen’s future. As the Houthis …

  • Policy Analysis
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    Trump and Company Return to the Folly of “Maximum Pressure” on Iran

    Dec 5, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    When it comes to US Iran policy, simple yet profound realities merit repeating. One of these is that economic sanctions are a tactic, not a strategy. Indeed, u…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfEnergy and Economics

    Trump Is Back: What Does It Mean for Oil and US-Gulf Relations?

    Nov 27, 2024Jim Krane

    President-elect Donald Trump has made clear his fondness for fossil fuels, a fondness that was reciprocated by many in the industry. Expectations are high. But…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Security Dimensions of the Saudi-Iranian Détente

    Nov 21, 2024Giorgio Cafiero

    The Saudi-Iranian renormalization deal, signed in Beijing on March 10, 2023, has led to a significant reduction in friction between Riyadh and Tehran. Even as …

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy

    Saudi Arabia and Trump: Expectations and Challenges Ahead

    Nov 14, 2024The Unit for Political Studies

    On November 5, former President Donald Trump successfully reclaimed the White House, achieving a decisive victory over his Democratic opponent, Vice President …

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    GCC States Seek Diplomacy During US Absence

    Nov 12, 2024Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    The expansion and partial regionalization of what is already the longest and deadliest conflict in the Israeli-Palestinian arena since 1948 presents the Gulf A…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arab WorldUS Foreign Policy

    A Second Trump Administration: Potential Policy Toward the Middle East

    Nov 5, 2024Charles W. Dunne

    The November 5 presidential election is likely to have major implications for US foreign policy, as it pits a centrist and robust internationalist candidate (V…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    One Year After October 7: Israel Descends into Endless War

    Oct 11, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    Among the many moments described in the Washington Post’s recent article on the Biden administration’s failed efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, one stands…

  • From our Affiliates
    LebanonConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    GCC Responses to Israeli Aggression on Lebanon: Strategic Concerns and Regional Implications

    Oct 9, 2024The Unit for Political Studies

    The positions of the GCC countries toward Israel's war on Lebanon are appear divided. All share a deep concern about escalation and its potential impact on the…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    A Decade On, Assessing Shared Responsibility for Yemen’s Tragedy

    Oct 3, 2024Afrah Nasser

    On September 21, 2014, Yemen’s capital Sanaa awoke to an unexpected turn of events that would reshape the country’s destiny. The Houthi armed group, officially…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenUS Foreign Policy

    Assessing GCC Perspectives on American-British Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

    Sep 11, 2024Giorgio Cafiero

    Since last November, Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, has been attacking commercial and merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden and th…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenClimate and Environment

    Climate Change: A New Battlefield in Yemen’s Ongoing Conflict

    Sep 6, 2024Afrah Nasser

    Like the rest of the world, Yemen is facing the profound effects of climate change on sectors from agriculture and health to the broader economy and natural re…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranDemocracy and Governance

    Iran’s New President and Foreign Minister Stand on the Edge of a Precipice

    Aug 30, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    Commenting on Hezbollah’s retaliation to Israel’s August 25 pre-emptive strike on its positions, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani asserted tha…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqViolent Extremism

    The Islamic State Is Trying to Rebound

    Aug 29, 2024Gregory Aftandilian

    Taking advantage of the world’s attention to the Israel-Hamas and Israel-Hezbollah conflicts, the so-called Islamic State (IS) is trying to reconstitute itself…

  • From our Affiliates
    YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    A Fragile but Enduring Truce in Yemen 

    Aug 27, 2024Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies

    On April 1, 2022, the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, announced a two-month truce between the country’s warring parties. This truce was extended twi…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranDemocracy and Governance

    Iran’s New President Must Navigate Dangerous Waters

    Aug 1, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    For the third time in the young history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a political leader identified with the “Reformist” camp has won the presidency. Masoud…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Israel Has Opted for War on All Fronts

    Jul 31, 2024Khalil E. Jahshan Tamara Kharroub Imad K. Harb Yousef Munayyer Hanna Alshaikh

    Israel's assassination of Hamas’s Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah military leader Fuad Shukr is an unwarranted escalation that could lead t…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arab WorldUS Domestic Politics and Elections

    Middle East Leaders Prefer Trump’s Victory

    Jul 24, 2024Gregory Aftandilian

    Donald J. Trump’s candidacy seems to draw more interest and support from the Middle East than from other areas of the world, particularly from among the ruling…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy

    Difficulties Facing a US-Saudi Security Agreement

    Jun 25, 2024Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    The search for a US-brokered Saudi-Israeli deal to normalize relations has assumed outsized significance in the administration’s approach to the Middle East.

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfEnergy and Economics

    Exploring the Options: Arab Oil Exporters and the US Dollar

    Jun 21, 2024Jim Krane

    The pricing of oil in US dollars is one of the perks the United States enjoys due to its status as the world’s largest economy and to the dollar’s role as the …

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfClimate and Environment

    Bracing for the Sandstorm: The Gulf Energy Transition Imperative

    Jun 6, 2024Karim Elgendy

    Before the 2008-2009 financial crisis, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)…

  • Policy Analysis
    KuwaitDemocracy and Governance

    The Supremacy of Executive Power in Kuwait

    Jun 4, 2024Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    Two decades of political turbulence in Kuwait came to a head on the evening of May 10 when Emir Mishal al-Ahmad Al-Sabah announced he was suspending the Nation…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranDemocracy and Governance

    Will Ebrahim Raisi’s Death Help Ultra-Hardliners ‘Make Iran Great Again’?

    May 31, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    The May 19 deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a fiery helicopter crash has created a challenge that Iran’s lead…

  • Policy Analysis
    UAERegional Relations and Geopolitics

    UAE Restricts US Military Strikes from Its Territory

    May 22, 2024Gregory Aftandilian

    Fearing an attack by Iran or its allied militias in the region, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has restricted US military aircraft from targeting these proxy g…

  • From our Affiliates
    Saudi ArabiaConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Determinants of Saudi Arabia’s Response to the Gaza War

    May 22, 2024Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies

    Following Hamas’s “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7, Saudi Arabia publicly criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza and blamed it for escalating tensions, desp…

  • Viewpoint
    IranDemocracy and Governance

    Raisi Departs, But Iran Remains Khamenei’s Realm

    May 20, 2024Imad K. Harb

    Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s death comes at a particularly precarious time for the Islamic Republic. While important, considering the monumental news, Sup…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy

    The Gaza Crisis Pushes Washington and Riyadh Closer

    May 15, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    Hamas’s May 6 acceptance of a hostage deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar was surely designed to induce the White House to pressure Israel to produce a counteroff…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Divergent Saudi-Emirati Agendas Cripple Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council

    May 15, 2024Afrah Nasser

    Two years into its existence, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) still has not effectively addressed critical problems facing the country: a dire ec…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy

    Iraq’s Sudani Runs the Risks of Sustained Relations with the United States

    May 7, 2024Rend Al-Rahim

    On his recent visit to the United States, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia` al-Sudani proposed a bold new relationship with America, basing it on the joint S…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy

    Saudi-Israeli Normalization Persists Amid Gaza War

    May 3, 2024The Unit for Political Studies

    Before “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the Biden administration was attempting to conclude a diplomatic groundbreaking deal in…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Gulf Arab States Avoid Iran-Israel Tensions

    Apr 25, 2024Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    Years of shadow conflict between Israel and Iran, which included targeted assassinations as well as cyberattacks, gave way in April to direct confrontation and…

  • Viewpoint
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    A Failed Iranian Performance and Its Repercussions

    Apr 15, 2024Imad K. Harb

    Rare are the occasions when a purportedly capable country’s determined military response to attack turns out to be a mere theatrical performance. Such was the …

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenEnergy and Economics

    Houthi Red Sea Attacks Have Global Economic Repercussions

    Apr 5, 2024Jim Krane

    The Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping present a new phenomenon in geo-economic conflict: a non-state actor using asymmetric warfare not just to fight conventi…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Saudi Arabia May Be Taking Center Stage in Post-Gaza Peace

    Feb 28, 2024Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    With Israel’s war on Gaza in its fifth month amid ongoing international pressure for a ceasefire, Saudi Arabia has become the focus of much attention over what…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenUS Foreign Policy

    Instead of Houthi Designation, the United States Should Embrace a Comprehensive Approach

    Feb 28, 2024Afrah Nasser

    On January 17, the United States designated the Houthis in Yemen, also known as Ansar Allah, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in response to t…

  • Policy Analysis
    UAERegional Relations and Geopolitics

    The UAE and the Red Sea Security Crisis

    Feb 27, 2024Giorgio Cafiero

    Despite the Israeli war on Gaza killing nearly 30,000 Palestinians, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has clung to the Abraham Accords, which it signed with Israe…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantUS Foreign Policy

    US Troops to Stay in Syria and Iraq but Perhaps Not for Long

    Feb 22, 2024Gregory Aftandilian

    In recent weeks, there have been meetings in Washington and in Baghdad about the presence in Iraq and Syria of US troops, whose official mandate is to aid loca…

  • Policy Analysis
    TurkeyRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Turkish-Gulf Relations in the Context of Regional Reconciliation

    Feb 14, 2024Salim Çevik

    Since 2021, Turkey has been resetting its policies in the Middle East and has started to reconcile with its rivals in the previous decade—Egypt, Israel, Saudi …

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqSecurity and Defense

    Iraq’s Illusory Sovereignty: Domestic and Foreign Culprits

    Feb 7, 2024Rend Al-Rahim

    The abridgement of Iraqi state sovereignty began at least with the Gulf War of 1991, when Iraq’s Kurds received international protection, the United States and…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenUS Foreign Policy

    From Gaza to Yemen and Back: The Biden Administration’s Confused Strategy

    Feb 1, 2024Nabeel A. Khoury

    On January 17, the Biden administration announced it was adding Yemen’s Houthis (also called Ansar Allah) to the US terrorist list. The move returned the rebel…

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