- Show all
- Arab Americans/ Muslim Americans
- Climate and Environment
- Conflicts and Conflict Resolution
- Democracy and Governance
- Diplomacy and Negotiations
- Economic Affairs
- Education and Development
- Energy and Economics
- Global Health and Health Policy
- Identity Politics and Sectarianization
- Infographics and Fact Sheets
- International Law
- International Law and International Bodies
- Israeli War Tactics and Genocide
- Justice, Equality, and Human Rights
- Media and Technology
- Migrants, Refugees, and IDPs
- Protests and Activism
- Public Opinion
- Public Opinion, Protest, and Debate
- Regional Implications and Geopolitics
- Regional Relations and Geopolitics
- Religion and Politics
- Security and Defense
- The GCC
- The War in Ukraine
- The War on Gaza
- Top 10 Readings on the Gaza War
- Topic-Test
- US Domestic Politics and Elections
- US Foreign Policy
- US Policy
- Violent Extremism
- Women & Gender Issues
- Policy Analysis
IranRegional Relations and GeopoliticsUkraine’s Geostrategic Tremors Reach into the Middle East
Jan 13, 2022Daniel BrumbergDaniel Brumberg disentangles the complications arising from the current tensions between Ukraine and Russia and their impact on US-Russian relations as well as…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaDemocracy and GovernanceLibya: Political Paralysis and Continued Uncertainty
Jan 11, 2022Gregory AftandilianGregory Aftandilian writes that the postponement of Libya’s presidential and parliamentary elections has helped plunge the country into another crisis that thr…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonEnergy and EconomicsThe Need for an International Development Fund for Lebanon
Jan 6, 2022Nabeel A. KhouryThe International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB), European Union (EU), France, and the United States are all trying to help Lebanon out of the economic a…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyBiden and the Israeli Settlement Elephant in the Room
Jan 5, 2022Yousef MunayyerOne of Barack Obama’s first acts as president was to create the position of envoy for “Middle East peace.” George Mitchell, whom the president named for this p…
- Viewpoint
SudanDemocracy and GovernanceSudan’s Revolution Must Be Allowed to Continue
Jan 4, 2022Imad K. HarbIn a move that reflected his failure to garner the support of the Sudanese public, Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok submitted his resignation on January 2…
- Policy Analysis
Media and TechnologyBetween Conflicts, Politics, and COVID-19: Challenges for Arab Journalists
Dec 30, 2021Sahar KhamisThe number of imprisoned journalists worldwide reached a record high in 2021. As one of the more dangerous regions, the Arab world poses abundant threats for…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceCan Tunisia’s Leaders Forge a New Democratic Bargain?
Dec 29, 2021Daniel BrumbergNothing captures Tunisia’s crisis of democracy better than this act: the sentencing, in absentia, of former President Moncef Marzouki to four years in prison. …
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyUS-Palestinian Economic Talks Serve Israeli Interests
Dec 29, 2021Jonathan KuttabThe recent resumption of discussions about economic ties between the US government and the Palestinian Authority (PA) after a five-year hiatus must be understo…
- Policy Analysis
IraqDemocracy and GovernanceIraq’s Post-Election Government Formation: Political Deadlock
Dec 28, 2021Zeidon AlkinaniMajor changes to the Iraqi political scene are awaiting the formation of a new government following the results of the early parliamentary election that took p…
- Policy Analysis
Education and DevelopmentWhat Future Exists for the Arab Youth of Today?
Dec 22, 2021Yara M. AsiIn December 2021, an unprecedented event happened in Saudi Arabia: a rave just north of Riyadh. Men and women danced in mixed company, alcohol and marijuana we…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernancePolitics, Geopolitical Conditions Pushing Lebanon into a Death Spiral
Dec 22, 2021Imad K. HarbConditions in Lebanon today betray a slide toward the total failure of state institutions amid a precipitous downturn of the country’s economic and social indi…
- Policy Analysis
YemenUS Foreign PolicyHouthi Intransigence Is Changing the US View of the Conflict in Yemen
Dec 21, 2021Gregory AftandilianA combination of offensive military actions by the Houthi rebels and stalled peace talks to try to end the civil war in Yemen have changed the way the United S…
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsMohammed bin Salman’s Regional Rebranding Campaign
Dec 16, 2021Kristian Coates UlrichsenSaudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) toured the five smaller Gulf states between December 6, when he visited Oman, and December 10, when he arr…
- Policy Analysis
Democracy and GovernanceBiden’s Summit for Democracy Ignored the Middle East
Dec 15, 2021Charles W. DunneThe Biden Administration’s recent Summit for Democracy should be regarded as a modest success, fulfilling a campaign promise by President Joe Biden and decisiv…
- Policy Analysis
SyriaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsRehabilitation of the Assad Regime
Dec 15, 2021Radwan ZiadehWith the approaching date of the next Arab Summit to be hosted by Algeria in March 2022, some member countries of the League of Arab States have become more vo…
- Policy Analysis
SudanRegional Relations and GeopoliticsSudan Coup: The Regional Interference behind a Faltering Transition
Dec 11, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniOn October 25, 2021, Sudan’s General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan staged a coup, declared a state of emergency, dissolved the power-sharing Sovereign Council, sacked…
- Intern Corner
Justice, Equality, and Human RightsTwenty Years After 9/11: A Reckoning for Anti-Muslim Hostility in the United States
Dec 10, 2021Patricia JannackIn his human rights speech at the University of Connecticut in October, President Joe Biden argued that the best way for the United States to fight for global …
- Policy Analysis
IranUS Foreign PolicyHigh Stakes at the Vienna Nuclear Talks with Iran
Dec 8, 2021Daniel BrumbergThe ongoing indirect US-Iran negotiations in Vienna on the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have thus far made little progress. Already…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Relations and GeopoliticsTurkey and the Gulf States: A New Era of Détente
Dec 8, 2021Mustafa GurbuzTurkish officials celebrated the November 24 visit of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Ankara as the beginning of “a new era” between Tur…
- Viewpoint
Democracy and GovernanceIs Biden Serious about His Summit for Democracy?
Dec 6, 2021Khalil E. JahshanSince his inauguration on January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden has been hinting at a renewed focus on democracy by his administration to reverse the dismal re…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptUS Foreign PolicyAgreements and Tensions in US-Egyptian Relations
Dec 2, 2021Sahar KhamisThe US-Egypt strategic dialogue was held in Washington, DC in early November between Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his American counterpart, Secre…
- Policy Analysis
Regional Relations and GeopoliticsIs There a Macron Doctrine in the Middle East?
Dec 2, 2021Joe MacaronUnder President Emmanuel Macron, French foreign policy in the Middle East went through a transformative shift, revealing a clear break with his two predecessor…
- Policy Analysis
SyriaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsRussia’s Multifaceted Policy in Syria
Nov 23, 2021Gregory AftandilianMore than six years after Russia began its military intervention in the Syrian civil war, President Vladimir Putin has chalked up some important victories amid…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceIs Tunisia Transitioning to a Liberalized Autocracy?
Nov 18, 2021Daniel BrumbergIf in the coming months Tunisia undergoes a transition, given current conditions, it will probably not be along a path back to democracy. Indeed, while Preside…
- Policy Analysis
Global Health and Health PolicyThe Overlooked Threat of Cancer in the Arab Region
Nov 18, 2021Yara M. AsiSince its founding in 1985, Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been held in October every year. Originally an American enterprise, the event has become global, …
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Tip of the Spear: Israeli Settler Terror
Nov 17, 2021Yousef MunayyerFor people around the world, autumn brings cooler temperatures and bright orange leaves on trees. But for Palestinians in the Israeli occupied West Bank, autum…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelMigrants, Refugees, and IDPsThe Nakba in Israeli Public Discourse and School History Curriculum
Nov 17, 2021Amal JamalThe ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their villages by Israel’s armed forces during the 1948 war and the creation of the ongoing refugee problem is rarely…
- Viewpoint
SyriaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Failure of Syria’s Constitutional Committee
Nov 16, 2021Radwan ZiadehIn October 2019, Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres enthusiastically welcomed the creation of Syria’s Constitutional Committee that would…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaDemocracy and GovernanceUncertainty Overshadows Libya’s Elections
Nov 11, 2021Imad K. HarbThe agreement governing Libya’s advancement toward presidential and legislative elections, which are slated to be held in December, ran into serious trouble th…
- Policy Analysis
IraqProtests and ActivismIraq’s Tishreen Protest Movement: The Exceptional Domestic Pressure Tool
Nov 10, 2021Zeidon AlkinaniIn October 2019, Iraq witnessed its most significant anti-government protests since the US-led invasion and occupation in 2003. The demonstrations blasted the …
- Policy Analysis
LebanonIdentity Politics and SectarianizationSaudi Arabia’s Third “Shock and Awe” Move in Lebanon
Nov 9, 2021Joe MacaronOn October 29th, Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Beirut and suspended Lebanon’s imports into Saudi Arabia. These actions were aimed to force the resignation of…
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionWestern Sahara Figures Prominently in Algeria-Morocco Tensions
Nov 4, 2021Hasni Abidi Aboubakr JamaiAlgeria’s Reasons for Its Dispute with MoroccoHasni Abidi is Senior Lecturer at Geneva University and Director of the Centre d’Étude et de Recherche sur le Mon…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptReligion and PoliticsEgypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: Old Problems and New Divisions
Nov 3, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniSince its removal from power in 2013, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt continues to face many problems and challenges. Having always prided itself on being the …
- Policy Analysis
SudanUS Foreign PolicyBiden’s Chameleon-like Policy in the MENA Region
Nov 3, 2021Imad K. HarbHaving invested time, effort, and treasure in helping to sustain the 2019 political agreement between the Sudanese military and the civilian Forces of Freedom …
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsThe Limits of Saudi-Iranian Détente
Oct 29, 2021Daniel BrumbergDuring his years in the Nixon White House in the 1970s, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger sought to manage the US-Soviet rivalry by creating arenas of …
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelProtests and ActivismPost-Sheikh Jarrah Palestinian Citizen Activism: New Prospects and Persistent Challenges
Oct 29, 2021Sahar KhamisThe Israeli-Palestinian conflict, often labeled as the world’s longest running, has been going on for more than 70 years. During this time, the Israeli narrat…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelJustice, Equality, and Human RightsIsrael Is Almost Done Absorbing Area C of the Occupied West Bank
Oct 28, 2021Jonathan KuttabAttacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians and their property in Area C of the occupied West Bank have increased in scope and geographic reach. Developments i…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonIdentity Politics and SectarianizationBeirut Port Explosion: The Investigation That Will Shape Lebanon’s Future
Oct 27, 2021Halim ShebayaFor a country that is notorious for both a legacy of violence and a culture of impunity surrounding that violence, it is no surprise that the ongoing investiga…
- Policy Analysis
The Horn of AfricaThe Complicated Nature of Red Sea Geopolitics
Oct 27, 2021Charles W. DunneThe Red Sea is a vital economic artery and is likely to become more so in the coming decades. In geopolitical terms, it should increasingly be seen as worthy o…
- Viewpoint
SudanDemocracy and GovernanceMilitary Takeover in Sudan: The Writing Is on the Wall
Oct 25, 2021Imad K. HarbWe have seen this before: military officers in the Arab world not quite enamored with sharing power with civilians—let alone ceding it to them peacefully—show …
- Policy Analysis
JordanRegional Relations and GeopoliticsJordan: Uptick in Diplomacy amid Pandora Papers Revelations
Oct 20, 2021Gregory AftandilianRevelations in the so-called Pandora Papers about King Abdullah II’s substantial real estate acquisitions of luxury homes in the United States and United Kingd…
- Policy Analysis
TurkeySecurity and DefenseDrumbeats of Turkey’s Next Military Invasion of Syria
Oct 20, 2021Mustafa GurbuzTurkish officials continue to repeat their warning that a military operation in northern Syria may be imminent, blaming both Washington and Moscow for not fulf…
- Viewpoint
LebanonIdentity Politics and SectarianizationLebanon Courts Civil War, Again
Oct 14, 2021Imad K. HarbOnce again, Lebanon teeters on the abyss of a civil war, this time over conflicts related to the investigation into the disastrous August 4, 2020 explosion at …
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceForeign Influence in Lebanon and the Third Miqati Premiership
Oct 13, 2021Joe MacaronFor the third time in 16 years, Prime Minister Najib Miqati comes to office as a consensus candidate in a country with deep divisions within the Lebanese polit…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelRegional Relations and GeopoliticsThe Erbil Conference: Iraq Rejects Normalizing with Israel
Oct 12, 2021Abdulwahab Al-QassabOn September 24th, some 300 Iraqi tribal and political leaders, mostly from Iraq’s six Sunni-majority governorates, met at a conference in Erbil, capital of th…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict ResolutionPalestine in Speeches at the UN General Assembly: Reading between the Lines
Oct 8, 2021Yousef MunayyerThe speeches of the US president, the Israeli prime minister, and the Palestinian president during general debate of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaSaied’s New Decree Deepens Tunisia’s Crisis
Oct 7, 2021Daniel BrumbergTwo telling events unfolded in Tunisia on October 3rd. The first was a demonstration by thousands of flag-waving citizens proclaiming their support for Preside…
- Policy Analysis
Justice, Equality, and Human RightsA “Crisis of Relevance”: UN Failures in the MENA Region
Oct 5, 2021Yara M. AsiOn September 21, 2021, in front of the same green marble tile where many of his predecessors and other prominent world leaders have spoken, US President Joe Bi…
- Viewpoint
SyriaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsSyria’s Return to the Arab League Is Imminent
Oct 5, 2021Imad K. HarbA decade after the start of the Syrian revolution against authoritarian rule and the suspension of Syria’s membership in the League of Arab States, the country…
- Intern Corner
Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict ResolutionPalestinian Youth and the Futility of the Two-State Solution
Sep 30, 2021Kerent BenjumeaFollowing Israel’s expulsions of Palestinians in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and its war on Gaza this year, pro-Palestine movements revitalized the …
- Policy Analysis
EgyptSecurity and DefenseGrowing Relations between Egypt and Russia: Strategic Alliance or Marriage of Convenience?
Sep 27, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniOn August 22nd, Egypt’s Minister of Defense and Military Production Mohammad Zaki made a trip to Russia with a high-level military delegation. Zaki attended th…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Relations and GeopoliticsA New Strategic Architecture Is Emerging in the Gulf
Sep 24, 2021Imad K. HarbAs the Gulf crisis of 2017 recedes into memory, following the reconciliation in January at the “solidarity and stability” summit in Saudi Arabia’s al-Ula on th…
- Policy Analysis
IranRegional Relations and GeopoliticsIran’s Hard-liners Pursue a Complex Resistance Strategy
Sep 23, 2021Daniel BrumbergWhile the election of Ebrahim Raisi to the Iranian presidency and the appointment of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as foreign minister signal a clear victory for th…
- Policy Analysis
SyriaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionSouthwestern Syria Tests US-Russia Cooperation
Sep 22, 2021Joe MacaronThe US-Russian agreement of July 2017 that led to a fragile stability in southwestern Syria has recently unraveled, testing President Joe Biden’s approach in S…
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsA Saudi-Iranian Rapprochement Still Has a Long Way to Go
Sep 21, 2021Gregory AftandilianTalks in Baghdad between officials of Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have been held periodically since April, have fueled speculation that these two regional pow…
- Viewpoint
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceNo Rest for the Weary: Lebanon’s Miqati Must Hit the Ground Running
Sep 10, 2021Imad K. HarbNajib Miqati, the billionaire tasked over a year ago with forming the Lebanese government, has finally finished putting it together, but not before President M…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfMigrants, Refugees, and IDPs“Shoulder to Shoulder with Sorrow”: Afghan Refugees, Past and Present
Sep 9, 2021Yara M. AsiFor weeks, images and stories of Afghans leaving their homeland have flooded all forms of media. Recent events only emphasized just how difficult life is for t…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptJustice, Equality, and Human RightsArab Women Political Prisoners Jailed by US Middle East Allies
Sep 9, 2021Sahar KhamisWhen President Joe Biden was sworn in on January 20th as the 46th president of the United States, America’s friends in particular hoped that his administration…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyUS-Israel Relations: Time for a Reset or Reevaluation?
Sep 8, 2021Yousef MunayyerAs Israel’s prime minister for nearly 12 years in a row, Benjamin Netanyahu greatly shaped the US-Israel relationship in recent history. After his exit from th…
- Policy Analysis
IranRegional Relations and GeopoliticsIran Prepares for a New “Great Game” in Afghanistan
Sep 2, 2021Daniel BrumbergUntil the horrific August 26 attack outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, Iran’s bottom line on a new Afghan political order was in fact similar …
- Policy Analysis
IraqRegional Relations and GeopoliticsKadhimi Tries to Boost His Domestic Standing
Sep 1, 2021Imad K. HarbAs a basic principle, foreign policy serves as an extension of a country’s domestic politics and an instrument wielded by policy-makers to enhance their domest…
- Policy Analysis
TurkeyRegional Relations and GeopoliticsTurkey’s Relentless Bid for Afghanistan
Aug 31, 2021Mustafa GurbuzThe Taliban’s astonishing seizure of all of Afghanistan dashed the Turkish government’s earlier hope to take charge of Kabul Airport. Turkey’s President Recep …
- Policy Analysis
US Foreign PolicyHumanitarian Lessons from a Century of Conflict in the Middle East
Aug 26, 2021Yara M. AsiFor most of the past 20 years, the heavy presence of American and coalition forces in Afghanistan remained in the backdrop of public discourse. While some poli…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonEnergy and EconomicsLebanon’s Energy Crisis Fuels US-Iran Tensions
Aug 25, 2021Joe MacaronIn the midst of an economic collapse and an energy crisis, Lebanon has found itself in a tug of war between the United States and Iran. On August 19, Hezbollah…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict ResolutionBennett’s Agenda on Palestine: Shrinking the Conflict
Aug 20, 2021Khalil E. JahshanEven before winning formal approval on June 13, 2021, the Naftali Bennett-Yair Lapid rotation government has raised many questions as to its durability, the un…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsRisky Business: Kais Saied’s Regional Alliances
Aug 20, 2021Daniel BrumbergThree weeks after President Kais Saied used Article 80 of the constitution to impose what can be called a ‘state of exceptionalism,’ Tunisians are waiting for …
- Viewpoint
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfSecurity and DefenseAfter Afghanistan, a New Biden Middle East Doctrine Takes Shape
Aug 19, 2021Imad K. HarbIf there are lessons to be learned from the disastrous end of the American war in Afghanistan, they would be most applicable to the countries of the Arab Middl…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptEnergy and EconomicsWill Egypt Live with GERD as a Bitter Reality?
Aug 19, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniOn July 19, Ethiopia announced that it had completed the second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). This unilateral step had been rejected b…
- Policy Analysis
LevantViolent ExtremismAlthough Diminished, the Islamic State Remains an Ongoing Threat
Aug 17, 2021Gregory AftandilianDespite the territorial defeat of the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq a few years ago, which was heralded as a major achievement by the large in…
- Viewpoint
LebanonConflicts and Conflict ResolutionHezbollah Is Not Interested in a War with Israel
Aug 11, 2021Imad K. HarbAs Lebanon reels from seemingly unsolvable political, economic, social, and security crises, an exchange of rocket and artillery fire on August 6th between Hez…
- Viewpoint
LebanonIdentity Politics and SectarianizationA Year after the Beirut Explosion, a Dreaded Civil War in Lebanon
Aug 3, 2021Imad K. HarbEvents over the last few days in Lebanon portended a serious escalation in sectarian tensions and a possible widespread resort to arms that could quickly lead …














































































