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- Policy Analysis
President-elect Donald Trump Nominates David Friedman as US Ambassador to Israel
Dec 22, 2016On December 15, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump nominated David Friedman to the post of US ambassador to Israel. Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer, has no diplo…
- Policy Analysis
Secretary of Energy-designate Rick Perry
Dec 22, 2016In an ironic twist, President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Texas Governor Rick Perry as his secretary of energy. The Energy Department is the same agency Perr…
- Policy Analysis
Profile of Secretary of State-designate Rex W. Tillerson
Dec 15, 2016President-elect Donald Trump named Rex Tillerson, Exxon-Mobil CEO, as his choice for secretary of state on December 13. The appointment is controversial and ha…
- Policy Analysis
What is Next for Turkey after the Fall of Aleppo?
Dec 15, 2016After the fall of Aleppo, Turkey’s capacity to maneuver in the region will suffer tremendously. Indeed, the fall of Aleppo has increased tensions among Syrian …
- Policy Analysis
The GCC at 35: Regional Concerns and Strategic Hedging
Dec 15, 2016Imad K. HarbLast week, the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) concluded its 37th summit meeting in Manama, Bahrain, amid many hopeful pronouncements as well as atte…
- Policy Analysis
Trump’s “Ultimate Deal” on Palestine/Israel
Dec 8, 2016Tamara KharroubIn the first interview after his election victory, Donald J. Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he wants to broker a deal between Israel and the Palestini…
- Policy Analysis
The “Incredible” John Kerry: Ineffectiveness and Inconsistency
Dec 8, 2016Yousef MunayyerIt was painful to watch. Secretary of State John Kerry trying to explain and defend American foreign policy in the Middle East is such an uncomfortable sight. …
- Policy Analysis
Trump Nominates Treasury and Commerce Secretaries
Dec 5, 2016Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury-designatePresident-elect Donald Trump has nominated his campaign finance chairman, Steven Mnuchin, to be secretary of…
- Policy Analysis
Trump Announces Retired USMC General James “Mad Dog” Mattis as Secretary of Defense
Dec 5, 2016On December 1, during a victory rally in Ohio, President-elect Donald Trump announced the nomination of retired Marine Corps General James “Mad Dog” Mattis to …
- Policy Analysis
Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) in the United States: An Assessment of Domestic and International Efforts
Countering Violent Extremism, or CVE, is a relatively new but expanding framework of practices for US “soft power” engagement with radicalization and extremism…
- Policy Analysis
Trump Announces Additions to National Security Team
Dec 1, 2016Nikki R. Haley, Ambassador-designate to the United NationsOn November 22, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump nominated South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as h…
- Policy Analysis
The Misplaced Hope of Lebanon’s Presidential Election
Dec 1, 2016Imad K. HarbDevelopments in Lebanon during November 2016 made it increasingly evident that the election as president of Michel Aoun, former general and leader of the Refor…
- Policy Analysis
Trump’s Cabinet Begins to Take Shape
Nov 23, 2016On November 18, President-elect Donald Trump named three Cabinet positions, all of which are considered controversial to varying degrees
- Policy Analysis
Understanding the Conditions Leading to Trump’s Victory
Nov 17, 2016Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election on November 8 came as a complete shock to many in the United States and abroad, as if the statistical li…
- Policy Analysis
Mosul will not be Truly Liberated Without Strong Political Leadership
Nov 17, 2016Mustafa GurbuzThe military victory in Mosul will not be sufficient unless the United States finds a political resolution, in cooperation with local parties, that addresses S…
- Policy Analysis
What can President-elect Trump achieve with a Republican Congress?
Nov 17, 2016Election ResultsIn a departure from the voter tradition of preferring a divided government, i.e. one party controlling the presidency and another the Congress,…
- Policy Analysis
November 8: What’s at stake for the Arab world?
Nov 7, 2016Joe MacaronWhat motivates the Arab world’s interest in the 2016 US presidential election is primarily the concern about Washington’s role in the Middle East as well as th…
- Policy Analysis
Arab Issues Awaiting the Next President
Nov 7, 2016Imad K. HarbAmidst the maelstrom that is the presidential election, American foreign policy has regressed to the uncomfortable and neglected recesses reserved for untoucha…
- Policy Analysis
End of Stalemate: A Loose Power-Sharing Agreement in Lebanon
Oct 28, 2016Joe MacaronAfter a 30-month impasse that paralyzed the country’s governing institutions and questioned the legitimacy of the confessional system, the Lebanese Parliament …
- Policy Analysis
The Battle of Mosul Portends the Future of Iraq
Oct 28, 2016Imad K. HarbThe long-awaited battle to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is underway. Months prior, the Iraqi army and police,…
- Policy Analysis
‘Underlearning’ the Lessons of Iraq: American Agility and Russian Influence
Oct 20, 2016Yousef MunayyerPerhaps one of the most cited criticisms of US foreign policy relating to Syria today is the notion that President Barack Obama has “overlearned” the lessons o…
- Policy Analysis
The New Regional Order amid the Aleppo Rubble
Oct 20, 2016Joe MacaronIt became obvious in recent weeks that the US-Russian channel regarding Syria has run its course and can no longer be the bedrock of serious diplomatic efforts…
- Policy Analysis
The Two Presidential Candidates and Their Middle East Policies
Oct 13, 2016Most voters almost never decide a presidential election based on foreign policy, but Clinton is one of the leaders of the centrist Democratic foreign policy es…
- Policy Analysis
Colombia Peace Talks: Lessons for Palestine Policy
Oct 13, 2016Yousef MunayyerAfter four years of painstaking negotiations, the 52-year war in Colombia between the government and rebels looked like it was coming to an end. Then, in one d…
- Policy Analysis
Future US-Egyptian Relations: The Old Status Quo Redux
Oct 13, 2016Imad K. HarbA long time ago, there appeared to be a symbiotic relationship between the United States and Egypt. The former was a strategic benefactor that understood the i…
- Policy Analysis
Hezbollah, Iran, and the Politics of Obstructionism
Sep 23, 2016Imad K. HarbOn September 7, Lebanon’s Parliament failed for the forty-third time to convene a session to elect a president. Since the expiration of former president Michel…
- Policy Analysis
Doomed to Fail: Syria is not Ready for a Ceasefire
Sep 23, 2016Joe MacaronFor the second time in nearly six months, Washington and Moscow are striving to implement a nationwide ceasefire in Syria. The ultimate objective of establishi…
- Policy Analysis
New US-Israeli Military Aid Package Reflects Shifts in Relationship
Sep 15, 2016Yousef MunayyerOn September 14, 2016 the United States and Israel signed a new 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on military aid, which replaces a previous MOU set to…
- Policy Analysis
Senate Races 2016 Update
Sep 7, 2016In 62 days voters will cast their ballots for President and for 34 Senate seats up for re-election. Democrats remain cautiously optimistic that their party ca…
- Policy Analysis
Implications of Al-Qaeda Rebranding in Syria
Aug 31, 2016Radwan ZiadehThe announcement by the top leader of Al-Nusra Front in Syria Abu Mohammed Joulani to distance his group from Al-Qaeda last month was very controversial.…
- Policy Analysis
The US fatal mistake in northern Syria
Aug 31, 2016Joe MacaronThe moment the Turkish incursion into Syrian Territory began on August 24, the stage was set for a looming direct military confrontation between Ankara a…
- Policy Analysis
Biden in Ankara enticing Erdogan to weigh his options
Aug 24, 2016Joe MacaronVice President Joe Biden visited Ankara on August 24 to salvage the remnants of US interests in Turkey. The July 15 military coup attempt left President Recep …
- Policy Analysis
The 2016 Congressional Elections
Aug 11, 2016John GregoryI. Can Democrats Reclaim the Senate?Every two years, one-third of the Senate is up for re-election. Elections are staggered to avoid having both Senators from…
- Policy Analysis
A Sane Alternative to Trump: Hillary has yet to Define her Nomination
Aug 2, 2016After scrambling to unite her Democratic Party at the outset of the convention in Philadelphia last week, presidential nominee Hillary Clinton rolled out her n…
- Policy Analysis
DNC 2016 Platform: In Denial over Mideast Challenges, Dispensable Language on Israel
Jul 29, 2016Like every partisan document in a tense prelude to national elections, the 2016 Democratic platform reflected the party’s status quo with presidential nominee …
- Policy Analysis
Democratic Party Unity Remains a Challenge for Hillary Clinton
Jul 27, 2016The Democratic Party confirmed on July 26 the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, making her the first female presidential nominee of a major party in American polit…
- Policy Analysis
Trump’s Convention Speech and the Rise of Conservative Nationalism
Jul 25, 2016Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is the first American politician in modern history to invoke both nationalism and populism in a successful bid to …
- Policy Analysis
Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Kaine: A Political Profile
Jul 23, 2016Timothy Michael “Tim” Kaine was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on February 26, 1958, but grew up mainly in the suburbs of Kansas City, Missouri. After graduating…
- Policy Analysis
Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Mike Pence: A Political Profile
Jul 20, 2016Indiana Governor Mike Pence was born on June 7, 1959, in Columbus, Indiana. His family was Irish Catholic and Democratic and had President John F. Kennedy as o…
- Policy Analysis
GOP Platform on the Middle East Offers Tough Talk, Little Change
Jul 20, 2016As far as the 2016 Republican Party Platform is concerned, the campaign of the presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump is nowhere to be found. The hands-of…
- Policy Analysis
With Trump Taking Over, A New Republican Party Is Born
Jul 19, 2016The Republican National Convention began its deliberations on July 18 to confirm the party’s presidential and vice-presidential nominees for the 2016 US nation…
- Policy Analysis
The Week that Cut Turkey’s Ambitions Down to Size
Jul 7, 2016Yousef MunayyerAlthough signs of policy adjustment have been in the works for several months, the events of June 2016 were an emphatic marker of a shift in Turkey’s foreign p…
- Policy Analysis
New Rules of Engagement for US-Hezbollah Arm Wrestling in Lebanon
Jul 6, 2016Joe MacaronLebanon is the only country in the Middle East where US policy is actively seeking to deter Iran’s regional influence. Washington is directly targeting Hezboll…
- Policy Analysis
The State Department’s “Dissent Memo” and US Options in Syria
Jul 6, 2016Radwan ZiadehOn June 16, 2016, a dissent memo regarding Syria was filed with the Director of Policy Planning at the US State Department criticizing the Obama Administration…
- Research Paper
The Gender Paradox of Arab Democracy
Jun 22, 2016Tamara KharroubOn 17 December 2010, 26-year-old Tunisian street vendor Tarek al-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi was slapped across the face in front of a crowd and insulted by a munic…
- Policy Analysis
Courting the Houthis did not Yield Peace Deal in Yemen
Jun 22, 2016Joe MacaronUnited Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed briefed the Security Council on June 21, 2016 marking 60 days of relentless diplomatic efforts …
- Policy Analysis
Assessing the Potential Impact of the Paris Peace Conference: Vive la France or Forget Paris?
Jun 4, 2016Yousef MunayyerOne hundred years after the Sykes-Picot agreement, international stakeholders met in Paris on June 3 to discuss the outlines of an Israeli-Palestinian peace pl…
- Policy Analysis
Battle over Fallujah Tests US-Iran Tacit Deal against ISIL
Jun 3, 2016Joe MacaronAs Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s al-Quds Force, was reportedly spotted in the northern outskirts of the besieged city of Fallujah, …
- Policy Analysis
Why the World Shouldn’t Panic About Trump
Jun 1, 2016Joe Macaron“Everything I say right now is a suggestion, I am not the President,” the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told Fox News on May 13. However, his …
- Policy Analysis
Lessons of Israel’s Political Shuffle
May 20, 2016Yousef MunayyerThe latest political move by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is significant on many fronts. Yesterday the news was reported that Netanyahu had offere…
- Policy Analysis
What Municipal Elections Mean for Lebanon
May 17, 2016Joe MacaronLebanon is holding this month municipal elections across the country, the first electoral test since the start of the Syrian war. The ruling traditional partie…
- Policy Analysis
Navigating Pitfalls and Opportunities: Obama’s Parting Shot on Israel/Palestine
May 17, 2016Yousef MunayyerPresident Obama, who gave his first interview to Al-Arabiya in 2009 and spoke again few months later in his Cairo address about Palestinian aspirations, …
- Policy Analysis
The Paris Initiative and US Middle East Policy: Paving the Way for the 4th Intifada – Why justice is the only roadmap to peace
May 16, 2016Tamara KharroubIn the middle of the US presidential election season, France has elected to take the opportunity and break the US monopoly over the Middle East peace pro…
- Policy Analysis
Defeating ISIL is Not Enough to Save Iraq
May 10, 2016Joe MacaronTwo years into the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and amid the persistent downward trend of global oil prices, Iraq is obviously…
- Policy Analysis
The Coming Change in US-Israel Relations
May 10, 2016Yousef MunayyerThe discussion on Israel at the most recent Democratic presidential debate is but the latest benchmark in progress down a road on which the American people hav…
- Policy Analysis
Freedom of religion as a foundation of Arab democracy: An Arab view of the 2016 report of US Commission on International Religious Freedom
May 3, 2016The onset of the so-called “Arab Spring” in 2011 gave hope to millions of people across the Arab world that change is possible and that freedoms, democratic tr…
- Policy Analysis
Wanted: A US Strategy in the Middle East
Apr 11, 2016Yousef MunayyerIn 2006, as Israel and Hezbollah were engaged in what would be a 34day war, the longest of any ArabIsraeli war since 1948, US Secretary of State Condoleezza …
- Policy Analysis
The promise of democratic socialism: Bernie Sanders, Palestine, and US policy in the Middle East
Apr 11, 2016Bernard (or Bernie) Sanders is one of two remaining candidates running for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 2016 US presidential elections. Following …
- Research Paper
Time for Transitional Justice and National Reconciliation in Syria
Apr 8, 2016Radwan ZiadehTransitional justice refers to a group of activities or investigations that focuses on communities with a legacy of human rights violations, genocide, or other…
- Research Paper
Jordan’s Azraq Refugee Camp – A Pictorial Essay
Mar 25, 2016Priscilla PhilippiWhen the conflict in Syria broke out in March of 2011, there was no indication as to the duration or the enormity of the ensuing humanitarian crisis. Accordi…
- Policy Analysis
The Obama Doctrine from a Middle East Perspective: Orientalism, Inaction, Contradiction, and Lack of Accountability
Mar 18, 2016In a lengthy narrative collection of conversations and interviews with President Obama and others, journalist Jeffry Goldberg’s tedious tale of “The Obama Doct…
- Policy Analysis
Saudi Arabia Goes on the Offensive against Hezbollah
Mar 8, 2016Joe MacaronSaudi Arabia’s explicit identification of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah as a strategic threat is a tipping point in the underlying tensions between both sides. …
- Policy Analysis
US Presidential Candidates’ Middle East Policy Positions (Infographics)
Mar 8, 2016In five simple infographics, this report summarizes the US presidential candidates’ positions on all the important Middle East issues. The infographic report c…
- Policy Analysis
US in Libya: The Challenges of a Third Front against ISIL
Feb 25, 2016Joe MacaronPresident Barack Obama’s Administration is considering the opening of a critical third front against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Libya. …
- Policy Analysis
Presidential Elections 2016: Profile of Senator Bernie Sanders
Feb 8, 2016Roxanne PeruginoRoxanne Perugino
- Policy Analysis
Presidential Elections 2016: Profile of Senator Ted Cruz
Feb 7, 2016Personal Background:Senator Ted Cruz was elected to the US Senate from Texas in November 2012, replacing fellow Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. He is …
- Policy Analysis
The Emergence of a New Triangular Relationship in the Middle East
Jan 29, 2016Joe MacaronThe implementation of the Iran nuclear deal on January 16 reinforced the emergence of a new triangular relationship in the Middle East involving the United Sta…
- Policy Analysis
The “Dos and Don’ts” of Defeating ISIS: Obama’s wasted 13-minutes
Tamara Kharroub and Roxanne Perugino
- Policy Analysis
Imagining a Conflict Resolution in Syria: Implications for US Policy
Dec 1, 2015Joe MacaronJoe Macaron*
- Research Paper
Beyond Trump: Celebrity Candidates, Mediatization of Politics, and US Middle East Policy
Oct 20, 2015Tamara KharroubThe political and media discussions of the presidential campaigns have given great attention to some of the most flamboyant GOP nomination candidates (a.k.a. c…
- Policy Analysis
Russia’s Middle East Moves and US Options
Oct 15, 2015Yousef MunayyerBackgroundIn recent weeks, Russia has taken quite significant and surprising steps to deepen and strengthen its support for the Assad regime in Syria. Russia h…
- Research Paper
Religion and PoliticsFive things you need to know about women in Islam: Implications for advancing women’s rights in the Middle East
Oct 4, 2015Tamara KharroubThe issue of women’s rights in Islam has been a contentious area of discussions and intense debates both in the Muslim world and in the West. The two dominant …
- Research Paper
Cyberactivism in the Middle East: Six potentials and six limitations of new media technologies in democratization
Sep 30, 2015Tamara KharroubThe question that has been the center of discussion both in the Arab world and in the West is why now. What role did the new media tools play in motivating, fa…
- Research Paper
Understanding Violent Extremism: The Social Psychology of Identity and Group Dynamics
Sep 25, 2015Tamara KharroubThe issue of violent extremism has been the center of media and policy attention in the United States especially since 9/11. Numerous research and analysis pap…
- Policy Analysis
The Dynamics of Israeli Settler Terrorism and US Options
Sep 15, 2015Yousef MunayyerIntroductionOn July 31, 2015, Palestinian homes in the village of Duma in the occupied West Bank were set on fire at night by masked assailants who left behind…
- Policy Analysis
The Iran Nuclear Deal and its Implications for the Region
Jul 31, 2015Yousef MunayyerThe agreement reached by the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, and the US), the EU and the Islamic Republic of Iran over the latter’s nuclear progr…
- Viewpoint
- Policy Analysis
