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  • Policy Analysis
    OmanThe GCC

    Oman’s Needed Adjustment During the Trump Presidency

    Jan 18, 2017Imad K. Harb

    The Sultanate of Oman has arguably always been an outlier regarding unified Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) action since the organization’s establishment in 198…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    Turkish-Iraqi Relations: Old Trends and Future Possibilities

    Jan 17, 2017Abdulwahab Al-Qassab

    Relations between Iraq and Turkey have been cordial and cautious since Iraq became independent of Ottoman suzerainty after WWI, when British forces invaded and…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy

    The Battle for DNC Chair: Palestine and Democratic Party Politics after Trump’s Election

    Jan 17, 2017Tamara Kharroub

    2016 was a tumultuous year for the Democratic Party. Democrats lost the White House, both houses of Congress, and a large number of gubernatorial races (two-th…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Turkey at “the Gate” of Victory at Al-Bab: What’s Next?

    Jan 12, 2017

    The New Year’s Eve attack in Istanbul represents a significant change in relations between Turkey and the Islamic State in Syria and the Levant (ISIL). Althoug…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantUS Foreign Policy

    Washington Rebalancing Away from the Middle East? Realities and Difficulties

    Jan 9, 2017Imad K. Harb

    In a speech to the Australian parliament in November 2011, President Barack Obama declared that the Asia-Pacific region had become a “top priority” in US secur…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    Rafsanjani’s Death and Its Impact on Iran’s Political Bazaar

    Jan 9, 2017Imad K. Harb

    The death of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani comes at a critical time in the Islamic Republic’s political history. As one of the founders…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantUS Domestic Politics and Elections

    Recalculating Route: America and Israel on Divergent Paths

    Jan 3, 2017Yousef Munayyer

    In May 2016, I wrote that the Obama Administration should carefully weigh options for how to address the Israeli/Palestinian issue during its last months in of…

  • Policy Analysis
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    US President-elect Donald J. Trump and his Foreign Policy Cabinet Choices: Focus on Middle East Issues

    Dec 29, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    In the last few weeks, President-elect Donald Trump has been building his team of senior officials. The team selected as his foreign policy appointees presents…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    After Aleppo: The Political and Regional Implications of the New Middle East “Troika”

    Dec 28, 2016Joe Macaron

    Since August 2016, new regional power dynamics have been emerging in the wars in Syria. The trend has manifested itself in the fall of Aleppo and the December …

  • Policy Analysis
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Sidelining Asad: Questioning the Future of Russian-Iranian-Turkish Convergence in Syria

    Dec 27, 2016Imad K. Harb

    The battle of Aleppo has finally been decided in favor of the Syrian regime and its Russian, Iranian, and militia cohorts. But for all intents and purposes, th…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    UN Security Council Passes Resolution Against Israeli Settlements

    Dec 23, 2016Tamara Kharroub

    On Wednesday, December 21, 2016, Egypt circulated a draft resolution calling for an end to Israeli settlements and demanding Israel to “immediately and complet…

  • Policy Analysis
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Middle East Positions of Trump’s Cabinet

    Dec 23, 2016

     Sources: This information was collected and inferred by ACW based on statements, voting records, and other publicly available information.*The infographi…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Breaking Ground in Jerusalem

    Dec 22, 2016Yousef Munayyer

    Some things are utterly predictable. The sun will always rise in the east, rain will always be wet, and US presidential candidates who promise to move the Amer…

  • Policy Analysis
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    President-elect Donald Trump Nominates David Friedman as US Ambassador to Israel

    Dec 22, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    On 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Secretary of Energy-designate Rick Perry 

    Dec 22, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    In 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Profile of Secretary of State-designate Rex W. Tillerson

    Dec 15, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    President-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
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    What is Next for Turkey after the Fall of Aleppo?

    Dec 15, 2016Mustafa Gurbuz

    After 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
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The GCC at 35: Regional Concerns and Strategic Hedging

    Dec 15, 2016Imad K. Harb

    Last 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
    Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy

    Trump’s “Ultimate Deal” on Palestine/Israel

    Dec 8, 2016Tamara Kharroub

    In 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
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The “Incredible” John Kerry: Ineffectiveness and Inconsistency

    Dec 8, 2016Yousef Munayyer

    It 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Trump Nominates Treasury and Commerce Secretaries

    Dec 5, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury-designatePresident-elect Donald Trump has nominated his campaign finance chairman, Steven Mnuchin, to be secretary of…

  • Policy Analysis
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Trump Announces Retired USMC General James “Mad Dog” Mattis as Secretary of Defense

    Dec 5, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    On 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
    Violent Extremism

    Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) in the United States: An Assessment of Domestic and International Efforts

    Dec 1, 2016Sara Lobo Tamara Kharroub

    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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Trump Announces Additions to National Security Team

    Dec 1, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    Nikki 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
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    The Misplaced Hope of Lebanon’s Presidential Election

    Dec 1, 2016Imad K. Harb

    Developments 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Trump’s Cabinet Begins to Take Shape

    Nov 23, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    On November 18, President-elect Donald Trump named three Cabinet positions, all of which are considered controversial to varying degrees

  • Policy Analysis
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    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
    IraqConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Mosul will not be Truly Liberated Without Strong Political Leadership

    Nov 17, 2016Mustafa Gurbuz

    The 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    What can President-elect Trump achieve with a Republican Congress?

    Nov 17, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    Election 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
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    November 8: What’s at stake for the Arab world?

    Nov 7, 2016Joe Macaron

    What 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
    LevantDemocracy and Governance

    Arab Issues Awaiting the Next President

    Nov 7, 2016Imad K. Harb

    Amidst the maelstrom that is the presidential election, American foreign policy has regressed to the uncomfortable and neglected recesses reserved for untoucha…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    End of Stalemate: A Loose Power-Sharing Agreement in Lebanon

    Oct 28, 2016Joe Macaron

    After a 30-month impasse that paralyzed the country’s governing institutions and questioned the legitimacy of the confessional system, the Lebanese Parliament …

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The Battle of Mosul Portends the Future of Iraq

    Oct 28, 2016Imad K. Harb

    The 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
    IraqConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    ‘Underlearning’ the Lessons of Iraq: American Agility and Russian Influence

    Oct 20, 2016Yousef Munayyer

    Perhaps 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
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The New Regional Order amid the Aleppo Rubble

    Oct 20, 2016Joe Macaron

    It 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    The Two Presidential Candidates and Their Middle East Policies

    Oct 13, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    Most 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
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Colombia Peace Talks: Lessons for Palestine Policy

    Oct 13, 2016Yousef Munayyer

    After 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
    EgyptSecurity and Defense

    Future US-Egyptian Relations: The Old Status Quo Redux

    Oct 13, 2016Imad K. Harb

    A 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
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Hezbollah, Iran, and the Politics of Obstructionism

    Sep 23, 2016Imad K. Harb

    On 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
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Doomed to Fail: Syria is not Ready for a Ceasefire

    Sep 23, 2016Joe Macaron

    For 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
    LevantSecurity and Defense

    New US-Israeli Military Aid Package Reflects Shifts in Relationship

    Sep 15, 2016Yousef Munayyer

    On 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Senate Races 2016 Update

    Sep 7, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    In 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
    LevantReligion and Politics

    Implications of Al-Qaeda Rebranding in Syria

    Aug 31, 2016Radwan Ziadeh

     The 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
    LevantRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    The US fatal mistake in northern Syria

    Aug 31, 2016Joe Macaron

     The 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
    LevantDemocracy and Governance

    Biden in Ankara enticing Erdogan to weigh his options

    Aug 24, 2016Joe Macaron

    Vice 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    The 2016 Congressional Elections

    Aug 11, 2016John Gregory

    I. 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    A Sane Alternative to Trump: Hillary has yet to Define her Nomination

    Aug 2, 2016Joe Macaron

    After 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    DNC 2016 Platform: In Denial over Mideast Challenges, Dispensable Language on Israel

    Jul 29, 2016Joe Macaron

    Like 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Democratic Party Unity Remains a Challenge for Hillary Clinton

    Jul 27, 2016Joe Macaron

    The 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Trump’s Convention Speech and the Rise of Conservative Nationalism

    Jul 25, 2016Joe Macaron

    Republican 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Kaine: A Political Profile

    Jul 23, 2016John Gregory

    Timothy 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Mike Pence: A Political Profile

    Jul 20, 2016John Gregory

    Indiana 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    GOP Platform on the Middle East Offers Tough Talk, Little Change

    Jul 20, 2016Joe Macaron

    As 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    With Trump Taking Over, A New Republican Party Is Born

    Jul 19, 2016Joe Macaron

    The 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
    LevantDemocracy and Governance

    The Week that Cut Turkey’s Ambitions Down to Size

    Jul 7, 2016Yousef Munayyer

    Although 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
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    New Rules of Engagement for US-Hezbollah Arm Wrestling in Lebanon

    Jul 6, 2016Joe Macaron

    Lebanon 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
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The State Department’s “Dissent Memo” and US Options in Syria

    Jul 6, 2016Radwan Ziadeh

    On 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
    EgyptDemocracy and Governance

    The Gender Paradox of Arab Democracy

    Jun 22, 2016Tamara Kharroub

    On 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
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Courting the Houthis did not Yield Peace Deal in Yemen

    Jun 22, 2016Joe Macaron

    United 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
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Assessing the Potential Impact of the Paris Peace Conference: Vive la France or Forget Paris?

    Jun 4, 2016Yousef Munayyer

    One 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
    IranReligion and Politics

    Battle over Fallujah Tests US-Iran Tacit Deal against ISIL

    Jun 3, 2016Joe Macaron

     As 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
    LevantUS Domestic Politics and Elections

    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
    LevantDemocracy and Governance

    Lessons of Israel’s Political Shuffle

    May 20, 2016Yousef Munayyer

    The 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
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    What Municipal Elections Mean for Lebanon

    May 17, 2016Joe Macaron

    Lebanon 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
    LevantInternational Law

    Navigating Pitfalls and Opportunities: Obama’s Parting Shot on Israel/Palestine

    May 17, 2016Yousef Munayyer

    President Obama, who gave his first interview to Al-Arabiya in 2009 and spoke again few months later in his Cairo address about Palestinian aspirations, is now…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    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 Kharroub

    In 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 process, …

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqDemocracy and Governance

    Defeating ISIL is Not Enough to Save Iraq

    May 10, 2016Joe Macaron

    Two 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
    LevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    The Coming Change in US-Israel Relations

    May 10, 2016Yousef Munayyer

    The 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
    LevantIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    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, 2016Tamara Kharroub

    The 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
    IranRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Wanted: A US Strategy in the Middle East

    Apr 11, 2016Yousef Munayyer

    In 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    The promise of democratic socialism: Bernie Sanders, Palestine, and US policy in the Middle East

    Apr 11, 2016Tamara Kharroub

    Bernard (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
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Time for Transitional Justice and National Reconciliation in Syria

    Apr 8, 2016Radwan Ziadeh

    Transitional 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
    JordanConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Jordan’s Azraq Refugee Camp – A Pictorial Essay

    Mar 25, 2016Priscilla Philippi

    When 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
    LevantDemocracy and Governance

    The Obama Doctrine from a Middle East Perspective: Orientalism, Inaction, Contradiction, and Lack of Accountability

    Mar 18, 2016Tamara Kharroub

    In 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
    LebanonIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    Saudi Arabia Goes on the Offensive against Hezbollah

    Mar 8, 2016Joe Macaron

    Saudi 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 Domestic Politics and Elections

    US Presidential Candidates’ Middle East Policy Positions (Infographics)

    Mar 8, 2016

    In five simple infographics, this report summarizes the US presidential candidates’ positions on all the important Middle East issues. The infographic report c…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantUS Foreign Policy

    US in Libya: The Challenges of a Third Front against ISIL

    Feb 25, 2016Joe Macaron

    President 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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Presidential Elections 2016: Profile of Senator Bernie Sanders

    Feb 8, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent-Vermont) is the longest-serving independent politician in Congress and a surprising and unlikely candidate for the Democrat…

  • Policy Analysis
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    Presidential Elections 2016: Profile of Senator Ted Cruz

    Feb 7, 2016Roxanne Perugino

    Personal 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
    IranSecurity and Defense

    The Emergence of a New Triangular Relationship in the Middle East

    Jan 29, 2016Joe Macaron

    The 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…