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- Policy Analysis
LibyaDemocracy and GovernanceLibya: Controlling Oil, Fearing Partition
Jul 16, 2018Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)In light of Libya’s institutional fragmentation between east and west, control of the Oil Crescent and its revenues has become a determining factor in the coun…
- Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and GovernanceProposed Basic Law: Israel – The Nation State of the Jewish People
Jul 16, 2018Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in IsraelThe Basic Law states that "the State of Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people" and that the realization of national self-determination in the State o…
- Policy Analysis
International LawIn Helsinki, Trump and Putin Will Bargain over Syria and Iran
Jul 12, 2018Charles W. DunneTo avoid policy disaster at the Helsinki summit, Trump and his team must develop a clear idea of what they want from Putin on the Middle East and be prepared t…
- Policy Analysis
IraqDemocracy and GovernanceThe Dangerous Dynamics of Iraq’s Constitutional Vacuum
Jul 12, 2018Abdulwahab Al-QassabWith parliamentary results unfinished and a caretaker government barely running the affairs of state, Iraq is facing a dangerous constitutional vacuum at a ver…
- Policy Analysis
IraqConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Future of Iraqi-Kuwaiti Relations: Overcoming a Troubled History
Jul 10, 2018Gregory AftandilianIraq and Kuwait are developing cordial relations after an acrimonious history. Kuwait wants a stable and non-threatening neighbor while Iraq seeks Kuwait’s fin…
- Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and GovernanceTurkey’s New Regime under Erdoğan: Implications for the Arab World
Jul 10, 2018Mustafa GurbuzIn the new order in Turkey, Erdoğan’s increasing dependence on Turkish nationalists will be a significant factor in shaping the country’s foreign policy in Syr…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Egypt-Ethiopia Nile Water Crisis: a Cause for Regional Tensions?
Jul 5, 2018Daniel StollWhile the Ethiopian dam on the Nile could be a source of conflict in east Africa, and while relations among Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan will remain unsettled fo…
- Viewpoint
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Raging—and Surprising—Battle for Southern Syria
Jul 5, 2018Radwan ZiadehThe Syrian regime began its assault on the southern city of Daraa toward the end of June, assisted as elsewhere in Syria by Russian warplanes and Iran-supporte…
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaDemocracy and GovernanceMapping Saudi Arabia’s New Ruling Bargain
Jul 3, 2018Daniel Brumberg“There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things.” Machiavelli…
- Policy Analysis
JordanJustice, Equality, and Human RightsThe Kushner-Greenblatt “Deal of the Century”: A Dealmaker Morphs into a Dealbreaker?
Jun 29, 2018Khalil E. JahshanWhat was most insulting to Kushner’s Palestinian audience was his attempt to wittingly or unwittingly reduce their political aspirations and yearning for natio…
- Policy Analysis
JordanMigrants, Refugees, and IDPsSyrian Refugees in Jordan and Lebanon: The Politics of their Return
Jun 28, 2018Joe MacaronOverwhelmed by their own economic woes, Jordan and Lebanon are employing different tactics to achieve the same objective: to secure the return of Syrian refuge…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptDemocracy and GovernanceThe Aftermath of Egypt’s 2018 Presidential Election: Stormy Weather Ahead
Jun 26, 2018Charles W. DunneEgyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's return to office in a rigged election this March failed to provide a strong mandate for difficult economic and politi…
- Policy Analysis
LevantIdentity Politics and SectarianizationUS Withdrawal from UN Human Rights Council Has Little to Do with Human Rights
Jun 22, 2018Tamara KharroubUS withdrawal weakens the council’s credibility and empowers Israel in its neglect for the council’s investigations and resolutions. The UNHRC is the premier i…
- Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and GovernanceThe Problem of Legitimacy for the Palestinian Authority
Jun 21, 2018Yousef MunayyerRecent damaging decisions by the Palestinian Authority cannot be solely blamed for the popular discontent with it. Instead, the Palestinians’ anger stems from …
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfMigrants, Refugees, and IDPsHodeida and the Changing American Position
Jun 18, 2018Gregory AftandilianAfter opposing Saudi-UAE plans to take the vital Hodeida port, the Trump Administration is now supporting the operation to show it will actively oppose so-call…
- Policy Analysis
JordanSecurity and DefenseIt May Be Time to Restructure American Assistance to Jordan
Jun 15, 2018Marcus MontgomerySince May 30, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has seen a wave of massive, largely peaceful protests that have King Abdullah II in a bind. The current turmoil h…
- Policy Analysis
LevantReligion and PoliticsThe Damascus-Aleppo Highway and Stabilizing Northwest Syria
Jun 7, 2018Joe MacaronWhile Russia, Turkey and Iran are stabilizing northwest Syria along the Damascus-Aleppo highway, they are also normalizing an irregular situation that could ul…
- Policy Analysis
LevantJustice, Equality, and Human RightsHuman Rights, Democracy, and the Changing Middle East: A Status Report
Jun 6, 2018Charles W. DunneDemands for democracy, wider political space, and guarantees of basic human rights have been turned aside by more effective authoritarian responses for now, bu…
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Foreign PolicyThe End of an American Era in Palestine and Israel
Jun 6, 2018Yousef MunayyerThis is the end of an era in US relations with Palestine and Israel, and the transition to a new era may resemble a moment from the past—the first intifada.
- Viewpoint
JordanDemocracy and GovernanceIn Jordan’s Case, Rent Collection May No Longer Work
Jun 5, 2018Imad K. HarbOnce again, socioeconomic conditions are at the center of Jordan’s political instability. Thousands of Jordanians over the last few days have participated in p…
- Policy Analysis
IranConflicts and Conflict ResolutionPompeo Digs a Deeper Hole for US Iran Policy
Jun 5, 2018Daniel BrumbergPompeo's May 21 speech indicates that where Iran is concerned, the US is returning to a policy of "zero enrichment" backed up by economic warfare. But the Whit…
- Policy Analysis
QatarConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Needless Crisis in the Arabian Gulf
Jun 5, 2018Kristian Coates UlrichsenThe Trump Administration would do well to work with the Saudis and Emiratis to identify a face-saving way to back down and end the blockade of Qatar.
- Policy Analysis
QatarThe GCCOne Year Later: A Necessary Reckoning in the GCC
Jun 5, 2018Imad K. HarbCountries blockading Qatar must reflect on how their attempts to control the Gulf are destabilizing the entire region.
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsPolitical Calculations…from the Western Sahara to the Arabian Gulf
Jun 4, 2018Mohammed CherkaouiThe timing of Morocco’s decision to sever relations with Iran and to close the Iranian embassy in Rabat “immediately” on May 1, 2018, has raised questions abou…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaThe GCC
Missed Opportunities and Failed Integration in the GCC
Jun 1, 2018Kristian Coates UlrichsenThe crisis that erupted on June 5, 2017, when three members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) turned on a fourth—for the second time in three years—has hig…
- Policy AnalysisQatarThe GCC
A Difficult Position: US Mediation in the Gulf Dispute
Jun 1, 2018Charles W. DunneStrengthening and maintaining the Gulf Cooperation Council are among the top goals of any American administration that seeks to preserve peace and stability in…
- Policy AnalysisQatarSecurity and Defense
Measures of Stalemate in the Gcc Crisis
Jun 1, 2018Imad K. HarbThe current existential crisis in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) began in May 2017 with a hacking operation of the Qatar News Agency website and the public…
- Viewpoint
LibyaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionAn Accord for Libya?
Jun 1, 2018Imad K. HarbAmid the many conflicts rending the Arab world today, the one in Libya recently took a hopeful turn toward a peace process despite the violence still wracking …
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Anti-Qatar Embargo Grinds Toward Strategic Failure
Jun 1, 2018Gabriel Collins“The experience of the past thus clearly suggests that blockades or embargoes do not always produce the results originally sought when the decision for action …
- Policy Analysis
IranConflicts and Conflict ResolutionIraq will Remain a US-Iran Point of Contention
May 31, 2018Gregory AftandilianThe United States’ more belligerent position toward Iran, in the wake of the Trump Administration’s recent withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, is likely to …
- Viewpoint
IraqDemocracy and GovernanceIraq’s Elections and the Arduous Road Ahead
May 25, 2018Abdulwahab Al-QassabIraq has just finished a fourth round of parliamentary elections. What Iraqis await now are the results of consultations between political parties and factions…
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Domestic Politics and ElectionsOne year on, Trump remains the cause of – and solution to – the Qatar crisis
May 23, 2018Andreas KriegWhen it turned out the statements released by Qatar's news agency were the product of an external cyber-attack, and not the actual words of the country's emir,…
- Viewpoint
IranConflicts and Conflict ResolutionA Crack in the Russian-Iranian Alliance in Syria?
May 23, 2018Joe MacaronIn a rare instance since the Russian intervention in Syria in September 2015, the policy differences between Moscow and Tehran have become public. This raised …
- Viewpoint
IranEnergy and EconomicsPompeo Peddles Disaster for American Interests
May 22, 2018Imad K. HarbAnother spectacle of a confused American foreign policy was on display on May 21, 2018 at the Heritage Foundation, where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deliver…
- Policy Analysis
LevantInternational LawUS Jerusalem Embassy vs. Nakba: A Moment of Truth for World Leaders
May 17, 2018Tamara KharroubTrump has walked back his declaration to bring US troops in Syria home “very soon” in light of pressure from advisors and allies, but he risks embroiling the U…
- ViewpointLevantInternational Law
The United States Abdicates Its Responsibilities in the Middle East
May 17, 2018Imad K. HarbIt is impossible to see how the massacre of unarmed Palestinian protesters in Gaza or the moving of the American embassy to Jerusalem will help chart a way out…
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Foreign PolicyHas Trump Opted for a Longer US Presence in Syria?
May 16, 2018Gregory AftandilianTrump has walked back his declaration to bring US troops in Syria home “very soon” in light of pressure from advisors and allies, but he risks embroiling the U…
- Policy Analysis
IranIdentity Politics and SectarianizationSaudi-Iranian Conflict in an Age of Sectarianization
May 15, 2018Daniel BrumbergDoctrinal sectarian and strategic reasons underlie the ongoing cold conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. As the Trump Administration pushes its more confron…
- Viewpoint
IranConflicts and Conflict ResolutionA Dangerous Israeli-Iranian Escalation in Syria
May 11, 2018Joe MacaronIn the most dangerous escalation since the establishment of the Golan Heights ceasefire line in 1973, Israel and Iran exchanged fire in southwestern Syria unde…
- ViewpointLebanonIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
Lebanon’s Elections Provide No Serious Change
May 10, 2018Imad K. HarbLebanon has just finished a feverish election campaign for its 128-seat Chamber of Deputies. This round followed a nine-year period in which this basic democra…
- ViewpointEgyptConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Deploying Arab Forces in Syria is not Advisable, nor Possible
May 10, 2018Radwan ZiadehOver the last few months, President Donald Trump has made announcements that regional states should bear more of the burden of ridding Syria of the so-called I…
- Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and GovernancePalestinian National Council Reconvenes in Ramallah: We’ve seen this movie before!
May 4, 2018Khalil E. JahshanThe 23rd PNC meeting in Ramallah did not generate a new Palestinian strategy and the session did not rise to the Palestinian national challenge in 2018. In tha…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceLebanon’s Elections to Rearrange the Country’s Political Landscape
May 3, 2018Joe MacaronFor the first time since 2009, Lebanese will elect a new parliament on May 6, a decisive election that will redraw the representation of powers of the ruling c…
- Viewpoint
LevantJustice, Equality, and Human RightsSeventy Years of Nakba: Ending a Process that Has Not Stopped
May 3, 2018Yousef MunayyerOn May 15, 2018, Palestinians commemorate 70 years of their Nakba, the catastrophe of dispossession and homelessness that unfolded when the state of Israel was…
- ViewpointLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Mohammed bin Salman Is Wrong on Palestine
May 2, 2018Imad K. HarbCritics allege that impetuousness and impatience are driving Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s actions and statements. What could also be drivi…
- Policy Analysis
IranDemocracy and GovernanceThe Many Challenges of Iraq’s Upcoming Elections
May 1, 2018Abdulwahab Al-QassabTranscending ethnic and sectarian divisions could be one of the most significant outcomes of the upcoming Iraqi elections that can transform the currently divi…
- Policy Analysis
LevantEnergy and EconomicsBetween Idealism and Realpolitik: Erdoğan’s Quest for Palestine
Apr 26, 2018Mustafa GurbuzTurkey’s active policy for Palestine enables Ankara to strengthen its ties to the Palestinian Authority and Hamas simultaneously and thus to bolster its role a…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfConflicts and Conflict ResolutionExternal Actors Complicate Resolving the Yemeni Conflict
Apr 25, 2018Gregory AftandilianAlthough the Houthis and the Hadi government show no signs of compromise, Yemen’s conflict continues to drag on largely because external actors are pursuing ag…
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaDemocracy and GovernanceMajor Stakes in Tunisia’s Municipal Elections
Apr 24, 2018Charles W. DunneTunisia, the only true success story from the Arab Spring thus far, finds itself at a crossroads as it approaches major national elections over the next year a…
- ViewpointLibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Haftar’s Illness and Libya’s Troubles
Apr 20, 2018Imad K. HarbLibya’s confusing political environment just became a little more so with the reported illness of strongman General Khalifa Haftar. He is commander of the so-c…
- ViewpointLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Kosovo Model for Syria
Apr 17, 2018Radwan ZiadehThe April 13, 2018, American-British-French strike on Syria was wider in scope and effect than that of April 2017 on Shairat Air Base; both conducted as punish…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptConflicts and Conflict ResolutionEgyptian-Sudanese Relations on the Mend, but Tensions Remain
Apr 16, 2018Gregory AftandilianEgyptian-Sudanese relations are currently improving although the nature of their ties over the years remains prone to rapid change. Part of their problems are …
- ViewpointConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Forgotten Arab League
Apr 11, 2018Joe MacaronOn April 15, the summit of the League of Arab States will be convened in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It will serve as a reminder that Arabs have a regional, albeit f…
- Policy Analysis
IraqConflicts and Conflict ResolutionA Mysterious Strike Renews Israel-US Coordination in Syria
Apr 10, 2018Joe MacaronThe Israeli strike on Iranian assets in Syria last Monday and the imminent US strike on Syria renew the US-Israeli coordination there for the first time since …
- Policy Analysis
IranConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Super-Hawks on Iran May Make the US the Biggest Loser
Apr 10, 2018Daniel BrumbergThe super-hawks President Trump appointed in his administration may very well get the United States into a conflagration with Iran despite international satisf…
- Policy Analysis
QatarConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Doubts Surrounding Trump’s Work on GCC Reconciliation
Apr 9, 2018Imad K. HarbConditions in the Gulf and in Washington do not augur well for Trump-led successful negotiations to resolve the GCC crisis, although all players are making the…
- Policy Analysis
LevantIdentity Politics and SectarianizationThe Looming Threat of Kurdish-Arab Strife in Northern Syria
Apr 9, 2018Mustafa GurbuzThe latest developments in northern Syria signal a clear threat of rising Arab-Kurdish tensions that could boil over if local, regional, and international play…
- Policy Analysis
LevantInternational LawThe Gaza “Great March of Return”: Regional and International Reactions
Apr 6, 2018Khalil E. JahshanDespite the bloodshed, from a Palestinian perspective the Great March of Return was a resounding success, beating expectations and fueling enthusiasm for more …
- ViewpointLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Covering Gaza: Is the Mainstream Media Discourse Changing on Palestine/Israel
Apr 6, 2018Tamara KharroubAs Israeli occupation forces carried out a brutal response against 30,000 Palestinians protesters in Gaza, Washington, DC—and much of the international communi…
- ViewpointLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Netanyahu Tries to Shore Himself Up
Apr 4, 2018Imad K. HarbThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not need the people of Gaza demonstrating on their border to create what amounted to a target-shooting opportunity that kil…
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Domestic Politics and ElectionsIs This the End of AIPAC’s Reign?
Apr 3, 2018Tamara KharroubThe month of March in Washington DC is known for cherry blossom and AIPAC's annual conference. From 4-6 March, the 2018 AIPAC policy conference took place in D…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceWhere Is Syria Headed?
Apr 3, 2018Radwan ZiadehThe scenarios for Syria’s future after the fall of Eastern Ghouta now look very different from those drawn in 2012 or 2013, which depicted a peaceful political…
- Policy Analysis
JordanConflicts and Conflict ResolutionJordan’s Four Worst-case Scenarios on Its Syrian Border
Mar 30, 2018Joe MacaronJordan faces four worst-case scenarios as the US-Russia ceasefire agreement is gradually collapsing in southwestern Syria. Amman’s options to limit the damage …
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Foreign PolicyPompeo Unlikely to Press for Human Rights in the Arab Region
Mar 29, 2018Gregory AftandilianIn contrast to Tillerson, who raised human rights and democracy concerns in some Arab states, Pompeo is unlikely to do so given his ideology and desire to stay…
- Policy Analysis
IranSecurity and DefenseWho is John Bolton? A Political Profile of the Next National Security Advisor
Mar 23, 2018Marcus MontgomeryWith the appointment of John Bolton as national security advisor, the United States risks turning the National Security Council into an echo chamber of hyper-n…
- ViewpointUS Foreign Policy
Bolton Is In; Fasten Your Seatbelts
Mar 23, 2018Imad K. HarbIt is hard to see how the Trump Administration can conduct a purposeful and reasoned foreign policy with the chaos engulfing its essential institutions. The fi…
- Policy Analysis
JordanJustice, Equality, and Human RightsA Palestinian Landscape of Unknowns
Mar 23, 2018Yousef MunayyerUnable to even pretend that Washington can deliver on brokering peace, Palestinian leaders seem stuck, having already devoted fruitless heavy political investm…
- ViewpointSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
Trump’s Transactional Relationship with Saudi Arabia
Mar 22, 2018Kristian Coates UlrichsenThe March 21, 2018 press conference between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) must rank among the most surreal…
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaSecurity and DefenseSaudi Arabia, the UAE, and the Yemeni Hemorrhage
Mar 20, 2018Imad K. HarbIt is necessary to point out that the Saudi-led intervention in March 2015 has exacerbated human suffering and underscored the differences between Yemen’s elit…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptDemocracy and GovernanceEgypt’s Presidential Elections and the Challenges Ahead
Mar 20, 2018Charles W. DunneSisi is on his way to a second term but Egypt is set for a number of challenges after its presidential elections regarding economic development, human rights a…
- ViewpointLevantMedia and Technology
Where on Earth is the Palestinian Press?
Mar 16, 2018Khalil E. JahshanAs a long-term observer of Middle East politics, I have always been intrigued by the surprisingly limited impact exerted by the Palestinian media on Palestinia…
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Domestic Politics and ElectionsFiring Tillerson Leaves US Diplomacy in Limbo
Mar 15, 2018Joe MacaronTillerson’s firing comes at a critical time in US foreign policy. New dynamics are emerging in the Trump Administration and the successor Mike Pompeo should ba…
