• 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…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqUS Foreign Policy

    The “Dos and Don’ts” of Defeating ISIS: Obama’s wasted 13-minutes

    Dec 6, 2015Tamara Kharroub Roxanne Perugino

    Giving his first Oval Office speech during his second term, President Obama addressed the nation on December 6, 2015 following the San Bernardino attack to rea…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Imagining a Conflict Resolution in Syria: Implications for US Policy

    Dec 1, 2015Joe Macaron

    The Vienna talks on October 30 launched the third international attempt to resolve the four-year-old conflict in Syria, proposing an end to violence “as soon a…

  • Research Paper
    Media and Technology

    Beyond Trump: Celebrity Candidates, Mediatization of Politics, and US Middle East Policy

    Oct 20, 2015Tamara Kharroub

    The 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
    SyriaSecurity and Defense

    Russia’s Middle East Moves and US Options

    Oct 15, 2015Yousef Munayyer

    BackgroundIn 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 Politics

    Five things you need to know about women in Islam: Implications for advancing women’s rights in the Middle East

    Oct 4, 2015Tamara Kharroub

    The 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
    Media and Technology

    Cyberactivism in the Middle East: Six potentials and six limitations of new media technologies in democratization

    Sep 30, 2015Tamara Kharroub

    The 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
    Identity Politics and Sectarianization

    Understanding Violent Extremism: The Social Psychology of Identity and Group Dynamics

    Sep 25, 2015Tamara Kharroub

    The 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
    Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy

    The Dynamics of Israeli Settler Terrorism and US Options

    Sep 15, 2015Yousef Munayyer

    IntroductionOn 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
    IranRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    The Iran Nuclear Deal and its Implications for the Region

    Jul 31, 2015Yousef Munayyer

    The 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…