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- Policy AnalysisRegional Relations and Geopolitics
The Far East Pivots to the Middle East
Jan 3, 2024Nabeel A. KhouryThe phrase “Pivot to the East,” popularized during the Obama administration, signified a realization of the rising importance of China and of growing US intere…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Arouri’s Assassination Will Achieve Nothing
Jan 3, 2024Imad K. HarbIn its pursuit of Hamas leaders, an Israeli drone has assassinated Saleh al-Arouri, the Deputy Chairman of Hamas’s Political Bureau, a senior official in the o…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Russia and China on Gaza: Sidelined, Lurking—or Winning?
Dec 22, 2023Charles W. DunneIt wasn’t that long ago that Russia and China seemed to dominate the Middle East, and the United States was on the brink of relegation to the sidelines.Russia …
- Policy AnalysisClimate and Environment
COP28: Achievements Fall Short of the Goal
Dec 21, 2023Afrah NasserThe recently concluded United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, otherwise known as COP28, marked a significant moment in global efforts to address cl…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The Israel-Hamas War in American Politics
Dec 21, 2023Gregory AftandilianAny rational discourse in the United States about the Israel-Hamas war increasingly has been subject to political litmus tests, as Israel supporters and Republ…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Lebanon’s Political Forces Oppose a War with Israel
Dec 20, 2023Patricia KaramWith a heightened risk of the Gaza war spilling over into Lebanon, currently mired in acute political, economic, and social crises, the country’s politicians v…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelInternational Law
The Case for Prosecuting Israel for Genocide in Gaza
Dec 14, 2023Jonathan KuttabThe current Israeli war on Gaza has given rise to questions about whether it is possible to invoke the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Shifting the Paradigm: The One-State Solution as a Path to Peace
Dec 14, 2023Samer ElchahabiThe current round of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, marked by the deaths of some 1,200 people in Israel and more than 18,000 Palestinians in Gaza, as well as th…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Criminal Injustice in the “Court of Occupation”: Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Jails
Dec 13, 2023Yara M. AsiAhed Tamimi was just 16 when she was first arrested by Israel, after kicking and shoving two Israeli soldiers who raided her village in the occupied West Bank …
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Are Israel and the United States on a Collision Course?
Dec 13, 2023Daniel BrumbergIn a December 8 story that seems to have received little attention in western press coverage of Israel’s expanding military campaign in Gaza was this nugget of…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Expand the Arab Peace Initiative to Increase Its Chances of Success
Dec 7, 2023Rami G. KhouriSome in the Arab region and the international community seem to expect that after the Israeli war on Gaza and the destruction of most life systems in the Strip…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Egypt Muddles Through the Crisis in Gaza
Dec 6, 2023Imad K. HarbEgypt has considered the Gaza Strip to be a soft underbelly since it ruled it prior to 1967, but also after it regained control of the Sinai Peninsula from Isr…
- Policy AnalysisYemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Assessing Yemen as a Second Front in the Gaza War
Nov 30, 2023Nabeel A. KhouryOn November 19, Yemen’s Houthis hijacked a cargo ship indirectly linked to Israel as it was traveling in the Red Sea. Much like their firing of missiles toward…
- Policy AnalysisTurkeyRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Erdoğan, Gaza, and Turkey’s Regional Reconciliation
Nov 30, 2023Salim ÇevikTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's first statements following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli war on the Gaza Strip were …
- Policy AnalysisIranRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Hamas’s “Al-Aqsa Flood” Challenges Iran’s Axis of Resistance
Nov 27, 2023Daniel BrumbergWhile the Biden administration, with Qatar’s support, has succeeded in securing a deal with Israel and Hamas for a combat “pause,” it remains to be seen if thi…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Relations and Geopolitics
GCC States and the War on Gaza: Positions, Perceptions, and Interests
Nov 22, 2023Kristian Coates UlrichsenThe war on Gaza has for all intents and purposes reinstated the centrality of the Palestinian issue to the regional and international politics of the Middle Ea…
- External ReadingsPalestine/IsraelEnergy and Economics
Israel’s Central Bank Governor Tries to Assure International Markets
Nov 21, 2023Barhoum JaraisiLast October, at a conference of the International Monetary Fund in the United States, the Governor of the Central Bank of Israel Amir Yaron sought to reassure…
- ViewpointLebanonConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Hezbollah Reluctantly Awaits Israel’s Decision on War
Nov 17, 2023Imad K. HarbThe frontline on the Lebanese-Israeli border continues to witness the real skirmishes of an undeclared war between Israel and Hezbollah. Reciprocal attacks bet…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Gaza, the Ruin of US Policy, and a Transformed Middle East
Nov 16, 2023Charles W. DunneThe Biden administration must act quickly and offer specific plans and timelines to shape post-conflict expectations and establish its priorities with the part…
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Foreign Policy
US Military Presence in the Middle East: Deterrence and Retaliation
Nov 14, 2023Gregory AftandilianThe United States has recently bolstered its military presence in the Middle East as the Israeli war on Gaza escalated. Bolstering this presence is meant to de…
- Policy AnalysisSyriaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Does Syria Have a Role in the Israel-Hamas Conflict?
Nov 6, 2023Patricia KaramAs the war between Israel and Hamas rages, the Middle East is bracing for a wider, multi-front regional conflict that will have serious repercussions for the g…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Nasrallah Steers Clear of War
Nov 3, 2023Imad K. HarbWhere is Hezbollah and its General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah? This was a natural refrain over almost the last four weeks, voiced by many observers and partisa…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Gaza and the Harbingers of Future Conflict
Oct 30, 2023Nabeel A. KhouryThe shock of civilian deaths in the latest Israel-Hamas conflagration is both a marker and a warning. It is a marker because for the first time Palestinians to…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelGlobal Health and Health Policy
Palestinians Are Denied Humanity, Even after Death
Oct 30, 2023Yara M. AsiOn October 25, 2023, US President Joe Biden made the stunning and unprecedented statement that he had “no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are us…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelGlobal Health and Health Policy
“An Open-Air Graveyard”: The Unfolding Health Catastrophe in the Gaza Strip
Oct 27, 2023Yara M. AsiIt is impossible to count the number of reports, studies, press releases, and statements that have reported the unbearable conditions of life for Palestinians …
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelInternational Law
Israel, Gaza, and the Laws of War
Oct 27, 2023Jonathan KuttabAddressing his troops as they amass to attack the Gaza Strip, Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant publicly announced that the new Israeli war cabinet, wh…
- Policy AnalysisLevantRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Erdoǧan’s Calculations as the Israel-Gaza Conflict Escalates
Oct 25, 2023Mustafa GurbuzOn October 20, during Friday prayers at the historic Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul, Ali Erbas, the head of Turkey's state-run religious affairs directorate, …
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Will Saudi Arabia Renew the “Arab Peace Initiative” as the Middle East Seethes?
Oct 23, 2023Daniel BrumbergWhether Hamas’s October 7 assault has ended whatever prospects existed for forging diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia remains to be seen. The…
- Policy AnalysisSyriaIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
Syrian Kurds in an Increasingly Precarious Position
Oct 18, 2023Gregory AftandilianSyrian Kurds associated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are increasingly seeing their autonomous entity in northeastern Syria threatened by internal an…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The War on Gaza: Deterrence or Inching toward Direct US Involvement?
Oct 17, 2023Khalil E. JahshanThe official American position has passed through three phases in less than ten days. First, like Israel itself, Washington and its western allies suffered fro…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
A New Diplomatic Path Is Urgent after Gaza, But Without the Previous Mistakes
Oct 16, 2023Charles W. DunneThe horrifying October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants has left the world aghast. The murder of Israelis (and Americans, French, Russians, Ukrainians, an…
- Policy AnalysisIranRegional Relations and Geopolitics
On the Limits of Iran’s Policy of “Maximum Tactical Flexibility”
Oct 13, 2023Daniel BrumbergAt some point, the tactical balls Tehran has been juggling could fall to the ground with unpredictable or dangerous strategic results.
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Unlikelihood of a Hezbollah-Israel War
Oct 13, 2023Imad K. HarbAs Israel turns to punish the Gaza Strip and its people for the Hamas attack on October 7, speculation arises as to whether the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation will …
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelMedia and Technology
Disinformation and Hate Speech on Social Media Contribute to Inciting War Crimes Against Gaza
Oct 13, 2023Tamara KharroubDuring major events like violent conflict, there is a vacuum of verified and accurate information, as well as high interest and emotions. As the fog of war and…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Saudi-Israeli Normalization and the Hamas Attack
Oct 11, 2023Kristian Coates UlrichsenWhen Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) sat down on September 20 with Brett Baier of Fox News for his first English-language television inter…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Hamas Attack on Israel: Context, Analysis, and Potential Repercussions
Oct 10, 2023Yara M. Asi Imad K. Harb Khalil E. Jahshan Tamara Kharroub Laurie King Jonathan Kuttab Yousef MunayyerOn October 7, 2023, the Islamic Resistance Movement (better known by its Arabic-derived acronym, Hamas) launched a multifaceted surprise attack on Israel that …
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfEnergy and Economics
The Geopolitics of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
Oct 10, 2023Giorgio CafieroAt the G20 summit held in New Delhi in September 2023, the leaders of France, Germany, India, Italy, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States,…
- ViewpointUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Chaos in the US House of Representatives
Oct 5, 2023Imad K. HarbThe Republican-controlled US House of Representatives just voted to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from his post, a first in the chamber’s history. The vot…
- ViewpointEgyptUS Foreign Policy
The Menendez Fiasco: Implications for US-Egyptian Relations
Oct 4, 2023Khalil E. JahshanWashington has been abuzz lately over the shocking political intrigue involving the Egyptian government of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the powerful former chairma…
- Policy AnalysisTurkeyEnergy and Economics
Turkey’s Ambitions in Iraq Play Out in Kirkuk
Oct 3, 2023Mustafa GurbuzIn late August, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani stirred the pot of existing tensions when he ordered the evacuation of the Iraqi military’s Joint…
- Policy AnalysisAlgeriaDemocracy and Governance
In Algeria, the More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
Oct 3, 2023Patricia KaramMore than four years have passed since the Hirak protest movement threatened to upend Algeria’s political and military leadership structure. Since then, the co…
- Policy Analysis
Biden’s Gifts to Netanyahu: Making Sense of the Motivations
Sep 28, 2023Yousef MunayyerA Democratic presidential administration in Washington has coincided with the most far-right Israeli government in history, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, who on m…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The Awkward Biden-Netanyahu Encounter Was a Dud
Sep 22, 2023Khalil E. JahshanAlthough the United States and Israel have enjoyed a uniquely close alliance since the latter’s declaration of statehood on May 14, 1948, the bilateral relatio…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelEducation and Development
Political Persecution of Palestinians Using the Education System and Israeli Universities
Sep 21, 2023Mada al-CarmelSince the formation of Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s sixth government December 29, 2022, it has become clear—as outlined in previous papers from …
- Policy AnalysisYemenEnergy and Economics
Yemen’s War Economy: A Key Factor in the Ongoing Conflict
Sep 20, 2023Afrah NasserAs Houthi negotiators leave Saudi Arabia after five days of talks with Saudi officials regarding the contours of a compromise solution to Yemen’s ongoing confl…
- Policy AnalysisLibyaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
The Recent Libya-Israel Debacle Is Symptomatic of Larger Problems
Sep 13, 2023Gregory AftandilianThe controversy and severe public backlash surrounding news of a late-August meeting between the Libyan and Israeli foreign ministers in Rome is symptomatic of…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
The International Criminal Court’s Failure to Hold Israel Accountable
Sep 12, 2023Jonathan KuttabAlthough the International Criminal Court was created by the Rome Statute in 1994, it has never successfully been used to hold Israel to account for its abuses…
- Policy AnalysisKuwaitDemocracy and Governance
Challenges Facing Kuwait’s Parliamentary Democracy
Sep 12, 2023Imad K. HarbWatching Kuwait’s seemingly dysfunctional political scene gives one the impression that the country is on a course toward endless instability and disorder. Las…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelEducation and Development
The Politics of Palestinian Universities
Sep 8, 2023Yara M. AsiMany have argued that in the absence of a unified Palestinian liberation movement, and even of the ability to participate in the current mechanisms of governan…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
The Threat of Renewed Sectarian Violence in Lebanon
Sep 5, 2023Patricia KaramTwo people were killed on August 9 in the village of Kahaleh in central Lebanon, in one of the deadliest shootouts since the bloody 2021 clashes in the Tayoune…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Assessing the Abraham Accords, Three Years On
Aug 31, 2023Dana El KurdArab-Israeli normalization is one of those curious policy areas where the Biden administration has enthusiastically pursued its predecessor’s positions, even i…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
The Saudi-Israeli Normalization Gambit: Deal or No Deal?
Aug 30, 2023Khalil E. JahshanAfter weeks of conflicting accounts from columnists and journalists about the outcome of the Biden administration’s intensive shuttle diplomacy aimed at convin…
- Policy AnalysisSudanConflicts and Conflict Resolution
In Sudan, Where Is the International Community’s Responsibility to Protect?
Aug 29, 2023Imad K. HarbIt has been more than four months since clashes erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Ra…
- Policy AnalysisUS Foreign Policy
Joe Biden’s Imaginary Middle East Policy
Aug 24, 2023Charles W. DunneOver his more than four decades of service as a US senator, vice president, and now as president, Joe Biden has cultivated an image of the consummate foreign p…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaThe War in Ukraine
The Russia-Ukraine Jeddah Meeting: A Win for MBS in a Changing Global Order
Aug 24, 2023Daniel BrumbergOver the first weekend of August 2023, Saudi Arabia convened an international summit on the war in Ukraine. Held in Jeddah and attended by representatives from…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Ending Military Aid to Israel: The Death of a Taboo?
Aug 21, 2023Yousef MunayyerIf there is one thing that characterizes American-Israeli relations more than any other it is US military aid to Israel, which currently amounts to nearly $4 b…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy
US Troop Buildup in the Gulf Reemphasizes Military Power
Aug 15, 2023Gregory AftandilianThe US military has recently significantly increased its presence in the Arabian Gulf, a show of force aimed primarily at deterring Iran from attacking or hara…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
US Negotiations for a Tripartite Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Israel: Context and Calculations
Aug 14, 2023Arab Center for Research and Policy StudiesSaudi Arabia and the United States are conducting complex negotiations in order to achieve a tripartite agreement that would include normalization between the …
- Policy AnalysisLebanonMigrants, Refugees, and IDPs
The Plight and Politics of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
Aug 8, 2023Patricia KaramWhen Syria’s regime was readmitted into the Arab League and its president, Bashar al Assad, rehabilitated after years of ostracism for his brutal crackdown on …
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelDemocracy and Governance
The Persistent Illusion of Palestinian Reconciliation
Aug 7, 2023Khalil E. JahshanRepresentatives of 14 Palestinian political factions, including Fatah and Hamas, were invited to the Egyptian coastal city of El-Alamein on July 30, 2023 for r…
- Policy AnalysisTurkeyRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Erdoğan Seeks Better Relations with the West after His Reelection
Aug 7, 2023Salim ÇevikTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan seems to have changed course on his country’s foreign relations. At the last NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, he final…
- Policy AnalysisIraqDemocracy and Governance
Iran’s Hardliners on the March: The Quiet Before the Storm?
Aug 3, 2023Daniel BrumbergThe recent redeployment of Iran’s dreaded “morality police” signals much more than a victory for the country’s hardliners. Instead, it seems to be part and par…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelDemocracy and Governance
Fending for Themselves: The Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority
Aug 3, 2023Yara M. AsiOn July 3, 2023, Israeli forces raided the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, with a specific focus on the refugee camp that borders the municipality. Th…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptEnergy and Economics
Egypt Is in Serious Trouble Seven Decades after Its Free Officers Revolution
Jul 25, 2023Imad K. HarbSeventy-one years after its July 23, 1952 Revolution, organized by the Free Officers Movement, Egypt’s difficult economic conditions threaten to unravel the ve…
- Intern CornerTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
Disinformation as a Tool of Regime Survival in Tunisia
Jul 21, 2023C. Ian DeHavenDisinformation—false information created with the intent to mislead others—swamped the 2019 Tunisian presidential election, creating a confused and volatile po…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Americans Opt for a Democratic Israel, Not a Jewish State
Jul 20, 2023Imad K. HarbThe University of Maryland and Ipsos conducted a “Critical Issues Poll” from June 21 to 27 to probe Americans’ views on Israel, Zionism, and anti-Semitism. The…
- Policy AnalysisNorth AfricaSecurity and Defense
The Fate of the Wagner Group in Syria, Libya, and Sudan
Jul 18, 2023Gregory AftandilianThe failed mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin has put the fate of his Wagner Group doubt, not only in Ukraine but in several Arab states as well.
- Policy AnalysisIranUS Foreign Policy
Are the United States and Iran Moving Closer to a New Nuclear Deal?
Jul 14, 2023Arab Center for Research and Policy StudiesThe last few weeks have witnessed an active diplomatic movement between Tehran and Western countries, especially the United States, regarding resolving the cri…
- Policy AnalysisIraqDemocracy and Governance
Sudani’s Premiership Is Failing in the Iraqi Fight Against Corruption
Jul 12, 2023Patricia KaramWhen Mohammed Shia` al-Sudani became prime minister of Iraq, he made it a priority to combat endemic corruption in the country and help restore citizen trust i…