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The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign PolicyUS 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 AnalysisLevantRegional Relations and Geopolitics
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 …
- ViewpointLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
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 AnalysisLevantRegional 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 AnalysisLevantSecurity 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…
- Policy AnalysisLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
US Visa Waiver Program: Israel Will Not Reciprocate
Jul 10, 2023Jonathan KuttabThe United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP) permits, on a reciprocal basis, the entry of citizens of about 40 countries for 90 days for business or tourism wit…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Egypt’s National Dialogue: A Lost Opportunity for National Salvage
Jul 7, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniThe Egyptian National Dialogue began in May 2023, following a one-year delay since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi suddenly announced plans for it in April 2022…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
The UAE-Saudi Arabia Rivalry Becomes a Rift
Jul 6, 2023Charles W. DunneSaudi Arabia and the UAE are waging a quiet struggle to determine who will emerge as the Arabian Gulf’s—and maybe the Arab world’s—preeminent power.
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Israel’s Attack on Jenin Refugee Camp: The Next Stage of Apartheid
Jul 5, 2023Yousef MunayyerThe Jenin refugee camp sits adjacent to the Palestinian city of Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank. The camp’s registered population numbers around 2…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
Saudi-US Relations in a Changing Global and Regional Landscape
Jun 29, 2023Kristian Coates UlrichsenKristian Coates Ulrichsen discusses the current state of Saudi-US relations as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seeks to chart a new course in domestic and for…
- Policy AnalysisJordanConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Israel’s Practices and Its “Respect” for Jordan’s Role in Jerusalem: A Legal Study
Jun 27, 2023Anis Fawzi KassimMany observers have objected to the Abraham Accords that were signed between Israel and various Arab states, each for their own reasons. I myself staunchly opp…
- Policy AnalysisSudanConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The US and the Sudan Conflict: Motives and Ability to Influence Events
Jun 27, 2023Arab Center for Research and Policy StudiesThe United States and Saudi Arabia announced on June 17, 2023 that both sides to the conflict in Sudan—the Sudanese Army Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support For…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelReligion and Politics
A Soft “Status Quo”: The Gradual Collapse of the Jewish Religious Prohibition on Entering Jerusalem’s Noble Sanctuary
Jun 22, 2023Honaida GhanimThe “Status Quo” around Jerusalem’s Noble Sanctuary (al-Haram al-Sharif) has become part of the general discourse since the Israeli occupation of the West Bank…
- Policy AnalysisTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
Rebuilding Tunisia’s Democracy Will Require a Long-Term Strategy
Jun 22, 2023Daniel BrumbergFor now, neither the urban middle class nor the Tunisian General Labor Union seem ready for a full-on collision with the president.
- Policy AnalysisTurkeyDemocracy and Governance
The Erdoğan Doctrine in the Wake of Turkey’s Elections
Jun 22, 2023Mustafa GurbuzWhen Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced his new cabinet following his victory in the May 2023 presidential election, a positive mood ensued. Turk…
- Policy AnalysisIranRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Despite US Efforts, Iran is Ascendant
Jun 21, 2023Charles W. DunneIran today is not nearly as isolated as Washington had hoped and it has scored some impressive successes in advancing its regional agenda.
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
The Continuation of Lebanon’s Presidential Debacle
Jun 21, 2023Patricia KaramIt should come as no surprise to Lebanese citizens or the international community that the country remains without a president after more than 7 months and 12 …
- Policy AnalysisIraqUS Foreign Policy
Shock and Awe: Life in Iraq Twenty Years after the US-led Invasion
Jun 16, 2023Yara M. AsiThis year marks a significant milestone in the American-led “Global War on Terror,” especially in relation to Iraq. It has been 20 years since former Secretary…
- Policy AnalysisLibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Despite Libya’s Progress on Election Laws, Deep Divisions Remain
Jun 13, 2023Gregory AftandilianRecent meetings in Morocco between representatives of Libya’s two main factions, the Government of National Unity (GNU) in the West and the House of Representa…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Egypt and Iran: A Quest for Normalized Ties Amid Significant Obstacles
Jun 9, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniEgypt and Iran appear to be moving toward a closer relationship and a mending of ties. In recent months, officials from both countries have engaged in multiple…
- Policy AnalysisMoroccoDemocracy and Governance
Morocco’s Concerning Domestic and Foreign Policies
Jun 7, 2023Imad K. HarbAs Morocco works to become a pivotal power in northwest Africa’s security sphere, it continues to suffer from what can be seen as self-inflicted wounds caused …
- Policy AnalysisSecurity and Defense
Congress Is Not Ready to Leave the Middle East
May 31, 2023Douglas ChristensenOn March 29, 2023 the Senate voted to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) for Iraq, attempting to end the two-decade-l…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
The Jeddah Arab League Summit: MBS’s Final Crowning
May 31, 2023Imad K. HarbThe 32nd Arab League Summit was little more than the final crowning of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince as the leader of the current Arab political order.
- Policy AnalysisTurkeyDemocracy and Governance
Turkish Elections in a Post-Truth Political Landscape
May 24, 2023Mustafa GurbuzThe scene was all too familiar in the headquarters of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) on the day of the recent Turkish election. Giant portraits o…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Democrats and Republicans’ Positions on Israel Ahead of the 2024 Election
May 24, 2023Gregory AftandilianAlthough relations with Israel are usually foreign policy talking points for American politicians ahead of national elections, it seems that the issue has come…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelMigrants, Refugees, and IDPs
The Nakba’s Coming Stages: Patterns, Process, and Predictability
May 15, 2023Yousef MunayyerThe Nakba, a term that describes events in Palestine surrounding the establishment of the State of Israel from 1947 to 1949, which included the ethnic cleansin…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Young Palestinians’ Aspirations for the Future
May 15, 2023Yara M. AsiOne night in December 2022, 15-year-old Jana Zakarneh was at home with her family in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. The night probably began like any ot…
- Policy AnalysisTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
Tunisia’s Broken Democracy: A Preliminary Assessment
May 12, 2023Daniel BrumbergWith Tunisia’s slide into autocracy accelerating every day, this hardly seems the best moment to undertake a frank assessment of its democratic experiment. To …
- Policy AnalysisSudanConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Sudan Crisis: How Regional Actors’ Competing Interests Fuel the Conflict
May 11, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniThe outbreak of military clashes between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have resulted in the deaths of hundreds and t…
- Policy AnalysisLevantDemocracy and Governance
Turkey’s Upcoming Elections: A Country at a Crossroads
May 10, 2023Salim ÇevikOn May 14, Turkey will be heading to the polls for what many have deemed the most important election of 2023. For the first time in two decades, President Rece…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaEnergy and Economics
Saudi Oil Production Cuts: A Self-Interested Move
May 10, 2023Patricia KaramSaudi Arabia’s announcement last month of surprise oil production cuts reverberated around the world. The cuts consisted of a voluntary reduction of 500,000 ba…
- Policy AnalysisYemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Thorny Relationship between Yemen’s Government and the Southern Transitional Council
May 3, 2023Afrah NasserIn Yemen, the Southern Movement calling for separation between the North and South of Yemen is controversial. For those who oppose it, it is a simple secession…
- Policy AnalysisIraqSecurity and Defense
Twenty Years after “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq: A Critical Assessment
May 2, 2023Charles W. DunneThe crisis had been building for months when, on March 20, 2003, this author stood with a group of military officers deep inside the Pentagon, watching a telev…
- Policy AnalysisTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
Kais Saied’s Fantasies Are Drowning Tunisia
Apr 27, 2023Daniel BrumbergThe April 18 arrest of Rached Ghannouchi represents a dramatic escalation of Tunisian President Kais Saied’s assault on the political opposition. The leader of…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arab WorldGlobal Health and Health Policy
Challenges Facing the Arab World’s Health Care Professionals
Apr 26, 2023Yara M. AsiIn 2022, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate released a shocking report, finding that over 10,000 Egyptian doctors resigned from positions in government hospitals d…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Israel’s Normalization with Arab States Slows as Repression of Palestinians Rises
Apr 19, 2023Gregory AftandilianIsrael’s extreme right-wing government and its draconian policies toward the Palestinians have slowed down efforts to expand the so-called Abraham Accords, a p…
- Policy AnalysisLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
What Does Normalization with Assad Mean for Accountability and a Political Resolution?
Apr 18, 2023Patricia KaramAgainst the backdrop of Syria’s impending return to the Arab fold, French judges this month ordered three high-ranking Syrian intelligence officers to stand tr…
- ViewpointSudanDemocracy and Governance
Sudan’s Transitional Process Is Dead and Buried
Apr 17, 2023Imad K. HarbIt would be very difficult to consider the ongoing intra-military conflict in Sudan as a struggle to advance the cause of democratic development in the country…
- ViewpointEgyptRegional Relations and Geopolitics
The Fallout of Sisi’s Gambit with Russia
Apr 14, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniA leaked US intelligence document has revealed that Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi allegedly instructed officials to secretly produce and ship rockets,…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelReligion and Politics
On the Struggle Between the Founding Colonialists and the New Colonialists of Israel
Apr 14, 2023Honaida GhanimIsrael today is witnessing an unprecedented internal struggle that has split Israeli society into two contentious groups separated by what is, at least at the …
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Foreign Policy
The United States’ Weak Response to the Netanyahu Government
Apr 12, 2023Douglas ChristensenIn December of last year, Benjamin Netanyahu once again returned to the position of prime minister in Israel, leading a new far-right governing coalition that …
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfClimate and Environment
The Costs and Benefits of Water Desalination in the Gulf
Apr 12, 2023Achref ChibaniDesalination has been identified as one technology that could help solve Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries’ water scarcity problem. Desalination is a co…
- Policy AnalysisLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Israel’s Policy of Fragmentation Harms Palestinian Hopes for a Sovereign State
Apr 6, 2023Jonathan KuttabRecent reports by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, and others have labeled Israel an apartheid state. Thi…
- Policy AnalysisLibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Can Libya’s Stalemate Be Overcome?
Apr 4, 2023Patricia KaramAfter riveting the world in 2011 with a revolution that led to the fall of Muammar Qaddafi, one of the world’s most brutal dictators, Libya has largely receded…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Discrimination Fuels Intra-Palestinian Violence and Crime in Israel
Mar 30, 2023Yara M. AsiIn recent weeks, it has been impossible to miss the protests taking place in Israel against proposed judicial reforms laid out by the country’s new extreme rig…
- Policy Analysis
IranSecurity and DefenseIran’s Nuclear Program Poses Challenges for China and the United States
Mar 29, 2023Daniel BrumbergNow that China has brokered a renewal of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, it must translate that achievement into real tangible benefits. After all, fo…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Geopolitics of Small Islands: The Stalemate of Tiran and Sanafir’s Transfer Impacts Egypt-Saudi Relations
Mar 29, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniIn June 2017, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi consented to ceding sovereignty over the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia. However, nearly si…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Obstacles to a Turkey-Syria Reconciliation
Mar 29, 2023Salim ÇevikSyrian President Bashar al-Assad paid an important visit to Moscow in mid-March 2023. One of the main agenda items was the Turkish-Syrian reconciliation that R…
- Policy AnalysisSyriaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Arab States Are Normalizing with Syria’s Assad Regime
Mar 28, 2023Gregory AftandilianTaking advantage of the devastating earthquake that ravaged parts of northwestern Syria in February, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has tried to use the trag…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Relations and Geopolitics
The GCC Is On Board with the Saudi-Iran Agreement
Mar 27, 2023Kristian Coates UlrichsenThe signing of a joint trilateral statement by senior national security officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran in the presence of Chinese officials in Beijing on…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptUS Foreign Policy
US Middle East Policy: The Trump-Biden Doctrine in Action
Mar 22, 2023Charles W. DunneAll US presidents, it seems, need their own foreign policy “doctrine.” President James Monroe famously started the trend in 1823, and many others—Truman, Eisen…
- Policy AnalysisYemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Yemen and the Saudi-Iran Rapprochement
Mar 22, 2023Nabeel A. KhouryIn the closing scene of the 1942 film Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart, walking off into the fog with his occasional nemesis as they plan their next move together, …
- Policy AnalysisLebanonRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Lebanon and Syria and the Saudi-Iran Detente
Mar 21, 2023Imad K. HarbThe recent China-brokered agreement between Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran is expected to have a de-escalating effect on many issues in the Midd…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Relations and Geopolitics
China as Middle East Matchmaker
Mar 16, 2023Daniel BrumbergWhile the central role that China recently played in renewing diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia underscores the United States’ declining influ…
- Policy AnalysisLevantMigrants, Refugees, and IDPs
Politics, Displacement, and the Human Toll of the Recent Earthquake in Syria
Mar 15, 2023Heba GowayedOn February 6, 2023, the earth shifted at the fault line that runs along the Turkey-Syria border, resulting in a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which was followed j…
- Policy AnalysisYemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Oman’s Interests and Role in the Conflict in Yemen
Mar 14, 2023Afrah NasserIn the course of the conflict in Yemen, Oman’s role has evolved substantially and in various ways. Currently, expectations are high that the sultanate will be …
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
A New Model for Presidential Elections in Lebanon
Mar 9, 2023Patricia KaramIt has been four months since former Lebanese President Michel Aoun left office in October 2022, after a presidential term marred by a series of catastrophic e…
