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LevantRegional Relations and GeopoliticsMiddle East Concerns of American Strategic Planners
Jul 26, 2018Gregory AftandilianUS strategic planners involved in the Middle East have concentrated on protecting vital sea lanes and assisting partner countries against threats, but without …
- Policy Analysis
IraqDemocracy and GovernanceIraq’s Southern Intifada: Mere Demands or a Popular Revolution?
Jul 25, 2018Abdulwahab Al-QassabThe latest protests in Iraq point to a public backlash against entrenched Shia parties involved in widespread corruption, sectarian politics, and loyalty to Ir…
- Policy AnalysisIraqEnergy and Economics
Controlling the Nasib Crossing Is a Game Changer for the Syrian Regime
Jul 19, 2018Joe MacaronThe imminent opening of the Nasib crossing on the Syrian-Jordanian border could revitalize commercial activities in the Levant; but challenges lie ahead, inclu…
- Policy AnalysisIraqDemocracy and Governance
The 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 AnalysisIraqConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The 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 AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
Mapping 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 AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfMigrants, Refugees, and IDPs
Hodeida 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 AnalysisLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Human 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 AnalysisIranConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Pompeo 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 AnalysisQatarConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The 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 AnalysisQatarThe GCC
One 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 AnalysisNorth AfricaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Political 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…
- 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 AnalysisIranConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Iraq 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 …
- ViewpointIraqDemocracy and Governance
Iraq’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 AnalysisLevantUS Domestic Politics and Elections
One 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,…
- ViewpointIranConflicts and Conflict Resolution
A 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 …
- ViewpointIranEnergy and Economics
Pompeo 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…
- 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 AnalysisIranIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
Saudi-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…
- ViewpointIranConflicts and Conflict Resolution
A 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…
- 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…
- 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 AnalysisIranDemocracy and Governance
The 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 AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfConflicts and Conflict Resolution
External 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 AnalysisIraqConflicts and Conflict Resolution
A 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 AnalysisIranConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The 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 AnalysisQatarConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The 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 AnalysisLevantUS Foreign Policy
Pompeo 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 AnalysisIranSecurity and Defense
Who 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…
- 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 AnalysisSaudi ArabiaSecurity and Defense
Saudi 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 AnalysisLevantUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Firing 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…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonEnergy and Economics
A Saudi Comeback to Lebanese Politics?
Mar 14, 2018Joe MacaronNearly 100 days after his mysterious “captivity” in the Saudi capital, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri visited Riyadh again on February 28. The timing c…
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Foreign Policy
Who is Mike Pompeo? A Political Profile of the Nominee for US Secretary of State
Mar 13, 2018Marcus MontgomeryWhen considering his policy positions, temperament, and personal relationship with President Trump, Pompeo is almost the polar opposite of outgoing Secretary o…
- ViewpointLevantUS Foreign Policy
Tillerson’s Departure: Implications for Middle East Policy
Mar 13, 2018Imad K. HarbPresident Donald Trump’s sacking of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has important ramifications for US policy in the Middle East, and specifically toward the …
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfSecurity and Defense
Strategic Considerations of the UAE’s Role in Yemen
Mar 9, 2018Abdulwahab Al-QassabThere are legitimate questions about whether the UAE is interested in keeping Yemen unified and sovereign under a national government recognized by the interna…
- Policy AnalysisLevantSecurity and Defense
Will Trump Further Militarize the Arab World?
Feb 28, 2018Marcus MontgomeryUnder the leadership of President Donald Trump, the Arab world may be poised for increased militarization as he pushes for military sales and it experiences nu…
- Policy AnalysisQatarConflicts and Conflict Resolution
US Allies Upstage Tillerson’s Mideast Tour
Feb 27, 2018Joe MacaronIsrael and Turkey dominated Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s first expanded high level trip to the Middle East as US foreign policy faces new regional challe…
- Policy AnalysisLevantEnergy and Economics
Turkey’s Challenge to Arab Interests in the Horn of Africa
Feb 22, 2018Mustafa GurbuzTurkey’s policies and many activities around the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa have added complications to the already complex strategic picture of the Middle…
- Policy AnalysisIraqIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
Is There a US Policy Toward the Kurds in Iraq and Syria?
Feb 21, 2018Gregory AftandilianRecent tensions between the United States and Turkey over US support for the Syrian Kurds have brought to the forefront the issue of US policy toward the Kurdi…
- Policy AnalysisIraqEnergy and Economics
Jordanian-Iraqi Relations on the Mend, but Problems Remain
Feb 8, 2018Gregory AftandilianEconomic necessities and opposition to the so-called Islamic State have brought Jordan and Iraq closer together, but Amman remains concerned about Baghdad’s li…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Fits and Starts Characterize UN Mediation in Yemen, Syria, and Libya
Feb 7, 2018Mohammed CherkaouiUnited Nations diplomacy regarding Yemen, Syria, and Libya may be undergoing a period of fatigue, or perhaps exhaustion, in searching for efficient formulas to…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
An Unsettling Overview of the Middle East in 2018
Feb 2, 2018Abdulwahab Al-QassabIt is clear from ongoing developments in the Middle East that the United States and Russia will continue to play a role that meets their own national interests…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfSecurity and Defense
The Aden Battle and Yemen’s De Facto Partition
Feb 2, 2018Joe MacaronIt is clear from ongoing developments in the Middle East that the United States and Russia will continue to play a role that meets their own national interests…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptUS Foreign Policy
The Middle East Nuclear Picture: Peaceful Programs or Not, Cause for Concern
Feb 2, 2018Charles W. DunneFocusing solely on the Iranian nuclear program has made Washington oblivious to some significant nuclear developments in other parts of the Middle East.
- Policy AnalysisOmanConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Determinants of Oman’s Strategic Position on the Gulf Crisis
Jan 23, 2018Imad K. HarbAs Oman seeks to steer a neutral course in the ongoing GCC crisis, Omani decision-makers worry that what happened with Qatar may be justified against their own…
- Policy AnalysisIraqDemocracy and Governance
Unsettling Times for Iraqi Kurdistan
Jan 10, 2018Mustafa GurbuzThe Sulaymaniyah protests last December have revealed a deep split in Iraqi Kurdistan. By pitting Sulaymaniyah against Irbil, Baghdad aims to capitalize on the…
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Foreign Policy
The Middle East in 2018: A Trump Administration To-Do List
Jan 9, 2018Charles W. DunneUS Middle East priorities in 2018 include Iran, the fate of the two-state solution, and managing instability in Iraq and Syria. US policy confusion and lack of…
- Policy AnalysisIranDemocracy and Governance
Regime Unity Will Decide the Fate of Iran’s Protests
Jan 4, 2018Imad K. HarbIranian protesters’ slogans and demands indicate that there is much angst and frustration with the slow pace of political reform, the glacial movement of econo…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaThe GCC
Costly Mistakes in Saudi Decision-Making in Yemen and Lebanon
Dec 27, 2017Imad K. HarbSaudi Arabia’s mistakes and poor decision-making in Yemen and Lebanon have been at the heart of recent failures to deal with the two countries and have allowed…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptMedia and Technology
Press Freedom Reversals in Post-Arab Spring Countries
Dec 18, 2017Sahar KhamisJust like the path to democratization and reform has been obstructed or derailed in most of the Arab Spring countries, so has the path to media freedom, in a p…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
Implications of Saleh’s Assassination on Yemen’s Future
Dec 8, 2017Joe MacaronFor the Iranian regime, Yemen remains a low-risk investment at Saudi Arabia’s border; and the impression in Tehran is that Saleh’s assassination forced Riyadh’…
- Policy AnalysisQatarEnergy and Economics
The GCC’s Future Is in the Balance after Its 38th Summit Meeting
Dec 7, 2017Imad K. HarbThe GCC should be preserved despite the failure of its 38th summit meeting in Kuwait and the establishment of a Saudi Arabian-Emirati new political and militar…
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Foreign Policy
Missing Considerations of the Counterterrorism Alliance
Nov 29, 2017Imad K. HarbThe first meeting of the Islamic Military Counterterrorism Coalition, which took place in Riyadh, may have provided recognition of MbS’s leadership of the Musl…
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Foreign Policy
US Military Planning in the Middle East: Increasing Challenges, Vague Strategies
Nov 28, 2017Charles W. DunneUncertainties about US military policy, intentions, and ambitions in the Middle East together with many political challenges and developments increase the conf…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Trump Embraces the Saudi Vision of the Yemen Conflict
Nov 22, 2017Gregory AftandilianPresident Trump has adopted the Saudi leadership’s position that the Yemen conflict is a case of Iranian and proxy adventurism that needs to be rolled back and…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
Is Power Trumping Legitimacy in Saudi Arabia?
Nov 16, 2017Imad K. HarbPrince Mohammed bin Salman’s Machiavellianism endangers at least three pillars of legitimate rule in Saudi Arabia: royal family consensual decision-making, con…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
US Curbs Saudi Arabia’s Surge in Lebanon
Nov 14, 2017Joe MacaronClear statements from the White House and the Department of State appear to have curbed the Saudi surge in Beirut and toned down Riyadh’s rhetoric against the …
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
Is Mohammed bin Salman Overplaying His Hand?
Nov 6, 2017Imad K. HarbMohammed bin Salman may think that consolidating power in his hands will help the kingdom face its challenges, but he would do well to know that sidelining imp…
- Policy AnalysisIraqRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Amid Regional Chaos, US Seeks Improved Saudi-Iraqi Ties
Nov 6, 2017Charles W. DunneDespite many pitfalls, the Trump Administration is quite keen on helping to improve relations between Saudi Arabia and Iraq in an effort to contain Iranian inf…
- Policy AnalysisLevantRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Ankara’s Ambiguous Policy toward a Divided GCC
Oct 30, 2017Mustafa GurbuzAs a key player in the GCC crisis, Turkey has tried to support Qatar while avoiding potential deterioration in Ankara-GCC relations, which would result in nega…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
Domestic Troubles for the Saudi Arabian Leadership
Oct 24, 2017Imad K. HarbMohammed bin Salman’s challenge to established norms of governance in Saudi Arabia and the abrupt changes in its economic and social conditions may help pull t…
- Policy AnalysisIraqConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Kirkuk Battle Is a Watershed Event for Iraq
Oct 19, 2017Abdulwahab Al-QassabThe Iraqi central government harnessed domestic and international support to abort the Kurdish referendum for independence, in the process weakening the KRG’s …
- Policy AnalysisIranSecurity and Defense
The Art of (Decertifying) the Deal: Trump’s Iran Strategy and the Nuclear Agreement’s Future
Oct 17, 2017Charles W. DunneThe president’s decertifying the Iran nuclear deal does not terminate US participation in the JCPOA but opens the door to such a move, roils US relations with …
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Will US, Saudi Pressure Deter Hezbollah in Lebanon?
Oct 12, 2017Joe MacaronGiven the current status quo in Lebanon, the best American and Saudi pressure can do is to make the country’s political environment unbearable for Hezbollah.
