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The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign PolicyThe United States Ends its Combat Role in Iraq
Apr 26, 2021Gregory AftandilianAt the recent meeting of the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue, negotiators decided to end the combat mission of US troops engaged in the fight against remnants of th…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyWill the Natanz Incident Produce Maximum Diplomacy?
Apr 23, 2021Daniel BrumbergJust two days after what appeared to be an Israeli-backed sabotage of Iran’s Natanz enrichment facilities, The Washington Post’s editorial board declared that …
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and GovernanceThe Palestinian Elections and Jerusalem
Apr 20, 2021Jonathan KuttabFifteen years have elapsed since the last elections in Palestine, and now Palestinians are poised to hold a new round for the Legislative Council of the Palest…
- Policy Analysis
AlgeriaProtests and ActivismDemocratic Transition in Algeria: The Regime-Hirak Face-off
Apr 19, 2021Louisa Dris-Aït HamadoucheFor the first time in its history, Algeria is experiencing a political uprising that began in 2019 and is characterized as inclusive, peaceful, popular, and re…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonIdentity Politics and SectarianizationHezbollah in Moscow: Russia Flexes Its Diplomatic Muscles
Apr 14, 2021Joe MacaronIn a medium-sized van with no bodyguards, on a rainy March 15, 2021, a Hezbollah delegation quietly walked into the Russian Foreign Ministry building in Moscow…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyBiden’s Apparent Failure on Israel-Palestine
Apr 13, 2021Imad K. HarbPresident Joe Biden’s 100-day milestone is approaching with pronounced successes in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, righting the ship of the American econom…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Libyan Interim Government: Hopes and Challenges
Apr 6, 2021ACW Research and Analysis UnitLibya has suffered years of violence and volatility. Recently, Libyan delegates to a conference in Geneva approved the re-formation of two entities: the Presid…
- Policy Analysis
Energy and EconomicsStarving and Being Starved: Addressing Food Insecurity in Arab Populations
Apr 5, 2021Yara M. AsiAfter years of civil war and outside intervention, Yemen continues to be widely recognized as having the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. A significant contr…
- Viewpoint
Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict ResolutionNetanyahu Tries to Dictate a New Arrangement in Jerusalem in Violation of the Traditional Pre-1967 Status Quo
Apr 2, 2021ACW Research and Analysis UnitOn March 22nd, The New York Times published an article by its Jerusalem correspondent Isabel Kershner titled “Tensions With Arab Allies Undermine a Netanyahu P…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptDemocracy and GovernanceAn Old, Ongoing Struggle: Domesticating Religious Institutions in Egypt
Apr 2, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniThe relationship between religion and the state is controversial and problematic in the Arab world, particularly with the absence of clear demarcations that co…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyCongressional Advocacy for Palestinian Rights in the Post-Trump Era
Apr 2, 2021Yousef MunayyerFor nearly 15 years, a partisan divide around the US-Israel relationship has been exacerbated in American politics. It became clear and consistent during the O…
- Policy Analysis
Democracy and GovernanceThe Seven Habits of Highly Effective Autocrats: Key Strategies That Beat Down the Arab Spring and Keep Regimes in Power
Mar 31, 2021Charles W. DunneThe 10th anniversary of the Arab Spring has unleashed a torrent of retrospectives focused on the legacy of the uprisings, mostly their failures. All these year…
- Intern Corner
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfEnergy and EconomicsChina’s Maritime Challenge to the United States in the Gulf
Mar 30, 2021Gabriella HaedeltThe Arabian Gulf has emerged as a theater of investment, international integration, and rivalry for global powers, especially after Chinese President Xi Jinpin…
- Viewpoint
IraqIdentity Politics and SectarianizationA Struggle of Wills over Iraq’s Identity
Mar 30, 2021Abdulwahab Al-QassabThe last few days witnessed serious efforts by some Arab countries to influence developments in Iran-friendly Iraq. On March 24, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohamm…
- Policy Analysis
TurkeyRegional Relations and GeopoliticsTurkish-Egyptian Reconciliation Efforts Echo a Shifting Regional Order
Mar 26, 2021Daniel BrumbergOver the past month, Turkey has taken steps to restore diplomatic relations with Egypt. That President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has spearheaded this effort is para…
- Policy Analysis
JordanUS Foreign PolicyJordan’s Monarchy Reclaims Regional Role under Biden
Mar 25, 2021Joe MacaronTo describe the last four years as challenging ones for US-Jordanian relations would be an understatement. President Donald Trump’s absolute support for Israel…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceLebanon Faces a Civil War, a Prospect of Its Own Making
Mar 23, 2021Imad K. HarbThe socioeconomic and political crises gripping Lebanon today are unprecedented in the country’s 100-year history, one that has witnessed intercommunal unrest …
- Policy Analysis
LevantEgypt’s Ties to Israel Deepen Despite Public Misgivings
Mar 19, 2021Gregory AftandilianThe Egyptian government has deepened its cooperation with Israel on strategic and economic matters in order to root out the extremist threat in the Sinai Penin…
- Policy Analysis
IranUS Foreign PolicyHard-liners Fight for Iran’s Presidency and Foreign Policy
Mar 17, 2021Daniel BrumbergFormer US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who during the Obama Administration played a pivotal role in negotiating the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, recently asserted…
- Policy Analysis
IraqIdentity Politics and SectarianizationIraq’s Complicated and Challenging Security Situation
Mar 16, 2021Abdulwahab Al-QassabMany of Iraq’s pro-Iran militias were encouraged with Joe Biden’s election as president of the United States and the ensuing Democratic control of both houses …
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and GovernanceIsrael’s 2021 Elections: Background, Scenarios, and Expectations
Mar 16, 2021Honaida GhanimOn March 23rd, Israel holds its fourth round of parliamentary elections in less than two years, amid what in Israel has become known as “the political crisis” …
- Policy Analysis
Justice, Equality, and Human RightsChallenges to Biden’s Human Rights Agenda in the Middle East
Mar 9, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniIn his speech at the US State Department on February 4, 2021, US President Joe Biden pledged to support democracy and confront authoritarianism globally, sayin…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyThe Biden Administration and the Palestinians: Early Policy Indications
Mar 9, 2021Yousef MunayyerThe new administration in Washington, about half way through its first 100 days in office, is shaping its foreign policy. President Joe Biden and his team have…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionCautious Optimism a Decade after Libya’s Revolution
Mar 5, 2021Imad K. HarbThe Arab Spring protests that started 10 years ago in Libya and the ensuing collapse of the Muammar Qadhafi regime set in motion a decade of instability that c…
- Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and GovernanceNo Light at the End of Lebanon’s Long and Dark Tunnel
Mar 3, 2021Joe MacaronBy all accounts, Lebanon is a desperate case. The severe fiscal crises portend an extended economic depression ahead. The country has been in political paralys…
- Policy Analysis
Climate and EnvironmentClimate Change in the Arab World: An Existential Threat in an Unstable Region
Mar 2, 2021Yara M. AsiIn the mid-2010s, several years into Syria’s brutal civil war, a theory emerged that perhaps the conflict was even more complicated than originally conceived. …
- Viewpoint
Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign PolicyMohammed bin Salman in the Hot Seat
Feb 26, 2021Imad K. HarbThe Biden Administration’s release on February 26 of a declassified intelligence report implicating Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) in the assassi…
- Policy Analysis
IranUS Foreign PolicyThe US and Iran: From Brinkmanship to Negotiations?
Feb 25, 2021Daniel BrumbergIn his far-ranging February 21 interview with Iran’s Press TV, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated a bottom line: that Iran would step awa…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign PolicyThe Biden Administration Contemplates a New Pivot to Asia
Feb 23, 2021Charles W. DunneIs the pivot to Asia for real this time?That is one of the key questions Washington policy analysts, pundits, and diplomats are asking themselves as President …
- Policy Analysis
SyriaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionA Decade of War in Syria: Political Transition Is Still the Answer
Feb 22, 2021Radwan ZiadehThe middle of March marks the tenth anniversary of the civil war in Syria. It began in the south of the country when regime forces resorted to violence to quel…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptProtests and ActivismTen Years Later: Reflections on Egypt’s 2011 Uprising
Feb 19, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniKhalil al-Anani appraises the January 2011 Egyptian revolution that led to the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. He writes that the revolutionary forces …
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and GovernancePalestinian Elections 2021: Reconciling Competing Motives
Feb 18, 2021Khalil E. JahshanOn January 15, 2021, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority (PA) issued a decreecalling for legislative, presidential, and National Council elect…
- Policy Analysis
US Foreign PolicyThe Limits of US-French Coordination in the Middle East
Feb 17, 2021Joe MacaronJoe Macaron explores the current state of American-French relations regarding the Middle East at the start of the Biden Administration. He lists three main rea…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawIs International Criminal Justice Coming for Israel?
Feb 17, 2021Jonathan KuttabOn February 5, the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled, for purposes of its jurisdiction, that Palestine is a state. The chief prosecutor who sought this …
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceTunisia’s Multiple Crises Threaten Its Brittle Democracy
Feb 16, 2021Daniel BrumbergOn January 26, Tunisia witnessed a scene that echoed the dramatic events of January 6 in Washington, DC. Outside the Tunisian parliament in Tunis, hundreds of …
- Policy Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and GeopoliticsEgyptian-Saudi Relations: Strategic Ties with Some Political Strains
Feb 9, 2021Gregory AftandilianEgypt and Saudi Arabia continue to be strategic partners in the Middle East, buoyed by shared interests and certain threat perceptions. Saudi Arabia values Egy…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelJustice, Equality, and Human RightsIs Israel an Apartheid State?
Feb 6, 2021Jonathan KuttabJonathan Kuttab explains the fundamental elements of the crime of apartheid committed by Israel against the Palestinians under its control, including legislati…
- Viewpoint
LebanonIdentity Politics and SectarianizationThe Assassination of Lebanon’s Lokman Slim
Feb 4, 2021Imad K. HarbAssassination reared its ugly head once again in Lebanon when unknown assailants killed political analyst and activist Lokman Slim in southern Lebanon in the e…
- Viewpoint
IraqViolent ExtremismThe Terrorist Attacks in Baghdad: A New Chapter in Iraq’s Instability?
Feb 3, 2021Abdulwahab Al-QassabAbdulwahab Al-Qassab writes that the latest suicide bombings in Baghdad portend a feared return of the Islamic State after it was supposedly vanquished in Dece…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign PolicyBiden will Contend with Divergent Middle East Preferences on Iran
Jan 27, 2021Daniel BrumbergThe Middle East is experiencing a period of diplomatic and strategic readjustment that will create both challenges and opportunities for the Biden Administrati…
- Policy Analysis
IranUS Foreign PolicyIran between Avenging Soleimani and Engaging Biden
Jan 27, 2021Joe MacaronTwo events in January serve as reminders of how US-Iran dynamics are pulled in two different directions: the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20,…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelNetanyahu’s Latest Election Scheme: The Arab Vote?
Jan 27, 2021Yousef MunayyerAs the State of Israel once again heads to a new election, its prime minister—who infamously fearmongered against Arab citizens to drive Israeli right-wing vot…
- Policy Analysis
Migrants, Refugees, and IDPsThe “Unhealable Rift” of Exile: The Plight of Arab Refugees
Jan 26, 2021Yara M. AsiYara M. Asi studies the current conditions of refugees in the Arab world--focusing on those from Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, and Palestine--who have fled their …
- Policy Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and GeopoliticsEgypt’s Changing policy in Libya: Opportunities and Challenges
Jan 21, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniOn December 27, 2020, a high-ranking Egyptian diplomatic and security delegation visited the Libyan capital of Tripoli to hold talks with the United Nations-ba…
- Policy Analysis
YemenUS Foreign PolicyPompeo’s Departing Sabotage in Yemen
Jan 19, 2021Imad K. HarbWith less than two weeks in office before he checks out of Foggy Bottom, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated Yemen’s Houthi movement a foreign terrorist …
- Policy Analysis
SyriaIdentity Politics and SectarianizationKurdish Dilemmas in Syria
Jan 13, 2021Gregory AftandilianThe Syrian Kurds, who constitute about 10 percent of Syria’s population, are at a crossroads, trying to preserve their shrunken statelet in the northeastern pa…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign PolicyChina’s Belt and Road Initiative and US Middle East Policy
Jan 13, 2021Charles W. DunneMore than seven years after Chinese President Xi Jinping announced his country’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the vast infrastructure and economic developme…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceAs 2021 Begins, Rival Populisms Menace Tunisia’s Democracy
Jan 8, 2021Daniel BrumbergTen years after Tunisia’s “Jasmine Revolution” sparked grassroots uprisings in Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, and Syria, the pressures of an economic crisis, rampant c…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfSaudi Arabia Ends the GCC Crisis
Jan 7, 2021Imad K. HarbIt finally happened: the GCC crisis is seemingly over. The 41st summit meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) succeeded in surmounting the three-and-a-h…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign PolicyThe Biden Administration’s Foreign Policy: Key Features and Likely Changes
Jan 6, 2021Unit for Political StudiesHaving won the American presidential election, and despite incumbent President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede, Democratic candidate and President-elect Joe …
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelEducation and DevelopmentBuilding a Nation without a State: Civil Society in Palestine
Dec 23, 2020Yara M. AsiNever before has the Palestinian Authority (PA) seemed so isolated. American policy under President Donald Trump has unprecedentedly and openly been favorable …
- Policy Analysis
SomaliaSecurity and DefenseIncreasing Contestation over the Red Sea and Horn of Africa
Dec 23, 2020Gregory AftandilianGrowing international and regional involvement in the Red Sea-Horn of Africa theater has made this area a potential hot spot that is somewhat reminiscent of Be…
- Policy Analysis
US Foreign PolicyThe Limits of American Multilateral Diplomacy in the Middle East
Dec 21, 2020Daniel BrumbergPerhaps the hardest among the many challenges that the new Biden Administration will face is renewing the spirit and practice of multilateral diplomacy in regi…
- Policy Analysis
Media and TechnologyMedia Use and Its Anomalies a Decade after the Arab Spring
Dec 18, 2020Sahar KhamisWhen the Arab Spring movements erupted in at least six Arab countries in 2011––Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain––they were accompanied by high …
- Policy Analysis
US Foreign PolicyThe Biden Administration and US Foreign Policy Decision-Making
Dec 15, 2020Joe MacaronPresident-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration will have a lasting impact on the American foreign policy decision-making process, most notably when it com…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict ResolutionEnding Palestinian-Israeli Coordination Is Hard to Do
Dec 15, 2020Jonathan KuttabOn November 17, the Palestinian Authority’s minister for Israeli affairs, Hussein Al Sheikh announced on Twitter that the PA decided to resume coordination wit…
- Policy Analysis
MoroccoUS Foreign PolicyMorocco, Too, Signs on to Trump’s Lawlessness
Dec 11, 2020Imad K. HarbMorocco became the fourth Arab country to normalize relations with Israel without linking the move to progress regarding Palestine. In fact, the agreement had …
- Policy Analysis
TurkeyUS Foreign PolicyWhat Awaits US-Turkey Relations in the Biden Era?
Dec 9, 2020Mustafa GurbuzA few weeks before the November elections, a video clip of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden went viral in Turkey and caused a stir inside the Turkish gove…
- Policy Analysis
SyriaUS Foreign PolicyBiden Has a New Opportunity in Syria
Dec 7, 2020Radwan ZiadehThe exceptional nature of the 2020 American presidential election, held in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic that has so far killed over a quarter million…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyBiden and Israel: The Constraints Are Plentiful
Dec 4, 2020Yousef MunayyerAs inauguration nears and President-elect Joe Biden assembles his cabinet and broader domestic and foreign policy teams, they collectively stare at four years …
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaUS Foreign PolicyThe Complications Confronting Biden in Northwest Africa
Dec 2, 2020Imad K. HarbFollowing four years of American disarray and the absence of an effective foreign policy, the Joe Biden presidency faces both serious challenges in dealing wit…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptUS Foreign PolicyThe Biden Administration and Egypt: A New Course or Business as Usual?
Dec 1, 2020Khalil Al-AnaniSince the announcement of Joe Biden’s victory in the US election, a state of anxiety and unease has gripped Egypt. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi will now lose…
- Policy Analysis
US Foreign PolicyDemocracy and Human Rights in the Middle East: The Biden Agenda
Nov 25, 2020Charles W. DunneAs news that former Vice President Joe Biden had won the American presidential election began to circulate on Saturday, November 7, messages of congratulations…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfThe GCCThe Biden Presidency and the Gulf Arab States
Nov 24, 2020Kristian Coates UlrichsenAssessing the Biden Administration’s future relations with the Gulf, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen writes that it faces a set of difficult challenges on a number o…
- Viewpoint
Saudi ArabiaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionMbS Also Gets Nothing for Normalizing with Israel
Nov 23, 2020Imad K. HarbOnce again, Arab solidarity with the Palestinian cause suffered a setback. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) reportedly met with Israeli Pr…
- Policy Analysis
YemenUS Foreign PolicyYemen May Be a Priority for Biden and the Democrats
Nov 20, 2020Gregory AftandilianAs President-elect Joe Biden assembles his team and sets his priorities for the next four years, there has been much speculation as to what he will focus on in…
