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- Policy AnalysisLibyaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Is Turkey Playing with Fire in Libya?
Jan 6, 2020Mustafa GurbuzTurkish troops aim to buttress Libya's Government of National Accord, but escalating tensions in the Mediterranean may actually harm both Ankara and Tripoli.
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelDemocracy and Governance
Repressing Criticism of Israel in the United States: Trump’s Executive Order
Jan 3, 2020Yousef MunayyerIn the long term, Trump’s executive order conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism is another effort to silence the debate in the United States on Israel’s p…
- Policy AnalysisLibyaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
The Libya-Turkey Memorandum of Understanding: Local and Regional Repercussions
Jan 2, 2020Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)The signing of the Libyan-Turkish memorandum of understanding on maritime sovereignty in the Eastern Mediterranean has coincided with increased tensions both w…
- Policy AnalysisIranRegional Relations and Geopolitics
The United States and Iran Readjust to New Realities in Iraq and Lebanon
Dec 18, 2019Joe MacaronAfter 15 years of rivalry in Iraq and Lebanon, the United States and Iran are adjusting their policies based on a new reality of popular uprisings that challen…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Burgeoning Arab-Israeli Normalization? Not Quite What You Think
Dec 11, 2019Yousef MunayyerEfforts to normalize relations between Arab leaders and Israel will continue to collide with the overwhelming rejection of normalization by the peoples of the …
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Washington Grapples with How to Respond to Turbulent Middle East
Dec 11, 2019Marcus MontgomeryMarcus Montgomery examines the administration’s reassessment of its posture in the Middle East as officials grappled this week with how best to use military as…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Syria’s Problems Worsen While UN Efforts Fail
Dec 4, 2019Radwan ZiadehSyria’s deteriorating economic conditions and the failure of UN-sponsored discussions about a constitutional document indicate that the Syrian people will cont…
- Policy AnalysisLevantDemocracy and Governance
Desperate Netanyahu Pulls out All the Stops
Nov 26, 2019Yousef MunayyerA desperate Netanyahu will use all tools in a demagogue’s box, including racist incitement against the Palestinians, in order to remain politically alive—or at…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
US Policy Reversal on Israeli Settlements
Nov 21, 2019Khalil E. JahshanKhalil E. Jahshan believes that the Trump Administration’s policy reversal about Israeli settlements is an overture to the president’s evangelical supporters a…
- Policy AnalysisLevantInternational Law
Israel’s Arguments for the Legality of Settlements under International Law
Nov 21, 2019Jonathan KuttabJonathan Kuttab lists Israel’s repeated arguments about its illegal settlements on the West Bank and rebuts them by referencing the Geneva Conventions and inte…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
The Lebanese Uprising: No End in Sight for the Current Impasse
Nov 20, 2019Joe MacaronJoe Macaron explains the different factors of the current impasse between the Lebanese ruling political class and the protesters, seeing no end in sight for th…
- Policy AnalysisLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Presidential Candidates Open to Leveraging American Support for Israel
Nov 12, 2019Yousef MunayyerYousef Munayyer says that some Democratic candidates for president may be open to taking concrete steps to decrease American complicity in Israel's abuses and …
- Policy AnalysisLebanonIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
The Battle to Defeat Confessional Politics in Lebanon and Beyond
Nov 11, 2019Daniel BrumbergDaniel Brumberg writes that despite demands for radical change, no force or group inside or outside Lebanon can predict what will happen if the country tries t…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Russia’s Gains in Syria Could Be a Blessing in Disguise
Nov 6, 2019Joe MacaronJoe Macaron argues that while Russia may fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of American troops from the Turkish-Syrian border, it could have challenges dea…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Russia-Turkey Deal for Syria Will Go Nowhere
Nov 5, 2019Mustafa GurbuzMustafa Gurbuz analyzes the problems in implementing the initial phase of the latest Turkish-Russian agreement in Syria, concluding they indicate that the deal…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
The Catch-22 of Lebanese Reform
Nov 5, 2019Nabeel A. KhouryNabeel Khoury discusses the Lebanese leadership’s catch-22 dilemma resulting from the influence of entrenched parties and their militias as they confront the l…
- ViewpointIraqUS Foreign Policy
Putting al-Baghdadi’s Demise in Perspective
Oct 30, 2019Khalil E. JahshanKhalil E. Jahshan looks at the deeper meaning of the United States’ killing of IS leader Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi and doubts if his demise will portend the end of …
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
The Lebanon Uprising: Causes and Ramifications
Oct 24, 2019Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)Lebanon’s protests have been unique and inclusive and are united by a wish to topple the ruling political class and abandon the system of sectarian power-shari…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Radical Reform or Total Chaos for Lebanon?
Oct 22, 2019Nabeel A. KhouryNabeel Khouri argues that it is clear that radical reform in Lebanon is what stands between a safe and gradual transition to an accountable government, on the …
- Policy AnalysisLevantMigrants, Refugees, and IDPs
Trump’s Syria Decision and the Damage to US Foreign Policy
Oct 22, 2019Charles W. DunneThe fallout from President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision on October 6 to order US troops to stand aside as Turkey launched a long-planned incursion into north…
- ViewpointLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Lebanon’s Protests Cannot Be Ignored
Oct 18, 2019Imad K. HarbImad K. Harb writes that Lebanon’s current protests are a reminder that the Arab Spring is alive and well and that Lebanese politicians have no choice but to h…
- Policy AnalysisLevantDemocracy and Governance
By Electing Kais Saied, Tunisians Recast Their National Politics
Oct 17, 2019Daniel BrumbergThe Tunisian electorate has handed the independent candidate Kais Saied a huge victory. With 73 percent of the vote against Nabil Karoui’s 27 percent, he now h…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Turkish Military Operation in Northeastern Syria: Scope, Aims and Reactions
Oct 17, 2019Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)Turkey seems to be in a hurry to achieve its operational goals before pressure increases to bring the operation to an end or in order to pre-empt any operation…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
There Will Be a One-State Solution But What Kind of State Will It Be?
Oct 17, 2019Yousef MunayyerFor nearly three decades, the so-called two-state solution has dominated discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the idea of two states for two pe…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Abbas Calls for Elections, but Will They Be Held?
Oct 16, 2019Yousef MunayyerYousef Munayyer discounts the possibility of holding new Palestinian presidential and legislative elections despite the parties’ repeated assertions that they …
- ViewpointLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Trump’s Syria Decision and the Turkish Operation
Oct 10, 2019Radwan ZiadehWithout American forces on the ground, Washington will not be able to realize its objectives in Syria, especially in confronting the Iran-affiliated militias t…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Confusion in Turkey’s Regional Foreign Policy
Oct 8, 2019Mustafa GurbuzTurkish foreign policy choices in Syria, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia are plagued with contradictions that may lead to self-defeating outcomes.
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Palestinian Arab Vote in Israel: Mere Protest or Significant Influence?
Oct 2, 2019Khalil E. JahshanKhalil E. Jahshan writes that until Israeli Jewish society undergoes serious change and accepts the Arab parties into the political process, the role of Palest…
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Evangelicals and the 2020 Elections
Oct 1, 2019Jonathan KuttabEvangelical Americans constitute one of the largest voting blocs in the United States. They number about 74 million, or about 22.5 percent of a population of c…
- Policy AnalysisLevantDemocracy and Governance
Israeli Election Do-Over Yields Similar Results
Sep 25, 2019Yousef MunayyerThis Israeli election, like the one before it, has largely been about Benjamin Netanyahu himself and not his policies. Yousef Munayyer considers the possible s…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Netanyahu’s Annexation Promises: Electioneering or Actual Plan?
Sep 17, 2019Yousef MunayyerEven if Netanyahu does not become the next prime minister of Israel, his ideas, including annexation, are likely to govern and shape Israeli politics for years…
- Policy AnalysisIraqConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Iraq’s Dilemma: The Uncertain Future of the Popular Mobilization Forces
Sep 13, 2019Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)Although Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces were instrumental in defeating the Islamic State, their political influence has had a profound impact on the future…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The US Decision to Disengage from the Syrian Crisis
Sep 11, 2019Radwan ZiadehWith Syrian and Russian forces aggravating the situation in northern Syria, President Erdoğan needs to protect Turkish interests in Syria and himself against d…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Assessing the Latest Conflagrations between Israel and Hezbollah
Sep 11, 2019Joe MacaronThe latest conflagrations between Israel and Hezbollah were an attempt to dictate new rules of engagement. Nevertheless, both sides appear to be committed to t…
- ViewpointLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Adiós, Jason: The Resignation of Jason Greenblatt
Sep 6, 2019Khalil E. JahshanThe sudden resignation of Jason Greenblatt, a key architect of the Kushner Middle East peace plan, is apt to further diminish the prospects of its success.
- Policy AnalysisLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Israel Shuts Out Tlaib and Omar, Stoking a Partisan Divide
Aug 28, 2019Yousef MunayyerBy shutting the door on Representatives Tlaib and Omar, Netanyahu may have broken open the floodgates of partisan politics on Israel that establishment Democra…
- Policy AnalysisLevantSecurity and Defense
Should the United States Include Israel in the Gulf Maritime Coalition?
Aug 21, 2019Joe MacaronWashington’s decision to include Israel in the US-led maritime Gulf coalition might expand the theater of conflict between Israel and Iran, weaken Gulf allies,…
- Policy AnalysisBahrainConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Drama since Manama: Kushner’s Failed Initiative
Aug 15, 2019Yousef MunayyerJared Kushner’s latest trip to the Middle East appears to have failed in charting a way forward for the Trump Administration’s illusive peace deal between Pale…
- Policy AnalysisLevantIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
Partition and Spheres of Influence in Syria
Aug 5, 2019Radwan ZiadehRadwan Ziadeh opines that Syria can no longer be considered a homeland for all Syrians and that its partition has become a reality. Restoring its societal make…
- Policy AnalysisIranRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Hamas Plans a Comeback to Damascus: US and Regional Implications
Jul 31, 2019Joe MacaronHamas is looking to realign itself with Syria as the Trump Administration floats ideas about Palestinian-Israeli peace; however, it appears that the Syrian reg…
- Policy AnalysisIranIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
Trump’s Sanctions on Hezbollah Threaten Lebanon’s Stability
Jul 30, 2019Nabeel A. KhouryCurrent conditions in the Middle East and American sanctions against Hezbollah could upset the delicate balance of power in Lebanon and potentially lead to an …
- Policy AnalysisLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Trump and the Evangelicals Define Support for Israel
Jul 26, 2019Yousef MunayyerPresident Trump is instrumentalizing Israel to keep his right-wing Christian Evangelical base energized and supportive as he comes under attack for other contr…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Various Players Maneuver for an Uncertain Future in Syria
Jul 24, 2019Gregory AftandilianRussia, Iran, Turkey, and Israel are positioning themselves to play a role in Syria’s uncertain future now that the Assad regime is defeating the opposition in…
- Policy AnalysisLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Turkey’s Nativist Turn against Syrian Refugees and Other Arabs
Jul 23, 2019Mustafa GurbuzThe key drivers that fuel the recent nativist sentiment in Turkey are the worsening economy and the politicization of the refugee issue by divisive election ca…
- Policy AnalysisLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Using Israel to Justify His Racist Attacks, Trump Sets a Dangerous Precedent
Jul 17, 2019Tamara KharroubTo associate loyalty to the US with being white, and supporting Israel sets an extremely dangerous precedent.
- Policy AnalysisIranIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
The Symbolism behind the Latest US Sanctions against Hezbollah
Jul 17, 2019Joe MacaronThe latest US sanctions against Hezbollah--and their impact on domestic Lebanese politics--are largely symbolic. In reality, the Trump Administration may have …
- ViewpointLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Palestinian Public Rejects Kushner’s Plans
Jul 8, 2019Imad K. HarbA recent survey in the West Bank and Gaza Strip shows that 79 percent of Palestinians approved of boycotting the Manama workshop and 76 percent doubt Kushner’s…
- ViewpointLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Bahrain Workshop in Retrospect: Critical Israeli and American Jewish Responses
Jul 2, 2019Khalil E. JahshanThe general Israeli approval of the Trump Administration’s “Peace to Prosperity” plan was not universal, noting that some Israeli peace groups, US and Israeli …
- ViewpointLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Kushner’s Economic Plan Liquidates the Cause of Palestinian Statehood
Jun 27, 2019Imad K. HarbImagine, if you will, that it is Spring 2017 and you are Jared Kushner, son-in-law of the newly sworn-in American president. He has anointed you special envoy …
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
A US-Turkish Agreement Remains a Challenge in Northeastern Syria
Jun 26, 2019Joe MacaronUS officials may be rushing a deal with Turkey in northeastern Syria that could lead to a Turkish-Kurdish confrontation and stall the American withdrawal from …
- Policy AnalysisJordanConflicts and Conflict Resolution
What Actually Ails the Palestinian Economy?
Jun 20, 2019Yousef MunayyerThe Israeli occupation and lack of freedom for Palestinians are the most salient factors that hamper the Palestinian economy, and this should be blindingly obv…
- Policy AnalysisLevantInternational Law
The Greenblatt Fallacy
Jun 19, 2019Imad K. HarbMr. Greenblatt’s extolling the virtues of the Bahrain meeting later in the month to supposedly improve the Palestinians’ economic conditions is condescending a…
- Policy AnalysisLevantInternational Law
Friedman’s West Bank Annexation Remarks: Political Implications
Jun 17, 2019Khalil E. JahshanAmbassador Friedman’s remarks about Israel’s right to annex parts of the West Bank signal that the Trump Administration may be ready to endorse another Israeli…
- Policy AnalysisIranInternational Law
On the Lebanese-Israeli Border, US and Iran Are Negotiating
Jun 5, 2019Joe MacaronA breakthrough in Beirut is helping American mediation in the land and maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel, but many obstacles still prevent a q…
- Policy AnalysisLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Idlib between Regional and International Imbalances
Jun 5, 2019Radwan ZiadehRadwan Ziadeh writes that the Trump Administration must look at Syria as more than merely a humanitarian crisis and help in reaching a political transition to …
- Policy Analysis
Identity Politics 2.0: Cyber Geopolitics and the Weaponization of Social Media
Jun 1, 2019Tamara KharroubThis paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.In the months leading up to the attacks against the Rohingya Muslim minority in …
- Policy Analysis
Middle East Sectarianism: A Symptom to a Cause
Jun 1, 2019Marwan J. KabalanThis paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.Sectarianism and sectarian conflict in the Middle East are often presented as ce…
- Policy Analysis
The Dilemma of “Normalization”: Can Islamists Participate without Polarizing Politics?
Jun 1, 2019Shadi HamidThis paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.The dislike, or even hatred, of mainstream Islamist parties1 is assumed to lead …
- Policy Analysis
Identity and Inclusion: Rethinking Citizenship in Arab Societies
Jun 1, 2019Linda Bishai Elly RostoumLinda Bishai and Elly Rostoum decry exclusivist identity politics in the Arab world and propose this remedy: a transition to democratic practices that respect …
- Policy Analysis
A Collaborative Regional Reconstruction Strategy in the Arab World
Jun 1, 2019Sultan BarakatArab states can no longer pretend that poor economic, social, and environmental conditions and other consequential challenges affect only some of them and not …
- Policy Analysis
Time, Transition, and Justice in Arab States
Jun 1, 2019Noha AboueldahabThis paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.What does it mean to pursue criminal accountability in the context of resurgent …
- Policy AnalysisAlgeriaDemocracy and Governance
The Legacy of the Pillared Arab State
Jun 1, 2019Daniel BrumbergThis paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.IntroductionAmong other things, politics provides a means of managing conflicts.…
- Policy Analysis
Chronic Insecurity in the Middle East: Causes and Consequences
Jun 1, 2019Mehran KamravaThis paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.Even before the discovery of oil in southwestern Iran at the start of the 20th c…
- Policy Analysis
Government Survival Strategies in the Middle East
Jun 1, 2019Sarah Leah WhitsonThis paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.Regional and global geopolitics, intrigues, and rivalries often attract the most…
- Policy AnalysisBahrainMigrants, Refugees, and IDPs
The Kushner Bahrain Ordeal: Why Are the Palestinians Boycotting?
May 31, 2019Khalil E. JahshanThe proposed US “Peace to Prosperity” workshop in Bahrain is destined to fail because it ignores Palestinian participation and avoids linking economic prosperi…
- Policy AnalysisLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Insult of the Century: Assessing the Trump Administration’s Peace Plan
May 30, 2019Yousef MunayyerThe Trump Administration’s Palestinian-Israeli peace deal, leaked to the press, and the upcoming Bahrain meeting represent an insult to the Palestinians and ar…
- Policy AnalysisJordanConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Facing Pressure at Home and Abroad, Jordan’s King Shifts Strategy
May 23, 2019Joe MacaronThe Trump Administration’s anticipated Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative is pushing Jordan’s King Abdullah to realign interests with his country’s Muslim Br…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Syria for Sale: The Price of Assad’s Survival
May 10, 2019Radwan ZiadehRussia’s so-called investments in vital Syrian installations like the Tartous port and in strategic assets such as oil and gas illustrate that the country is b…
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Domestic Politics and Elections
The First Amendment Blocks Anti-BDS Legislation in the United States
May 8, 2019Yousef MunayyerDevelopments over the last several months have shown a shift in the battle over the right to boycott Israel in the United States, with the First Amendment pres…
- ViewpointLevantArab Americans/ Muslim Americans
What the Ilhan Omar controversies reveal about US politics
Apr 26, 2019Tamara KharroubThe attacks against Omar are part of a larger project to silence voices that advocate for Palestinian rights.
- Policy AnalysisJordanConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Will Israel’s New Government Annex the West Bank?
Apr 24, 2019Yousef MunayyerWith growing domestic support and unquestioning backing from the Trump White House, Israeli leaders may decide that there is a rare opportunity to annex at lea…