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LibyaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsThe 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 Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyAssessing 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 Analysis
Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign PolicyThe 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 Analysis
Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign PolicyUS 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 Analysis
TurkeyRegional Relations and GeopoliticsErdoğan 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 Analysis
IraqDemocracy and GovernanceIran’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 Analysis
Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsThe 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 Analysis
Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign PolicySaudi-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 Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawIsrael’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 Analysis
IranRegional Relations and GeopoliticsDespite 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 Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and GeopoliticsEgypt 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 Analysis
MoroccoDemocracy and GovernanceMorocco’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 Analysis
Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsThe 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 Analysis
SudanConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe 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 Analysis
YemenConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe 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 Analysis
Palestine/IsraelRegional Relations and GeopoliticsIsrael’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 Analysis
SyriaJustice, Equality, and Human RightsWhat 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…
- Viewpoint
SudanDemocracy and GovernanceSudan’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…
- Viewpoint
EgyptThe War in UkraineThe 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 Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and GeopoliticsGeopolitics 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 Analysis
SyriaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsArab 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 Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Relations and GeopoliticsThe 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 Analysis
YemenConflicts and Conflict ResolutionYemen 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 Analysis
LebanonRegional Relations and GeopoliticsLebanon 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 Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Relations and GeopoliticsChina 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 Analysis
OmanRegional Relations and GeopoliticsWalking a Tightrope: Oman and Normalization with Israel
Mar 7, 2023Imad K. HarbAs the mechanisms of normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan continue to take shape, other Arab states are ponde…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsImpacting Elusive Transitions: Egypt’s Policy Toward Sudan and Libya
Mar 1, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniThe recent political developments in Sudan and Libya have generated some optimism for a potential resolution to the protracted political crises that have plagu…
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaClimate and EnvironmentGreen Power Politics in North African Countries: Continuity or Change?
Mar 1, 2023Achref ChibaniIn 2023, environmental and climate issues will again be at the top of the policy agenda in the Middle East and North Africa. The upcoming COP28 climate confere…
- Policy Analysis
SyriaSecurity and DefenseSyrian Kurds Are Hoping for, but Not Banking On, Continued US Partnership
Feb 24, 2023Gregory AftandilianThe massive earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria has given the Syrian Kurds a reprieve from a possible Turkish military invasion of ar…
- Policy Analysis
IraqDemocracy and GovernanceIraqi Prime Minister al-Sudani Upstages His Benefactors in the Coordination Framework
Jan 31, 2023Rend Al-RahimIraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, who was sworn in on October 27, 2022, has nearly completed the first 100 days of his tenure. In this short perio…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and GeopoliticsEgypt’s Strategic Partnership with China: Opportunities and Implications
Jan 27, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniOn December 8, 2022, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the inaugural China-Ar…
- Policy Analysis
TurkeyRegional Relations and GeopoliticsTurkey Faces a Dilemma in its Foreign Policy Toward Libya
Jan 24, 2023Mustafa GurbuzOn January 9, 2023, a Libyan court suspended an energy exploration deal between Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) that was or…
- Policy Analysis
IraqRegional Relations and GeopoliticsDepoliticizing Iraq-Gulf Relations Through Soccer
Jan 11, 2023Zeidon AlkinaniIraq is defying its reputation and fighting against all odds in its attempt to depoliticize its regional image through the use of soccer. Between January 6 and…
- Policy Analysis
QatarRegional Relations and GeopoliticsQatar’s Successful World Cup Signals a New Era in the Gulf and Beyond
Jan 5, 2023Kristian Coates UlrichsenThe 22nd FIFA Men’s World Cup came to an end in Doha, Qatar on December 18 with one of the most thrilling finals in the nearly century-long history of the comp…
- Policy Analysis
TurkeyConflicts and Conflict ResolutionHow Realistic Is an Erdoğan-Assad Rapprochement?
Dec 28, 2022Mustafa GurbuzDespite Turkey’s frequent threats that it will soon undertake a new military ground offensive in northern Syria, no such operation has yet materialized. This h…
- Viewpoint
Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsSaudi Arabia Will Not Find Strategic Protection in China
Dec 13, 2022Imad K. HarbSaudi Arabia has just spent three days hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping in a summit that some believe could be fateful for the kingdom’s future strategic a…
- Policy Analysis
IraqRegional Relations and GeopoliticsIraq’s Foreign Policy Balancing Act Is Likely to Continue
Nov 29, 2022Gregory AftandilianDespite the support that Iraq’s new prime minister, Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, has received from pro-Iran factions in the Iraqi Parliament, he is likely to purs…
- Policy Analysis
TurkeyThe War in UkraineTurkey-Brokered Grain Deal Bolsters Erdoğan-Putin Partnership
Nov 22, 2022Mustafa GurbuzTurkey’s role in negotiations around Russia’s war in Ukraine has provided Ankara with extraordinary visibility on the global stage. Turkish President Recep Tay…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and GeopoliticsEgypt-Turkey Relations: Challenges and Future Prospects
Oct 18, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniOver the past two years, several positive signs have emerged in the Egyptian-Turkish relationship that might result in the normalization of diplomatic relation…
- Viewpoint
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfEnergy and EconomicsWith Friends Like These: OPEC’s Oil Production and US-Gulf Relations
Oct 7, 2022Imad K. HarbIn a move that will certainly have serious political and economic repercussions in the United States and around the world, OPEC+, a group of oil-producing nati…
- Policy Analysis
IranUS Foreign PolicyNo Plan B for the US as Geostrategic Shifts Threaten to Scuttle Iran Nuclear Deal
Sep 20, 2022Daniel BrumbergWhat a difference a few days can make in the Middle East. On August 28 National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby addressed the diplomatic maneuvering t…
- Policy Analysis
US Foreign PolicyBiden Fails to Counter Russia and China in the Middle East
Aug 17, 2022Charles W. DunneCharles W. Dunne writes that President Biden’s July 2022 trip to the Middle East to reassert American supremacy in the region and among US allies ran into the …
- Policy Analysis
TurkeyRegional Relations and GeopoliticsErdoğan Bets on “Turkish Exceptionalism”
Aug 17, 2022Mustafa GurbuzMustafa Gurbuz analyzes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s calculations as he increases his cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite Tu…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelSecurity and DefenseA Developing Authoritarian-Israeli Nexus in the Middle East
Aug 3, 2022Imad K. HarbAuthoritarianism in the Arab world has assumed many shapes and shades in the decades since the end of formal European colonialism in the mid-twentieth century.…
- Policy Analysis
IranUS Foreign PolicyUS Diplomacy with Iran Is Needed to Achieve Security in the Middle East
Jul 28, 2022Daniel BrumbergNow that President Joe Biden has completed his trip to the Middle East, his administration will likely make one last bid to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, …
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign PolicyMohammed bin Salman’s Political Precarity Persists, Despite Perceived Successes
Jul 26, 2022Kristian Coates UlrichsenThe paths of US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) crossed briefly on July 15 and 16 when Biden stopped in Jeddah, Saudi Arab…
- Policy Analysis
LevantRegional Relations and GeopoliticsIraq-Jordan-Egypt Entente Moves Ahead Despite the GCC’s Shadow
Jul 19, 2022Gregory AftandilianIn recent years, Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan have come together to form a sort of alliance based on shared security, political, and economic interests. Since 2019,…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelRegional Relations and GeopoliticsPalestinian Perceptions of International Threats
Jun 23, 2022Dana El KurdDespite its small size, Palestine has always played an outsized role in international politics. Palestine and the Palestinians have been a recurring theme in U…
- Policy Analysis
SyriaThe War in UkraineThe Ukraine Crisis Further Complicates Foreign Intervention in Syria
Jun 15, 2022Gregory AftandilianDespite early assessments that Russia would begin drawing down its military forces in Syria due to its need for more troops in the Ukraine invasion, it appears…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelInternational LawJerusalem’s Status Quo Agreement: History and Challenges to Its Viability
Jun 7, 2022Mounir MarjiehIn all initiatives and negotiations for a final and peaceful settlement between Israel and Palestine, Jerusalem has proved to be the toughest final-status issu…
- Policy Analysis
TurkeyRegional Relations and GeopoliticsTurkish Reasons for a Rapprochement with Saudi Arabia
Jun 2, 2022Mustafa GurbuzTurkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan did not hide his main demand when he buried the case of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist who was killed o…
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsSaudi Reasons for a Rapprochement with Turkey
May 31, 2022Kristian Coates UlrichsenReports that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may be planning to visit Turkey as part of an international trip in June, one of his first outside …
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsMaghreb-France Relations as Macron Begins Second Term
May 26, 2022Zeidon AlkinaniFor France to remain on good terms with North Africa, it has to be ready to offer concrete assistance and avoid what in many respects have been Macron’s symbol…
- Policy Analysis
YemenConflicts and Conflict ResolutionYemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Offers Hope Amid Uncertainty
May 24, 2022Gregory AftandilianThe surprise resignation of Yemeni President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi in early April and his immediate replacement by an eight-member Presidential Leadership Coun…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelRegional Relations and GeopoliticsMiddle East Leaders Contend with Strains in an Evolving Regional Entente
May 13, 2022Daniel BrumbergIn its unfolding bid to expand ties with Middle East governments, Israel must grapple with a basic challenge: how to ensure that events in the Palestinian-Isra…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptEnergy and EconomicsGulf Countries’ Aid to Egypt: It Is Politics, Not the Economy, Stupid!
May 5, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniOn April 4, 2022, Gulf Arab countries pledged $22 billion to help Egypt avert a currency crisis resulting from the Russian war on Ukraine. The Egyptian pound l…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptThe War in UkraineRussia’s War on Ukraine: Egypt’s Limited Room for Maneuver
Apr 6, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniThe Russian war on Ukraine will have significant impacts on countries in the Middle East, ranging from strategic realignments to energy security and food suppl…
- Policy Analysis
TurkeyThe War in UkraineThe Syrian Connection in the Turkish-Russian Tango
Apr 4, 2022Mustafa GurbuzLeveraging its close relations with both sides of the Ukraine conflict, Turkey has seized the opportunity to highlight its strategic importance. The latest Rus…
- Policy Analysis
IranSecurity and DefenseIsrael-Iran Shadow War in Syria intensifies Amid International Developments
Mar 23, 2022Gregory AftandilianThe ongoing military conflict between Israel and Iran (along with Iran-backed Shia forces like Hezbollah) in Syria show no signs of easing despite the Russia-U…
- Policy Analysis
IraqRegional Relations and GeopoliticsCurrent Iraq-Gulf Relations: Economics over Politics?
Mar 23, 2022Zeidon AlkinaniThe Gulf Arab states practiced an almost unified approach to post–2003 Iraq, which was generally derived from their established alliance following the 1990–199…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfThe War in UkraineThe GCC and the Russia-Ukraine Crisis
Mar 22, 2022Kristian Coates UlrichsenThe six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council have responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine according to their interests and preferences. While the fig…
- Policy Analysis
IranConflicts and Conflict ResolutionIran and Israel Deal with the Rampaging Russian Bear
Mar 16, 2022Daniel BrumbergRussia’s invasion of Ukraine has produced some unusual bedfellows, the strangest of whom are Iran and Israel. Perhaps the term “bedfellows” is an exaggeration,…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and GeopoliticsSisi Intensifies Arms Imports to Secure External Support for His Policies
Feb 28, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniEgypt has become the third largest arms importer in the world, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The institute’s “Trends i…
- Policy Analysis
TurkeyRegional Relations and GeopoliticsIsrael and Turkey Ponder the Costs and Benefits of Rapprochement
Feb 25, 2022Daniel BrumbergOn February 6, Haaretz reported that Israeli President Isaac Herzog called to wish Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his wife a speedy recovery, after…
- Policy Analysis
TurkeyRegional Relations and GeopoliticsTurkey’s Evolving Policy toward Iran
Feb 16, 2022Mustafa GurbuzTurkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoğlu’s official call to his Israeli counterpart was a rarity since the Erdoğan-Peres confrontation in Davos in January 200…
- Policy Analysis
QatarUS Foreign PolicyQatar’s New Designation as US Non-NATO Ally Serves Multiple Purposes
Feb 4, 2022Imad K. HarbLess than five years after the eruption of the Gulf crisis of June 2017 that seriously threatened Qatar’s security, President Joe Biden designated the Gulf Ara…
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsAfter Parting Ways: The Coming Frosty Entente in Saudi-Turkish Relations
Feb 2, 2022Jana J. JabbourThis is likely to be Turkey’s year of normalization with regional counterparts, as 2021 was one of diplomatic restoration for Turkish foreign policy. While in …
- Policy Analysis
US Foreign PolicyBiden’s Non-Doctrine in the Middle East: One Year On
Jan 27, 2022Daniel BrumbergTo understand the actual forces shaping US foreign policy, it is imperative to put aside the alluring but misleading notion that a “doctrine” provides a useful…
- Policy Analysis
IranRegional Relations and GeopoliticsUkraine’s Geostrategic Tremors Reach into the Middle East
Jan 13, 2022Daniel BrumbergDaniel Brumberg disentangles the complications arising from the current tensions between Ukraine and Russia and their impact on US-Russian relations as well as…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernancePolitics, Geopolitical Conditions Pushing Lebanon into a Death Spiral
Dec 22, 2021Imad K. HarbConditions in Lebanon today betray a slide toward the total failure of state institutions amid a precipitous downturn of the country’s economic and social indi…
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsMohammed bin Salman’s Regional Rebranding Campaign
Dec 16, 2021Kristian Coates UlrichsenSaudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) toured the five smaller Gulf states between December 6, when he visited Oman, and December 10, when he arr…
- Policy Analysis
SyriaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsRehabilitation of the Assad Regime
Dec 15, 2021Radwan ZiadehWith the approaching date of the next Arab Summit to be hosted by Algeria in March 2022, some member countries of the League of Arab States have become more vo…
- Policy Analysis
SudanRegional Relations and GeopoliticsSudan Coup: The Regional Interference behind a Faltering Transition
Dec 11, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniOn October 25, 2021, Sudan’s General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan staged a coup, declared a state of emergency, dissolved the power-sharing Sovereign Council, sacked…
- Policy Analysis
IranUS Foreign PolicyHigh Stakes at the Vienna Nuclear Talks with Iran
Dec 8, 2021Daniel BrumbergThe ongoing indirect US-Iran negotiations in Vienna on the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have thus far made little progress. Already…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Relations and GeopoliticsTurkey and the Gulf States: A New Era of Détente
Dec 8, 2021Mustafa GurbuzTurkish officials celebrated the November 24 visit of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Ankara as the beginning of “a new era” between Tur…
- Policy Analysis
Regional Relations and GeopoliticsIs There a Macron Doctrine in the Middle East?
Dec 2, 2021Joe MacaronUnder President Emmanuel Macron, French foreign policy in the Middle East went through a transformative shift, revealing a clear break with his two predecessor…
