- Show all
- Arab Americans/ Muslim Americans
- Climate and Environment
- Conflicts and Conflict Resolution
- Democracy and Governance
- Diplomacy and Negotiations
- Economic Affairs
- Education and Development
- Energy and Economics
- Global Health and Health Policy
- Identity Politics and Sectarianization
- Infographics and Fact Sheets
- International Law
- International Law and International Bodies
- Israeli War Tactics and Genocide
- Justice, Equality, and Human Rights
- Media and Technology
- Migrants, Refugees, and IDPs
- Protests and Activism
- Public Opinion
- Public Opinion, Protest, and Debate
- Regional Implications and Geopolitics
- Regional Relations and Geopolitics
- Religion and Politics
- Security and Defense
- The GCC
- The War in Ukraine
- The War on Gaza
- Top 10 Readings on the Gaza War
- Topic-Test
- US Domestic Politics and Elections
- US Foreign Policy
- US Policy
- Violent Extremism
- Women & Gender Issues
- Viewpoint
US Foreign PolicyThe Machinery of Impunity: How Washington’s Elite Stays above the Law—and How to End It
Dec 3, 2025Jasmine El-GamalFrom the torture carried out during the George W. Bush administration to the surge in drone warfare under President Barack Obama, from President Joe Biden’s un…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
UNSC Resolution 2803: A Shaky Step Toward the Unknown
Nov 19, 2025Khalil E. JahshanOn November 17, 2025, following weeks of diplomatic maneuvering, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) voted to approve Resolution 2803 (2025) in support …
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
MBS Returns to Washington: Re-Assessing US-Saudi Relations
Nov 18, 2025Kristian Coates UlrichsenMohammed bin Salman’s return to Washington after seven years signals a recalibration of US-Saudi ties, with Riyadh seeking security assurances as well as suppo…
- ViewpointSyriaUS Foreign Policy
The Populist and the Pragmatist: Why Trump Sees a Kindred Spirit in Syria’s al-Sharaa
Nov 11, 2025Daniel NeepAt first glance, US President Donald J. Trump and Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa inhabit very different political universes. Trump, the populist pre…
- Policy AnalysisQatarUS Foreign Policy
Qatar Copes with Trump’s Middle East Vision
Nov 6, 2025Daniel BrumbergAmong Arab states, perhaps none faces a more complex challenge in managing relations with President Donald Trump than Qatar. Ironically, Doha’s deepening partn…
- Policy AnalysisSyriaDemocracy and Governance
Syria’s Fragile Integration: The SDF Joins the Army but Autonomy Remains Elusive
Nov 5, 2025Gregory AftandilianAn October 2025 deal between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—which are linked to the Kurdish-dominated autonomous administration in the northea…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
No Protection, No Justice: US Citizens Killed with Impunity by Israel
Oct 30, 2025Yara M. AsiOn a cold night in January 2022, Omar Assad, an elderly Palestinian American man, was driving back to his town in the West Bank after a night of playing cards …
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelThe War on Gaza
Gaza’s Medical Crisis and the US Visa Freeze
Sep 25, 2025Yara M. AsiOn July 7, 2024, an Israeli bombing in Khan Younis, Gaza, killed the parents, brother, and sister of a three-year-old Palestinian boy named Adam. While Adam’s …
- Policy AnalysisEgyptUS Foreign Policy
The US-Egypt Relationship Might Face a Reckoning
Sep 11, 2025Charles W. DunneThe relationship between the United States and Egypt has seen many highs and lows over the decades. Under Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and now Trump …
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Foreign Policy
Trump’s Support for Netanyahu: A Political Liability?
Aug 29, 2025Gregory AftandilianDespite occasional irritations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump has made unconditional US backing of the Israeli leader a…
- ViewpointUS Foreign Policy
Trump Administration Guts State’s Human Rights Reports
Aug 29, 2025Ingie GoharOn August 12, 2025, the US Department of State released the 2024 human rights reports, covering 198 countries and territories. State’s annual reports were prev…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonSecurity and Defense
Disarming Hezbollah: Lebanon at a Crossroads
Aug 20, 2025Patricia KaramThe only viable route to lasting stability, economic recovery, and sovereignty is to restore the Lebanese state's constitutional monopoly over arms through a t…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonUS Foreign Policy
Lifting US Sanctions on Syria: A New Chapter for Damascus and Beirut?
Jul 18, 2025Patricia KaramIn a May 13, 2025, speech in Riyadh, President Donald Trump surprised the world by pledging to lift all US sanctions on Syria. Trump’s unexpected announcement …
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Foreign Policy
A Trump-Netanyahu New Middle East?
Jul 9, 2025Nabeel A. KhouryThe Trump administration and the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been following a roadmap toward their own version of a…
- ViewpointLevantThe War on Gaza
Trump Must Push for a Gaza Ceasefire Without Indulging Netanyahu’s Iran Strategy
Jul 7, 2025Daniel BrumbergWe may never, or at least not anytime soon, know definitively how much of Iran's nuclear program Israel and the United States destroyed. But even if the attack…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Israel-Iran Confrontation Tests Saudi Arabia’s Quest for Neutrality
Jul 2, 2025The Unit for Political StudiesOvernight on June 21-22, American military aircraft launched strikes on three nuclear facilities inside Iran, most notably the fortified Fordow plant. To reach…
- Policy AnalysisIranConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The GCC States and the US-Iran Dance Near the Abyss
Jul 2, 2025Kristian Coates UlrichsenYears of shadowboxing and increasingly direct skirmishing between Israel and Iran erupted into 12 days of conflict that began in the early hours of June 13 and…
- Policy AnalysisIranUS Foreign Policy
Perspectives on the US Attack on Iran and Its Repercussions
Jun 23, 2025Charles W. Dunne Imad K. Harb Khalil E. Jahshan Tamara Kharroub Assal Rad Annelle Sheline Kristian Coates UlrichsenAfter waiting for a week following Israel’s June 13 attack on Iran, US President Donald Trump decided to involve the United States directly in the Israeli-Iran…
- ViewpointIranConflicts and Conflict Resolution
President Trump’s Iran War
Jun 20, 2025Yousef MunayyerAs the smoke rises above Iran and Israel after waves of Israeli airstrikes and Iranian retaliation, only one thing is immediately clear: President Donald Trump…
- ViewpointIranUS Foreign Policy
Political Divisions Over Israel’s Iran Attack Highlight Tough Choices for Trump
Jun 19, 2025Charles W. DunneIsrael’s attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and an ever-expanding list of targets has exposed fundamental disagreements among Americans over support for Isr…
- ViewpointIranUS Foreign Policy
Israel’s Iran Assault Has Created a Crisis for Which Trump Is Not Prepared
Jun 16, 2025Daniel BrumbergOver the last 18 months, Iran quadrupled its stock of 60 percent enriched uranium. Yet however “successful,” this effort was fraught with danger for the Islami…
- ViewpointIranUS Foreign Policy
The 2025 Israel-Iran War: The American Dimension
Jun 16, 2025Khalil E. JahshanFor the past three decades as a political figure, Benjamin Netanyahu has been obsessed with Iran’s perceived existential threat to Israel, particularly its eme…
- Policy AnalysisUS Foreign Policy
Trump’s Cuts Badly Affect Promoting International Democracy and Human Rights
Jun 16, 2025Charles W. DunneThe Trump administration’s swift demolition of key governmental and government-funded institutions promoting democracy abroad is a clear attack not just on imp…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy
Will Trump’s Gulf Trip Exacerbate or Mitigate the Arab World’s Three Plagues?
May 22, 2025Rami G. KhouriThe lasting effects of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf region may only become clear in the year ahead, making any suggestions of profound changes…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
Deals Without Guarantees: Trump’s Gulf Visit and the Future of US–Saudi Relations
May 22, 2025The Unit for Political StudiesOn May 13, US President Donald Trump began a four-day tour of Gulf countries, during which he traveled to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UA…
- Policy AnalysisYemenUS Foreign Policy
Implications of the US-Houthi Ceasefire Deal
May 21, 2025Gregory AftandilianPresident Donald Trump’s surprise announcement on May 6 of a ceasefire deal with Yemen’s Houthis—in which the militant group pledged not to target American shi…
- Press ReleasesLevantEducation and Development
Occupation Funded, Development Denied: How American Aid Cuts Affect the West Bank
May 16, 2025Adriana HashemOn his first day back in the White House, President Donald Trump made his opening moves to dismantle the fiscal and ideological foundations of American foreign…
- ViewpointSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
President Trump Does Business in Saudi Arabia
May 13, 2025Imad K. HarbIn front of a packed hall hosting an investment forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump spoke of an ironclad American-Saudi relationship that …
- ViewpointIranUS Foreign Policy
Already Focused on Iran, Congress Looks at a New Phase in US-Iran Relations
May 9, 2025Ethan Mayer-RichLawmakers returned to Washington after a short break away from the Capitol. Their two-week recess coincided with major developments in the Middle East. The Uni…
- Policy AnalysisIranRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Changing GCC Outlook Toward US-Iran Talks
May 7, 2025Kristian Coates UlrichsenLeaders of the six GCC states have worked assiduously since 2021 to repair and rebuild ties with Iran as part of a ‘de-risking’ strategy designed to take the s…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy
US Policy and Gulf Arab Interests: More Clash, Less Harmony
May 6, 2025Jim KraneGulf sovereign wealth funds are grappling with zig-zagging share valuations, while the falling oil price—compounded by a falling dollar—is throttling capital f…
- Policy AnalysisJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Restructuring the US Department of State: The De-prioritization of Human Rights?
May 2, 2025Annelle ShelineOn April 22, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a proposed “comprehensive reorganization plan” of the US Department of State. The information that he pos…
- Policy AnalysisUS Foreign Policy
One Hundred Days of Trump’s Foreign Policy: US Reputation and the World Order Take a Hit
Apr 29, 2025Charles W. DunneThe onslaught of US President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy has surprised the world with its depth and ferocity.
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
Trump’s Upcoming Trip to Saudi Arabia Amid Regional Uncertainties
Apr 25, 2025Gregory AftandilianPresident Donald Trump plans to make Saudi Arabia the first country he will visit during his second term in office—after his visit to the Vatican to take part …
- Policy AnalysisIranUS Foreign Policy
Trump Might Go for a Nuclear Deal Without a Larger Middle East Strategy
Apr 22, 2025Daniel BrumbergOver the last week, Iran hardliners in Washington have issued dire warnings about the Trump administration’s launching of nuclear talks with Iran. Iranian lead…
- ViewpointEducation and Development
Where Are Our College Leaders? The Danger of Anticipatory Obedience in Higher Education
Apr 9, 2025Tariq HabashSince October 7, 2023, American colleges and universities have repeatedly found themselves at the center of escalating political pressure amid student activism…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Domestic Politics and Elections
The United States Is a Frontline in the Palestine vs. Israel Conflict
Apr 3, 2025Rami G. KhouriIn the past year—especially over the last two months—unprecedented developments in the Middle East and the United States have pulled the Palestinian struggle f…
- Policy AnalysisIranUS Foreign Policy
Trump’s Impulse-Driven Middle East Policy Creates Dangers and Opportunities
Mar 27, 2025Daniel BrumbergA recent report by a pro-Israel think tank in Washington cautions against making any deal with Iran that does not provide for the total dismantlement of Tehran…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Does Trump Still Want to “Clean Out” the Gaza Strip?
Mar 25, 2025Khalil E. JahshanAs the January 15, 2025 ceasefire agreement that had brought limited calm to Gaza fell apart in early March when Israel resumed its air and land military onsla…
- Policy AnalysisUS Foreign Policy
What Trump’s Aid Cuts Mean for the Middle East and North Africa
Mar 21, 2025Amy HawthorneAlthough the Trump administration exempted Israel’s $3.3 billion and Egypt’s $1.3 billion in annual foreign military financing (FMF)—the majority of US assista…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Trump Sidesteps Congress, Giving Billions to Israel
Mar 7, 2025Ethan Mayer-RichFor the second time in six weeks, the Trump administration has bypassed Congress to send Israel billions of dollars of weaponry. Continued US military support …
- Policy AnalysisEgyptUS Foreign Policy
Trump’s Favorite Dictator Feels the Heat
Feb 28, 2025Imad K. HarbUS President Donald Trump appears to have developed different ideas about Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi upon whom he bestowed the moniker “favorite d…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Recent Arab Moves Deserve Bold Follow-Up
Feb 21, 2025Rami G. KhouriFour key political actors in the Middle East have recently made surprising moves that offered hints of how Arab states and non-state actors can collectively en…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
Normalization and Displacement: Saudi Arabia and Trump’s Gaza Proposal
Feb 20, 2025The Unit for Political StudiesSaudi Arabia is deeply concerned about the risks that Trump’s Gaza project poses to Egypt and Jordan and are uneasy about repeated American and Israeli stateme…
- ViewpointJordanUS Foreign Policy
An Existential Oval Office Moment for Jordan—and All Arabs
Feb 14, 2025Rami G. KhouriThe scene in the White House on February 11 was startling. King Abdullah II of Jordan listened to President Donald Trump ramble on about how the United States …
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The Gaza War and the Future of Democracy in the United States and Israel
Feb 14, 2025Daniel BrumbergIn a way that few could have predicted a few short weeks ago, the fate of democracy in the United States (and in some ways Israel) has now been irrevocably tie…
- ViewpointUS Foreign Policy
Trump’s First Three Weeks in Office: Signs of Disruption and Chaos
Feb 13, 2025Khalil E. JahshanIn his first few weeks back in office, Donald J. Trump delivered his characteristic ‘shock and confusion’ tactics by unleashing dozens of draconian and vindict…
- Policy AnalysisUS Foreign Policy
Trump’s Second-Term Foreign Policy: Highly Centralized, and Highly Personal
Feb 12, 2025Charles W. DunneThe late US secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld once famously explained his taxonomy of information in typically gnomic terms. “There are known knowns,” he sa…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy
Trump II and American-Gulf Relations
Feb 11, 2025Kristian Coates UlrichsenDonald Trump re-entered the White House on January 20 as the first president to serve a non-consecutive second term since Grover Cleveland in 1893. Any expecta…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The Drama, Delusion, and Dangers of Trump’s Gaza Plan
Feb 6, 2025Rami G. KhouriDonald Trump displayed his usual combination of disruption and delusion with his proposal for the US to take over the Gaza Strip after displacing its Palestini…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Trump’s Executive Orders and Actions Upend Policies at Home and Abroad
Feb 6, 2025Gregory AftandilianPresident Donald Trump’s first two weeks in office were marked by his signing of a dizzying array of executive orders, both to fulfill his campaign pledges and…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Trump Will Not Stop Israel from Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory
Jan 24, 2025Daniel BrumbergSeveral observers of the Middle East have suggested that President Donald Trump’s “transactional” instincts could impel him to push for a wider Palestinian-Isr…
- Policy AnalysisSyriaUS Foreign Policy
Damascus Falls, and So Does US Policy
Jan 2, 2025Charles W. DunneWith a presidential transition imminent, US policy on Syria, not to mention the broader Middle East, is in limbo.
- Policy AnalysisSyriaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Syria’s Kurds Facing Dangerous Headwinds
Dec 18, 2024Gregory AftandilianThe rapid collapse of the Assad regime by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters has put Syrian Kurds of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and their autonomous …
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy
Recalibrating US Engagement in Yemen Under a New Trump Administration
Dec 11, 2024Afrah NasserThe military escalation between the United States and the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen has significant implications for Yemen’s future. As the Houthis …
- Policy AnalysisIranUS Foreign Policy
Trump and Company Return to the Folly of “Maximum Pressure” on Iran
Dec 5, 2024Daniel BrumbergWhen it comes to US Iran policy, simple yet profound realities merit repeating. One of these is that economic sanctions are a tactic, not a strategy. Indeed, u…
- Policy AnalysisTurkeyUS Foreign Policy
Trump’s Election and Future of Turkish-American Relations
Dec 4, 2024Salim ÇevikTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed clear satisfaction with the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, quickly congratulating…
- ViewpointThe War on Gaza
A Preview of Trump’s National Security Team
Nov 19, 2024Ethan Mayer-RichJust two weeks have passed since President-elect Donald Trump won the election, and his new administration is already taking shape. Trump’s selections for his …
- Policy AnalysisUS Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy in the Second Trump Administration Takes Shape
Nov 19, 2024Nabeel A. KhouryThe foundations of President-elect Donald Trump’s foreign policy are now taking shape. He has nominated Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), as secretary of state, form…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
Saudi Arabia and Trump: Expectations and Challenges Ahead
Nov 14, 2024The Unit for Political StudiesOn November 5, former President Donald Trump successfully reclaimed the White House, achieving a decisive victory over his Democratic opponent, Vice President …
- ViewpointUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Trump’s Middle East Team Will Have to Deal with His Unpredictability and Narcissism
Nov 8, 2024Daniel BrumbergIt is very hard to predict the foreign policy that president-elect Donald Trump will pursue because he is deeply and pathologically unpredictable. On both the …
- Policy AnalysisThe Arab WorldUS Foreign Policy
A Second Trump Administration: Potential Policy Toward the Middle East
Nov 5, 2024Charles W. DunneThe November 5 presidential election is likely to have major implications for US foreign policy, as it pits a centrist and robust internationalist candidate (V…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Harris and the Arab-American Vote: Election Day Approaches
Oct 31, 2024Ethan Mayer-RichThe continued peripheralization of Arab-American voices has made it clear that to Harris and her campaign, just as Palestinian lives may not matter as much as …
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The Israel/Palestine Stain on Biden’s Foreign Policy Legacy
Oct 23, 2024Gregory AftandilianEvery US president wants to leave office with a positive legacy. Some do so to draw attention away from a scandal; others hope that the history books will trea…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Foreign Policy’s Impact on the November Presidential Election
Sep 25, 2024Gregory AftandilianUS presidential elections are usually decided on domestic issues, especially the economy. A candidate’s resting his or her presidential laurels on a foreign po…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Gaza, the American Elections, and the Fallout of a Disaster
Sep 19, 2024Charles W. DunneThe United States, sometimes considered the adult in the room when arbitrating international conflicts, has proved to be more of an adolescent when it came to …
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Implications and Geopolitics
Assessing GCC Perspectives on American-British Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis
Sep 11, 2024Giorgio CafieroSince last November, Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, has been attacking commercial and merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden and th…
- ViewpointLevantIsraeli War Tactics and Genocide
Netanyahu’s Demagoguery Before Congress over the Gaza War
Jul 31, 2024Khalil E. JahshanIn his convoluted and divisive presentation, Netanyahu made an emotional attempt at rallying American support behind his puttering ten-month military campaign …
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Domestic Politics and Elections
If Biden Drops Out, Where Do Democrats Go on Israel-Gaza War?
Jul 17, 2024Ethan Mayer-RichOn the heels of a disappointing presidential debate performance, much has been made of whether the Democratic Party will replace Joe Biden on the ticket this N…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
The Biden-Trump Presidential Debate: Implications and Prospects
Jul 4, 2024Arab Center for Research and Policy StudiesOn Thursday, June 27, 2024, US President and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden and former President and Republican Party nominee Donald Trump held their first…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDiplomacy and Negotiations
Difficulties Facing a US-Saudi Security Agreement
Jun 25, 2024Kristian Coates UlrichsenThe search for a US-brokered Saudi-Israeli deal to normalize relations has assumed outsized significance in the administration’s approach to the Middle East.
- ViewpointLevantDiplomacy and Negotiations
Desperately Seeking Support for Biden’s Plan on Gaza
Jun 18, 2024Khalil E. JahshanSecretary of State Antony J. Blinken just concluded another intensive diplomatic trip to the Middle East, his eighth to the region since the beginning of the G…
