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- 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 AnalysisYemenUS Foreign Policy
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…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
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 AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS 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…
- From our AffiliatesUS 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 ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
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.
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
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…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Biden’s Warmed-over Ceasefire Proposal
Jun 6, 2024Khalil E. JahshanIn the midst of what the White House touted to supporters as a significant update of his administration’s diplomatic efforts regarding the eight-month-old unab…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Biden’s Gaza Announcement: What to Make of the Bizarre Spectacle
Jun 4, 2024Yousef MunayyerOn May 31, President Joe Biden announced what he described as a “comprehensive new proposal” offered by Israel for ending the war in Gaza that would be “a road…
- Policy AnalysisUAERegional Relations and Geopolitics
UAE Restricts US Military Strikes from Its Territory
May 22, 2024Gregory AftandilianFearing an attack by Iran or its allied militias in the region, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has restricted US military aircraft from targeting these proxy g…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Whitewashing Biden’s Policy on Gaza
May 21, 2024Khalil E. JahshanOn May 13, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan addressed the media in the White House press room on current developments in the Middle East, focusing on th…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
The Gaza Crisis Pushes Washington and Riyadh Closer
May 15, 2024Daniel BrumbergHamas’s May 6 acceptance of a hostage deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar was surely designed to induce the White House to pressure Israel to produce a counteroff…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy
Iraq’s Sudani Runs the Risks of Sustained Relations with the United States
May 7, 2024Rend Al-RahimOn his recent visit to the United States, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia` al-Sudani proposed a bold new relationship with America, basing it on the joint S…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Domestic Politics and Elections
The Gaza War Still Can Decide the American Presidential Election
Apr 24, 2024Gregory AftandilianLatest polls indicate that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are in a dead heat in the presidential race at this point in the campaign, whi…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Hezbollah-Israel War Is Becoming Inevitable, and the United States May Not Prevent It
Apr 10, 2024Patricia KaramPatricia Karam evaluates the possibility of a war between Hezbollah and Israel that would be a major escalation in the Middle East as the United States tries t…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Gaza, Biden, and an American Intifada
Mar 27, 2024Charles W. DunneAs Israel’s devastating Gaza invasion wears on, tensions between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are spiking, endangering the…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Saudi Arabia May Be Taking Center Stage in Post-Gaza Peace
Feb 28, 2024Kristian Coates UlrichsenWith Israel’s war on Gaza in its fifth month amid ongoing international pressure for a ceasefire, Saudi Arabia has become the focus of much attention over what…
- Policy AnalysisYemenUS Foreign Policy
Instead of Houthi Designation, the United States Should Embrace a Comprehensive Approach
Feb 28, 2024Afrah NasserOn January 17, the United States designated the Houthis in Yemen, also known as Ansar Allah, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in response to t…
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Foreign Policy
US Troops to Stay in Syria and Iraq but Perhaps Not for Long
Feb 22, 2024Gregory AftandilianIn recent weeks, there have been meetings in Washington and in Baghdad about the presence in Iraq and Syria of US troops, whose official mandate is to aid loca…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Congress Works to Give More Aid to Israel, None for UNRWA
Feb 16, 2024Ethan Mayer-RichOn February 13, the Senate voted 70-29 to pass a $95.3 billion national security supplemental package (H.R.815) to provide additional security assistance to Uk…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The Biden Administration’s Confused Response to Israel’s Rafah Operation
Feb 15, 2024Hanna AlshaikhAt the center of US coverage of the Israeli war on Gaza in recent days is the rift between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding …
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
How the Gaza War Is Upending US Middle East Policy
Feb 2, 2024Patricia KaramAs the Israel-Hamas war threatens to pull the United States into a broader conflict that would potentially upend US standing and policy, peace and stability in…
- Policy AnalysisYemenUS Foreign Policy
From Gaza to Yemen and Back: The Biden Administration’s Confused Strategy
Feb 1, 2024Nabeel A. KhouryOn January 17, the Biden administration announced it was adding Yemen’s Houthis (also called Ansar Allah) to the US terrorist list. The move returned the rebel…
- Policy AnalysisIranConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Iran Between Managing Allies and Modulating Its Deterrence
Jan 25, 2024Daniel BrumbergThis is a bad time for Iran to become embroiled in an expanding regional war that pits the Islamic Republic and its allies in Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen against …
- Policy AnalysisYemenUS Foreign Policy
The Biden Administration Is Strong in the Red Sea but Weak in Gaza
Jan 24, 2024Gregory AftandilianAfter enduring weeks of regional tension, including Houthi rebel attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and on American commercial vessels, the Biden administratio…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Deciphering Blinken’s Unguarded Optimism
Jan 18, 2024Khalil E. JahshanThe Biden administration announced its first Middle East initiative of the new year on January 4, 2024, by dispatching Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Russia and China on Gaza: Sidelined, Lurking—or Winning?
Dec 22, 2023Charles W. DunneIt wasn’t that long ago that Russia and China seemed to dominate the Middle East, and the United States was on the brink of relegation to the sidelines.Russia …
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The Israel-Hamas War in American Politics
Dec 21, 2023Gregory AftandilianAny rational discourse in the United States about the Israel-Hamas war increasingly has been subject to political litmus tests, as Israel supporters and Republ…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Are Israel and the United States on a Collision Course?
Dec 13, 2023Daniel BrumbergIn a December 8 story that seems to have received little attention in western press coverage of Israel’s expanding military campaign in Gaza was this nugget of…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Gaza, the Ruin of US Policy, and a Transformed Middle East
Nov 16, 2023Charles W. DunneThe Biden administration must act quickly and offer specific plans and timelines to shape post-conflict expectations and establish its priorities with the part…
- Policy AnalysisLevantUS Foreign Policy
US Military Presence in the Middle East: Deterrence and Retaliation
Nov 14, 2023Gregory AftandilianThe United States has recently bolstered its military presence in the Middle East as the Israeli war on Gaza escalated. Bolstering this presence is meant to de…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The War on Gaza: Deterrence or Inching toward Direct US Involvement?
Oct 17, 2023Khalil E. JahshanThe official American position has passed through three phases in less than ten days. First, like Israel itself, Washington and its western allies suffered fro…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
A New Diplomatic Path Is Urgent after Gaza, But Without the Previous Mistakes
Oct 16, 2023Charles W. DunneThe horrifying October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants has left the world aghast. The murder of Israelis (and Americans, French, Russians, Ukrainians, an…
- ViewpointEgyptUS Foreign Policy
The Menendez Fiasco: Implications for US-Egyptian Relations
Oct 4, 2023Khalil E. JahshanWashington has been abuzz lately over the shocking political intrigue involving the Egyptian government of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the powerful former chairma…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The Awkward Biden-Netanyahu Encounter Was a Dud
Sep 22, 2023Khalil E. JahshanAlthough the United States and Israel have enjoyed a uniquely close alliance since the latter’s declaration of statehood on May 14, 1948, the bilateral relatio…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Assessing 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 AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
The 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 AnalysisUS Foreign Policy
Joe Biden’s Imaginary Middle East Policy
Aug 24, 2023Charles W. DunneOver his more than four decades of service as a US senator, vice president, and now as president, Joe Biden has cultivated an image of the consummate foreign p…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Ending Military Aid to Israel: The Death of a Taboo?
Aug 21, 2023Yousef MunayyerIf there is one thing that characterizes American-Israeli relations more than any other it is US military aid to Israel, which currently amounts to nearly $4 b…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy
US Troop Buildup in the Gulf Reemphasizes Military Power
Aug 15, 2023Gregory AftandilianThe US military has recently significantly increased its presence in the Arabian Gulf, a show of force aimed primarily at deterring Iran from attacking or hara…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
US 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 AnalysisIraqDemocracy and Governance
Iran’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…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Americans Opt for a Democratic Israel, Not a Jewish State
Jul 20, 2023Imad K. HarbThe University of Maryland and Ipsos conducted a “Critical Issues Poll” from June 21 to 27 to probe Americans’ views on Israel, Zionism, and anti-Semitism. The…
- Policy AnalysisNorth AfricaSecurity and Defense
The Fate of the Wagner Group in Syria, Libya, and Sudan
Jul 18, 2023Gregory AftandilianThe failed mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin has put the fate of his Wagner Group doubt, not only in Ukraine but in several Arab states as well.
- Policy AnalysisIranUS Foreign Policy
Are the United States and Iran Moving Closer to a New Nuclear Deal?
Jul 14, 2023Arab Center for Research and Policy StudiesThe last few weeks have witnessed an active diplomatic movement between Tehran and Western countries, especially the United States, regarding resolving the cri…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
US Visa Waiver Program: Israel Will Not Reciprocate
Jul 10, 2023Jonathan KuttabThe United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP) permits, on a reciprocal basis, the entry of citizens of about 40 countries for 90 days for business or tourism wit…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
The 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 AnalysisPalestine/IsraelJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Israel’s Attack on Jenin Refugee Camp: The Next Stage of Apartheid
Jul 5, 2023Yousef MunayyerThe Jenin refugee camp sits adjacent to the Palestinian city of Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank. The camp’s registered population numbers around 2…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
Saudi-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 AnalysisSudanUS Foreign Policy
The US and the Sudan Conflict: Motives and Ability to Influence Events
Jun 27, 2023Arab Center for Research and Policy StudiesThe United States and Saudi Arabia announced on June 17, 2023 that both sides to the conflict in Sudan—the Sudanese Army Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support For…
- Policy AnalysisTurkeyDemocracy and Governance
The Erdoğan Doctrine in the Wake of Turkey’s Elections
Jun 22, 2023Mustafa GurbuzWhen Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced his new cabinet following his victory in the May 2023 presidential election, a positive mood ensued. Turk…
- Policy AnalysisIranRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Despite 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 AnalysisIraqUS Foreign Policy
Shock and Awe: Life in Iraq Twenty Years after the US-led Invasion
Jun 16, 2023Yara M. AsiThis year marks a significant milestone in the American-led “Global War on Terror,” especially in relation to Iraq. It has been 20 years since former Secretary…
- Policy AnalysisUS Foreign Policy
Congress Is Not Ready to Leave the Middle East
May 31, 2023Douglas ChristensenOn March 29, 2023 the Senate voted to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) for Iraq, attempting to end the two-decade-l…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
Democrats and Republicans’ Positions on Israel Ahead of the 2024 Election
May 24, 2023Gregory AftandilianAlthough relations with Israel are usually foreign policy talking points for American politicians ahead of national elections, it seems that the issue has come…
- Policy AnalysisIraqUS Foreign Policy
Twenty Years after “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq: A Critical Assessment
May 2, 2023Charles W. DunneThe crisis had been building for months when, on March 20, 2003, this author stood with a group of military officers deep inside the Pentagon, watching a telev…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Israel’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…
- ViewpointEgyptThe War in Ukraine
The 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 AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The United States’ Weak Response to the Netanyahu Government
Apr 12, 2023Douglas ChristensenIn December of last year, Benjamin Netanyahu once again returned to the position of prime minister in Israel, leading a new far-right governing coalition that …
- Policy AnalysisIranSecurity and Defense
Iran’s Nuclear Program Poses Challenges for China and the United States
Mar 29, 2023Daniel BrumbergNow that China has brokered a renewal of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, it must translate that achievement into real tangible benefits. After all, fo…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arab WorldUS Foreign Policy
US Middle East Policy: The Trump-Biden Doctrine in Action
Mar 22, 2023Charles W. DunneAll US presidents, it seems, need their own foreign policy “doctrine.” President James Monroe famously started the trend in 1823, and many others—Truman, Eisen…
- ViewpointPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The Aqaba Joint Communique Dies in Huwwara
Feb 28, 2023Khalil E. JahshanOn Sunday, February 26, 2023, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan hosted Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, and US officials in Aqaba, Jordan to try to stem the worri…
- Policy AnalysisSyriaSecurity and Defense
Syrian 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 AnalysisThe Arab WorldUS Foreign Policy
Washington Doubles Down on Middle East Ties
Feb 15, 2023Charles W. DunneReducing US commitments in the Middle East and pivoting to Asia has been a hot topic among foreign policy analysts and Middle East experts since the idea was p…
- Policy AnalysisAlgeriaUS Foreign Policy
US-Algeria Relations Remain Troubled, but Neither Side Wants a Break
Jan 25, 2023Gregory AftandilianRelations between Washington and Algiers have remained at a low point ever since the Trump administration, in its last month in office, recognized Moroccan sov…
- Policy AnalysisThe Arab WorldUS Foreign Policy
The Biden Administration and the Middle East in 2023
Jan 4, 2023Khalil Al-Anani Yara M. Asi Amal Ghazal Imad K. Harb Khalil E. Jahshan Kristian Coates UlrichsenThe first two years of the Biden administration, although short, have offered insight into the ways in which the reality of governing can clash with declared h…
- Policy AnalysisPalestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy
The Gordian Knot: A Bird’s Eye View of US-Israel Relations
Dec 20, 2022Nabeel A. KhouryNabeel Khoury takes a broad view of American-Israeli relations, highlighting the issue of robust US military aid to Israel and intelligence sharing between the…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
What Lies Ahead for Saudi Arabia in the 118th US Congress
Dec 7, 2022Charles W. DunneNew challenges abound for President Joe Biden in 2023. The loss of a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives for the 118th Congress promises to lea…
- Policy AnalysisIranUS Domestic Politics and Elections
The US Midterm Elections Spell Further Trouble for the JCPOA
Dec 2, 2022Douglas ChristensenIn November, Americans went to the polls to cast their votes in the congressional midterm elections. In the end, voters dealt a major blow to Republican party …