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- Policy Analysis
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsUS Midterm Elections and Middle East Policy: Divided Government, Divergent Priorities
Oct 25, 2022Marcus MontgomeryThere remain only two weeks until the 2022 US midterm elections. Candidate lists in most races are set and early voting is under way in several states. The Dem…
- Policy Analysis
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsDemocratic Congressional Primaries Will Impact US Middle East Policy
Jul 6, 2022Marcus MontgomeryPresident Joe Biden is only months away from his first midterm election as commander in chief, and with many analysts projecting potentially historic losses fo…
- Policy Analysis
Justice, Equality, and Human RightsTwenty Years After 9/11: A Reckoning for Anti-Muslim Hostility in the United States
Dec 10, 2021Patricia JannackIn his human rights speech at the University of Connecticut in October, President Joe Biden argued that the best way for the United States to fight for global …
- Policy Analysis
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsUS Foreign Policy in the 2020 Elections: Bold Choices in the Middle East
Oct 7, 2020Charles W. DunneThe 2020 US presidential campaign has been driven by a few key issues—the pandemic and its damaging economic effects, massive protests in favor of racial justi…
- Policy Analysis
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsAmerican Uprising: From Local to Global Implications
Jun 29, 2020Yousef MunayyerYousef Munayyer proposes that changes in American society and existing trends in public opinion, especially among the younger generation, suggest that a welcom…
- From our Affiliates
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsUS Protests against Police Brutality: Election Disaster for Trump?
Jun 11, 2020Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)The United States of America is witnessing massive protests against the killing of a black citizen, George Floyd, by a white policeman who was filmed kneeling …
- Policy Analysis
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsTrump Toys with Domestic Use of Military
Jun 10, 2020Marcus MontgomeryMarcus Montgomery discusses President Trump's gambit to use the American military domestically and the administration's new approach to Israel's annexation pla…
- Washington Policy Weekly
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyCapitol Hill Turns to Public Diplomacy to Challenge Trump’s Policies
May 6, 2020Marcus MontgomeryUntil May 4, the House of Representatives and Senate were steering clear of Capitol Hill in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease to lawma…
- Policy Analysis
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsCOVID-19, Presidential Elections, and US Foreign Policy
Apr 29, 2020Joe MacaronJoe Macaron writes that Donald Trump's presidency and his administration's foreign policy may be defined this election year by the coronavirus pandemic and its…
- Washington Policy Weekly
Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign PolicyDid the Saudi-Led Oil Deal Diminish Republicans’ 2020 Electoral Chances?
Apr 15, 2020Marcus MontgomeryBecause the health of the US economy is critical for Donald Trump's reelection hopes, Marcus Montgomery asks if the recent Saudi-led OPEC+ cuts will contribute…
- Policy Analysis
IranUS Foreign PolicyTrump, Congress Lay Out Election Year Foreign Policy Priorities
Mar 11, 2020Marcus MontgomeryMarcus Montgomery discusses how the Trump Administration is pressing forward with its campaign against Iran as many in Congress are trying to constrain the pre…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyThe Bernie Sanders Factor in US Policy toward Israel
Mar 4, 2020Yousef MunayyerThe Sanders candidacy represents a shift in public opinion on Israel and that Sanders’s position on Palestinian rights opens a political space that is increasi…
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Foreign PolicyBipartisan Hysteria Erupts in Washington After UNHRC Unveils Database
Feb 20, 2020Marcus MontgomeryMarcus Montgomery reports on the unified bipartisan response to the recently released UNHCR report detailing the business ties of illegal Israeli settlements a…
- Policy Analysis
The American Jewish Community and the 2020 US Presidential Election
Jan 31, 2020Lara FriedmanThe American Jewish community, for all its internal divisions and distinctions, has nonetheless long been characterized by remarkably consistent, and by all ap…
- Washington Policy Weekly
US Foreign PolicyWhat Is Next for Mike Pompeo?
Jan 23, 2020Marcus MontgomeryMarcus Montgomery examines the future political ambitions of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, one of the most influential members of the Trump Administration, a…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and GovernanceRepressing 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 Analysis
Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign PolicyPresidential 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 Analysis
2020 Election Issues
Nov 1, 2019Imad K. HarbWhile presidential elections in the United States depend to a great degree on the personalities of the Republican and Democratic candidates, each election has …
- Policy Analysis
Trump’s Chances in the 2020 Presidential Election: Will Americans Reelect Trump?
Nov 1, 2019Khalil E. JahshanAlthough a year is a long time in American politics, at least in conventional electoral terms, many political analysts, pollsters and pundits are already hard …
- Policy Analysis
Security and DefenseTrump Puts His Stamp on a Generational Shift at the Pentagon
Oct 9, 2019Joe MacaronAs Trump backs away from US commitments in the Middle East, a new generation of Pentagon leadership is being tested in how to navigate war and peace decisions …
- Policy Analysis
Congress and the 2020 Elections
Oct 1, 2019Marcus MontgomeryThe highly anticipated 2020 US elections are garnering great attention because they will determine whether or not President Donald Trump remains in the White H…
- Policy Analysis
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 Analysis
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsPompeo’s Rising Influence in the Trump Administration
Sep 24, 2019Joe MacaronHaving outlasted many of his colleagues, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is the most connected official in Trump’s inner circle. But what is the extent of his i…
- Viewpoint
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsTrump Fires Bolton Over Policy Disagreements: The Middle East Reacts
Sep 16, 2019Khalil E. JahshanObserving the Trump presidency is a dizzying process that leaves one in a constant state of perplexity, frantically groping for the most accessible rational ex…
- Viewpoint
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionAdiós, 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 Analysis
The Role of the Electoral College in Electing the American President
Sep 1, 2019Imad K. HarbThe United States is understood to be a democratic republic whose constitution protects the individual’s right to choose his/her representatives, from the loca…
- Policy Analysis
Many Facets and Aspects to the 2020 Election: A Backgrounder
Aug 1, 2019Imad K. HarbThe 2020 election cycle is shaping up to be one of the most consequential in American history. Arguably the most divisive American president, Donald J. Trump, …
- Policy Analysis
LevantJustice, Equality, and Human RightsTrump 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 Analysis
LevantJustice, Equality, and Human RightsUsing 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 Analysis
BahrainMigrants, Refugees, and IDPsThe 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 Analysis
LevantJustice, Equality, and Human RightsInsult 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 Analysis
IranUS Domestic Politics and ElectionsA US-Iranian Clash Presents Dangers and Opportunities for Russia
May 10, 2019Daniel BrumbergRussia stands to benefit from the current standoff between the United States and Iran because President Putin has built good relations with all parties, which …
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Domestic Politics and ElectionsThe 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…
- Policy Analysis
Democracy and GovernanceTrump versus Biden: US Politics and the Middle East
May 7, 2019Joe MacaronA Trump-Biden contest in the 2020 presidential elections would likely be a battle between two opposing views of America and its foreign policy in the Middle Ea…
- Viewpoint
LevantArab Americans/ Muslim AmericansWhat 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 Analysis
Democracy and GovernanceThe Post-Mattis US Administration and the Rise of Trumpism
Apr 9, 2019Joe MacaronFollowing the resignation of former Defense Secretary James Mattis, conservatives in the Trump Administration are consolidating and applying their far-reaching…
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Domestic Politics and ElectionsCan the 2020 Democratic Candidates Change the US-Israel Relationship?
Mar 6, 2019Yousef MunayyerDemocratic presidential contenders have a difficult task reconciling their party’s traditional pro-Israel position with that of young and progressive activists…
- Policy Analysis
Democracy and GovernanceWho Will Be Driving the 2019 Washington Policy Agenda?
Jan 4, 2019Marcus MontgomeryWhile President Trump enjoys constitutional prerogatives over American policy in the Middle East, a Democratic-controlled House is likely to impact his choices…
- Policy Analysis
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsCongress and President Trump after the 2018 Midterm Elections
Nov 8, 2018Marcus MontgomeryDivided government and increased polarization in Congress are likely to make routine legislative business extremely difficult.
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Domestic Politics and ElectionsThe 2018 Midterm Elections: What Do They Mean for the Middle East?
Nov 1, 2018Marcus MontgomeryPresident Trump is potentially days away from being handed a divided Congress; a Democratic-led House could challenge Republican orthodoxy over US policy regar…
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Domestic Politics and ElectionsHaley Leaves the UN: Using Israel as Her Way to the White House
Oct 17, 2018Yousef MunayyerOn her ambitious quest to the presidency, Nikki Haley missed no opportunity to use her post at the United Nations to defend Israeli policies and to bash and pu…
- Policy Analysis
International LawTrump’s Unprincipled “Principled Realism” Benefits Trump, Not the World
Oct 5, 2018Daniel BrumbergTrump’s speech at the UNGA set out the basic dividing line that separates the Trump Administration from the normative, institutional, and legal consensus that …
- Policy Analysis
International LawTrump’s UN Performance: Does the US Have a Strategy?
Sep 28, 2018Joe MacaronThe Trump Administration's performance at the United Nations General Assembly raises questions about whether Washington has a clear and consistent strategy to …
- Policy Analysis
International LawTrump Brings His “America First” Agenda to the United Nations
Sep 25, 2018Joe MacaronFor the second time since assuming power last year, President Donald Trump comes to the United Nations (UN) with his “America First” agenda, his Administration…
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Domestic Politics and ElectionsOne year on, Trump remains the cause of – and solution to – the Qatar crisis
May 23, 2018Andreas KriegWhen it turned out the statements released by Qatar's news agency were the product of an external cyber-attack, and not the actual words of the country's emir,…
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Domestic Politics and ElectionsIs This the End of AIPAC’s Reign?
Apr 3, 2018Tamara KharroubThe month of March in Washington DC is known for cherry blossom and AIPAC's annual conference. From 4-6 March, the 2018 AIPAC policy conference took place in D…
- Policy Analysis
LevantUS Domestic Politics and ElectionsFiring Tillerson Leaves US Diplomacy in Limbo
Mar 15, 2018Joe MacaronTillerson’s firing comes at a critical time in US foreign policy. New dynamics are emerging in the Trump Administration and the successor Mike Pompeo should ba…
- Policy Analysis
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsUndermining Tillerson and the Demise of US Soft Power
Oct 19, 2017Joe MacaronPresident Trump’s public undermining of his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is causing a paradigm shift in the international system. However, replacing Tiller…
- Policy Analysis
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsWhen Friends Spy on Friends: A US Spy Tool Could Spell Trouble for the Middle East Under Trump
Jul 5, 2017Marcus MontgomeryFISA Section 702 is an often debated topic, but now there are serious concerns about how US spying will affect Middle Eastern countries under President Trump
- Policy Analysis
US Domestic Politics and ElectionsInstitutional Challenges to US Foreign Policy: Trump’s Problematic Approach
Jun 13, 2017Charles W. DunneSlashing the budget for diplomacy will affect Trump’s priorities such as building new Gulf security structures, defeating ISIL, containing Iran, and tackling A…
- Policy Analysis
Conflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Last of a Dying Breed: The 2016 Referendum on Clintonism
Mar 29, 2017Marcus MontgomeryFor many young voters, the Democratic Party’s nomination of Hillary Clinton for the US presidency in 2016 seemed surprising, considering she was a problematic …
- Policy AnalysisLevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Netanyahu and Trump Chart New US-Israel Relationship
Feb 26, 2017Yousef MunayyerBackgroundOn February 15, 2017, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump met in the White House for the first time since America’s …
- Policy Analysis
General Flynn, We Hardly Knew You
Feb 15, 2017Roxanne PeruginoAfter serving only 24 days as President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor, Lt. General Michael Flynn has resigned, leaving behind chaos within the Natio…
- Policy Analysis
Receiving Netanyahu, Trump Must Emphasize America’s Interests
Feb 14, 2017Imad K. HarbPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes to Washington this week to officially reset US-Israeli relations after the chill of the last few years of the Obama Adm…
- Policy Analysis
“America First” Will Compromise Homeland Security and Disrupt American Soft Power
Feb 7, 2017Mustafa GurbuzThe Trump Administration’s two promises—pursuing an “America first” policy and exterminating radical jihadism—require an investment in American soft power that…
- Policy AnalysisDemocracy and Governance
Ten Days of Trump: Prospects for Democracy and Human Rights vis-à-vis the Arab World
Feb 1, 2017Tamara KharroubIn his first 10 days in office, President Trump signed executive orders and made statements that greatly influence US foreign policy, from suspending refugee r…
- Policy Analysis
Strategic Costs of the Muslim Ban
Jan 30, 2017Imad K. HarbThe Trump Administration’s first week has clearly exposed both its limited depth in strategic thinking and, worse, its lack of commitment to US leadership arou…
- Policy Analysis
President Trump and the Republican Congress: Smooth Sailing or Choppy Waters?
Jan 25, 2017Roxanne PeruginoFor only the third time since 1929, the Republican Party will control the House, Senate and the White House and have the opportunity to choose a Supreme Court …
- Policy Analysis
Recalculating Route: America and Israel on Divergent Paths
Jan 3, 2017Yousef MunayyerIn May 2016, I wrote that the Obama Administration should carefully weigh options for how to address the Israeli/Palestinian issue during its last months in of…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
US President-elect Donald J. Trump and his Foreign Policy Cabinet Choices: Focus on Middle East Issues
Dec 29, 2016Roxanne PeruginoIn the last few weeks, President-elect Donald Trump has been building his team of senior officials. The team selected as his foreign policy appointees presents…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
President-elect Donald Trump Nominates David Friedman as US Ambassador to Israel
Dec 22, 2016Roxanne PeruginoOn December 15, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump nominated David Friedman to the post of US ambassador to Israel. Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer, has no diplo…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Secretary of Energy-designate Rick Perry
Dec 22, 2016Roxanne PeruginoIn an ironic twist, President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Texas Governor Rick Perry as his secretary of energy. The Energy Department is the same agency Perr…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Profile of Secretary of State-designate Rex W. Tillerson
Dec 15, 2016Roxanne PeruginoPresident-elect Donald Trump named Rex Tillerson, Exxon-Mobil CEO, as his choice for secretary of state on December 13. The appointment is controversial and ha…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Trump Nominates Treasury and Commerce Secretaries
Dec 5, 2016Roxanne PeruginoSteven Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury-designatePresident-elect Donald Trump has nominated his campaign finance chairman, Steven Mnuchin, to be secretary of…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Trump Announces Retired USMC General James “Mad Dog” Mattis as Secretary of Defense
Dec 5, 2016Roxanne PeruginoOn December 1, during a victory rally in Ohio, President-elect Donald Trump announced the nomination of retired Marine Corps General James “Mad Dog” Mattis to …
- Policy Analysis
Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) in the United States: An Assessment of Domestic and International Efforts
Countering Violent Extremism, or CVE, is a relatively new but expanding framework of practices for US “soft power” engagement with radicalization and extremism…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Trump Announces Additions to National Security Team
Dec 1, 2016Roxanne PeruginoNikki R. Haley, Ambassador-designate to the United NationsOn November 22, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump nominated South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as h…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Trump’s Cabinet Begins to Take Shape
Nov 23, 2016Roxanne PeruginoOn November 18, President-elect Donald Trump named three Cabinet positions, all of which are considered controversial to varying degrees
- Policy Analysis
Understanding the Conditions Leading to Trump’s Victory
Nov 17, 2016Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election on November 8 came as a complete shock to many in the United States and abroad, as if the statistical li…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
What can President-elect Trump achieve with a Republican Congress?
Nov 17, 2016Roxanne PeruginoElection ResultsIn a departure from the voter tradition of preferring a divided government, i.e. one party controlling the presidency and another the Congress,…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
The Two Presidential Candidates and Their Middle East Policies
Oct 13, 2016Roxanne PeruginoMost voters almost never decide a presidential election based on foreign policy, but Clinton is one of the leaders of the centrist Democratic foreign policy es…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Senate Races 2016 Update
Sep 7, 2016Roxanne PeruginoIn 62 days voters will cast their ballots for President and for 34 Senate seats up for re-election. Democrats remain cautiously optimistic that their party ca…
- Policy Analysis
The 2016 Congressional Elections
Aug 11, 2016John GregoryI. Can Democrats Reclaim the Senate?Every two years, one-third of the Senate is up for re-election. Elections are staggered to avoid having both Senators from…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
A Sane Alternative to Trump: Hillary has yet to Define her Nomination
Aug 2, 2016Joe MacaronAfter scrambling to unite her Democratic Party at the outset of the convention in Philadelphia last week, presidential nominee Hillary Clinton rolled out her n…
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
DNC 2016 Platform: In Denial over Mideast Challenges, Dispensable Language on Israel
Jul 29, 2016Joe MacaronLike every partisan document in a tense prelude to national elections, the 2016 Democratic platform reflected the party’s status quo with presidential nominee …
- Policy AnalysisUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Democratic Party Unity Remains a Challenge for Hillary Clinton
Jul 27, 2016Joe MacaronThe Democratic Party confirmed on July 26 the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, making her the first female presidential nominee of a major party in American polit…
