Policy Analysis

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  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfSecurity and Defense

    How Smaller GCC States Are Navigating the Mecca Defense Agreement

    Oct 1, 2026Giorgio Cafiero

    The recent recommencement of the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, raises important questions abou…

  • Collective Analysis
    The Arab WorldEducation and Development

    UNGA 2026: War, Diplomacy, and the Middle East’s Changing Order

    Sep 28, 2026Nur Arafeh Imad K. Harb Khalil E. Jahshan Tamara Kharroub Negar Mortazavi Yousef Munayyer Daniel Neep

    Nearly 130 world leaders attended the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), held in New York from September 22 to 2…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranUS Domestic Politics and Elections

    America’s Affordability Crisis: Will Trump’s Iran War Cost Him the 2026 Midterms?

    Sep 25, 2026Gregory Aftandilian

    Midterm elections in the United States are usually a referendum on whichever party holds the White House. Going into this year’s midterms on November 3, 2026, …

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arab WorldRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    What the Iran War Reveals about China’s Middle East Strategy

    Sep 22, 2026Andrea Ghiselli

    On September 24, 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to meet President Donald Trump for the second time since the start of the US-Israeli war on Ira…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Trump’s “Economic D-Day” Strengthens Iran’s Hardliners

    Sep 3, 2026Daniel Brumberg

    The White House’s new measures will not force Iran’s capitulation. Instead, they will reinforce the resolve of the hardline security officials to entrench thei…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaEnergy and Economics

    Saudi Arabia’s Nuclear Turn: Power Beyond Electricity

    Aug 27, 2026Jim Krane

    The US-Saudi Arabia Nuclear Cooperation Agreement caused some observers to scratch their heads. Why would a country bother with nuclear energy when it holds a …

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Turkey and Iraq’s Emerging Partnership in a Changing Regional Order

    Aug 26, 2026Salim Çevik

    Turkey-Iraq relations have undergone a significant transformation over the past two years. For much of the post-2003 period, relations between Ankara and Baghd…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaSecurity and Defense

    Diversification Without Substitution: What the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement Offers Saudi Arabia

    Aug 19, 2026The Unit for Political Studies

    Despite the headlines, the Mecca agreement is unlikely to produce a real military response if an attack happens. Not only has the text of the accord not been m…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Why UN Mediation in Yemen Needs an Overhaul

    Aug 14, 2026Afrah Nasser

    Although originally established to facilitate a negotiated political settlement to the Yemen conflict, for over a decade the focus of the United Nations (UN) O…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Saudi Arabia’s Yemen Dilemma

    Aug 5, 2026The Unit for Political Studies

    On July 13, 2026, bombs struck the runway at Sanaa International Airport as an Iranian plane arrived carrying a Houthi delegation that had attended the funeral…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Neither Iran nor Israel: Saudi Arabia’s Vision for Lebanon

    Jul 28, 2026Giorgio Cafiero

    Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)’s recent reaffirmation of support for Lebanese President Joseph Aoun underscores an increasingl…

  • Policy Analysis
    QatarMedia and Technology

    Don’t Shoot the Mediator: The Campaign to Undermine Qatar’s Role in the Iran and Lebanon Ceasefires

    Jul 17, 2026The Unit for Political Studies

    Over the past three decades, conflict mediation has become a central pillar of Qatar’s foreign policy, building on a diplomatic model it had built around estab…

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