Policy Analysis

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  • Collective Analysis
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The US-Iran Interim Deal: A Fragile Ceasefire

    Jun 18, 2026Daniel Brumberg Khalil E. Jahshan Patricia Karam Yousef Munayyer Daniel Neep Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    The “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” signed in Versailles, France, on June 17, 20…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    Sadr, the Militias, and Iraq’s Struggle for Sovereignty

    Jun 17, 2026Giorgio Cafiero

    Iraq could be at a turning point following Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s May 27, 2026, decision to place his armed faction, Saraya al-Salam (the Peace Brigades…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Iraq’s Kurdistan Region After the Iran War

    Jun 9, 2026Patricia Karam

    The US-Israeli war on Iran has spilled over into other countries, including neighboring Iraq. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq has been highly exposed to the confl…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The Humanitarian Impact of the War on Iran

    Jun 3, 2026Yara M. Asi

    For the hundreds of children that attended the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Iran, Saturday, February 28, 2026, probably began like any other d…

  • Policy Analysis
    OmanConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Oman and the Iran War: Neutrality Under Strain

    May 28, 2026Gregory Aftandilian

    Oman has been thrust back into the diplomatic spotlight. On May 27, 2026, US President Donald Trump told reporters that Oman, a Gulf state that has maintained …

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaEnergy and Economics

    Vision 2030 and the Iran War: Saudi Arabia’s Resilience Under Strain

    May 28, 2026Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    Three months after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, 2026, the conflict is at stalemate: The ceasefire that began on April 8, 2026, ha…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranEnergy and Economics

    Why Devastating Iran’s Economy Will Not Break the Regime

    May 28, 2026Hadi Kahalzadeh

    Since President Donald Trump launched the US-Israel assault on Iran in late February 2026, the Trump administration has offered several objectives for the war.…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranEnergy and Economics

    Hormuz as Deterrent: How Iran’s Leverage Could Reshape Gulf Infrastructure

    May 21, 2026Jim Krane

    Iran has managed to convert its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz into a strategic deterrent. By blocking maritime trade, Iran has demonstrated that it can imp…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Saudi Arabia’s Strategic Dilemma in the Iran War

    May 21, 2026The Unit for Political Studies

    Saudi Arabia finds itself in the center of a storm not of its choosing and its choices in confronting that storm are narrow and costly.

  • Policy Analysis
    IranProtests and Activism

    Why Protest Has Not Produced Political Change in Iran

    May 12, 2026Sina Toossi

    Iran has not lacked moments of mass defiance against the regime. Over the past two decades, repeated waves of protest have challenged the authority, legitimacy…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqDemocracy and Governance

    Politics in a Parallel Universe: Iraq’s Leadership Crisis and the Iran War

    Apr 29, 2026Harith Hasan

    The Iraqi government and the leaders of the country’s ruling political factions have every reason for alarm. The US–Israeli war on Iran—and its profound conseq…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    War on Iran: The Dangers of Attacking Water Desalination Plants in the Gulf

    Apr 28, 2026Manal Shehabi

    International attention has focused on the energy and economic impact of Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Yet for people living in the Gulf Co…

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