Policy Analysis

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  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Rumors and Risks: Lebanon’s Political Anxieties and Relations with the New Syria

    Aug 12, 2025Patricia Karam

    In May 2025, Syria’s transitional President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, confirmed that his government was in indirect communication with Israel, the first time the two s…

  • Policy Analysis
    TurkeyRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Moderation Without Transformation: Why Turkey Is Failing Syria’s Postwar Transition

    Aug 8, 2025Salim Çevik

    After years of investing in Syria’s opposition, Ankara is committed to see the emerging government in Damascus establish a functioning state that can restore b…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Saudi Arabia and the New Syria: Constructive Pragmatism?

    Aug 7, 2025Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    A large Saudi business delegation traveled to Syria on July 23-25, 2025, and participated in an inaugural Syrian-Saudi Investment Forum at the presidential pal…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    From Sectarianism to Tribalism: Rebuilding Syria’s Power Structures

    Aug 6, 2025Haian Dukhan

    The July 13–18, 2025 violence between Druze and Bedouin in Syria’s southern al-Suwayda governorate was followed by a massive wave of tribal mobilization across…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaMigrants, Refugees, and IDPs

    Refugees Return to Syria: Challenges and Uncertainties

    Aug 1, 2025Heba Gowayed

    Globally the human displacement crisis has reached unprecedented heights, with one in every 67 people forced from their homes. During its 14 long years of civi…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelDiplomacy and Negotiations

    Gaza: Is a Ceasefire Possible?

    Jul 29, 2025Yara M. Asi Daniel Brumberg Khalil E. Jahshan Yousef Munayyer Assal Rad Annelle Sheline

    On July 25, 2025, the United States and Israel announced that they were cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks with Hamas and recalling their negotiating teams fro…

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptEnergy and Economics

    Sisi’s Foreign Policy Fails to Obscure Egypt’s Festering Economic Problems

    Jul 23, 2025Gregory Aftandilian

    Although Egypt’s economy has seen several improvements over the past year, namely a fall in the inflation rate and an infusion of external financing, it is sti…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelIsraeli War Tactics and Genocide

    Starved, Ruined, and Displaced: What’s Next for Gaza?

    Jul 18, 2025Mohammed Samhouri

    In recent weeks, two significant developments have dominated the news from Gaza. One is the daily deadly violence surrounding the operations of the new Gaza Hu…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaUS Foreign Policy

    Lifting US Sanctions on Syria: A New Chapter for Damascus and Beirut?

    Jul 18, 2025Patricia Karam

    In 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 Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Palestine and the Middle East After the Iran-Israel war

    Jul 15, 2025Rami G. Khouri

    The Middle East in recent months has witnessed multiple military and ideological confrontations. Historic changes in regional power balances signal new strateg…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy

    A Trump-Netanyahu New Middle East?

    Jul 9, 2025Nabeel A. Khoury

    The Trump administration and the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been following a roadmap toward their own version of a…

  • Policy Analysis
    TunisiaDemocracy and Governance

    Repression and Judicial Struggles in Kais Saied’s Tunisia

    Jul 3, 2025The Unit for Political Studies

    Almost four years into President Kais Saied’s imposition of one-man-rule in Tunisia, his effort pivots around a process of “executive aggrandizement” that is d…