Policy Analysis

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  • Policy Analysis
    LevantUS Foreign Policy

    US Military Presence in the Middle East: Deterrence and Retaliation

    Nov 14, 2023Gregory Aftandilian

    The 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 Analysis
    IranRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    On the Limits of Iran’s Policy of “Maximum Tactical Flexibility”

    Oct 13, 2023Daniel Brumberg

    At some point, the tactical balls Tehran has been juggling could fall to the ground with unpredictable or dangerous strategic results.

  • Policy Analysis
    IranRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Russia, Iran, and the Territorial Dispute with the UAE

    Aug 16, 2023Kourosh Ziabari

    Under President Ebrahim Raisi, Iran has carved out an overseas agenda that is a patent departure from the country’s 1979 Revolution-era notion of “neither East…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    Are the United States and Iran Moving Closer to a New Nuclear Deal?

    Jul 14, 2023Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies

    The last few weeks have witnessed an active diplomatic movement between Tehran and Western countries, especially the United States, regarding resolving the cri…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Despite US Efforts, Iran is Ascendant

    Jun 21, 2023Charles W. Dunne

    Iran today is not nearly as isolated as Washington had hoped and it has scored some impressive successes in advancing its regional agenda.

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Egypt and Iran: A Quest for Normalized Ties Amid Significant Obstacles

    Jun 9, 2023Khalil Al-Anani

    Egypt and Iran appear to be moving toward a closer relationship and a mending of ties. In recent months, officials from both countries have engaged in multiple…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranThe War in Ukraine

    Iran’s Involvement in the Ukraine War: Compromising Declared Principles

    May 9, 2023Kourosh Ziabari

    Politicians and commentators are warning about the consequences of an emerging “Ukraine fatigue” in the second year of the Russian invasion of the country. The…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranEnergy and Economics

    Iran: A Resource-Rich Country Reeling from Rampant Poverty

    Apr 3, 2023Kourosh Ziabari

    Even for a state as heavily militarized and intractable as the Islamic Republic of Iran, the breadth and depth of the economic maladies it is facing are crushi…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranSecurity and Defense

    Iran’s Nuclear Program Poses Challenges for China and the United States

    Mar 29, 2023Daniel Brumberg

    Now 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 Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    The GCC Is On Board with the Saudi-Iran Agreement

    Mar 27, 2023Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    The signing of a joint trilateral statement by senior national security officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran in the presence of Chinese officials in Beijing on…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Yemen and the Saudi-Iran Rapprochement

    Mar 22, 2023Nabeel A. Khoury

    In the closing scene of the 1942 film Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart, walking off into the fog with his occasional nemesis as they plan their next move together, …

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Lebanon and Syria and the Saudi-Iran Detente

    Mar 21, 2023Imad K. Harb

    The recent China-brokered agreement between Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran is expected to have a de-escalating effect on many issues in the Midd…