Policy Analysis

Submit site search
  • Policy Analysis
    IranUS Domestic Politics and Elections

    A US-Iranian Clash Presents Dangers and Opportunities for Russia

    May 10, 2019Daniel Brumberg

    Russia 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
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Syria for Sale: The Price of Assad’s Survival

    May 10, 2019Radwan Ziadeh

    Russia’s so-called investments in vital Syrian installations like the Tartous port and in strategic assets such as oil and gas illustrate that the country is b…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantUS Domestic Politics and Elections

    The First Amendment Blocks Anti-BDS Legislation in the United States

    May 8, 2019Yousef Munayyer

    Developments 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 Governance

    Trump versus Biden: US Politics and the Middle East

    May 7, 2019Joe Macaron

    A 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…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Is War Coming to the Arabian Gulf?

    May 3, 2019Imad K. Harb Daniel Brumberg Abdulwahab Al-Qassab Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    Given current conditions and the parties’ limitations, the chance of a military confrontation with Iran is remote—although the sharp rhetoric and counter-accus…

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Worrisome Competition in the Red Sea Subsystem

    May 1, 2019Abdulwahab Al-Qassab

    The Red Sea subsystem involves many capable regional and international actors with competing agendas that, if not reconciled, could increase tensions and lead …

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptDemocracy and Governance

    Egypt’s New Constitutional Amendments: Moving toward Totalitarianism

    Apr 30, 2019Charles W. Dunne

    Egypt's new constitutional amendments, passed overwhelmingly in a national referendum, drive the country further along the road to totalitarianism. In reality,…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Horn of AfricaDemocracy and Governance

    Sudan’s Long Walk to Freedom: Will the Military Council Cede Power to Civilians?

    Apr 26, 2019Abdelkhalig Shaib

    Sudan’s Transitional Military Council and the opposition may have unintentionally entered into a power struggle and lost sight of the fact that they should hav…

  • Policy Analysis
    JordanConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Will Israel’s New Government Annex the West Bank?

    Apr 24, 2019Yousef Munayyer

    With growing domestic support and unquestioning backing from the Trump White House, Israeli leaders may decide that there is a rare opportunity to annex at lea…

  • External Readings
    LevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    The logic behind US humiliation of the Palestinians

    Apr 24, 2019Marwan Bishara

    The Trump administration has launched an all-out diplomatic assault on the Palestinians, while preparing a new initiative to resolve the Middle East conflict.

  • Policy Analysis
    LibyaReligion and Politics

    Haftar’s Attempted Coup and Trump’s Collusion over Libya

    Apr 23, 2019Imad K. Harb

    It is doubtful that Haftar’s campaign against Tripoli will end Libya’s chaos; indeed, it is likely to exacerbate and extend the country’s civil war and increas…

  • Policy Analysis
    AlgeriaDemocracy and Governance

    Negotiating a Path Forward in Algeria

    Apr 17, 2019Daniel Brumberg

    In Algeria, as in Egypt, the single biggest obstacle to advancing a democratic transition is the military. The opposition has some hard choices—none are good, …