• Policy Analysis
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    Trump and Company Return to the Folly of “Maximum Pressure” on Iran

    Dec 5, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    When it comes to US Iran policy, simple yet profound realities merit repeating. One of these is that economic sanctions are a tactic, not a strategy. Indeed, u…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Security Dimensions of the Saudi-Iranian Détente

    Nov 21, 2024Giorgio Cafiero

    The Saudi-Iranian renormalization deal, signed in Beijing on March 10, 2023, has led to a significant reduction in friction between Riyadh and Tehran. Even as …

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    GCC States Seek Diplomacy During US Absence

    The expansion and partial regionalization of what is already the longest and deadliest conflict in the Israeli-Palestinian arena since 1948 presents the Gulf A…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arab WorldUS Foreign Policy

    A Second Trump Administration: Potential Policy Toward the Middle East

    Nov 5, 2024Charles W. Dunne

    The November 5 presidential election is likely to have major implications for US foreign policy, as it pits a centrist and robust internationalist candidate (V…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    One Year After October 7: Israel Descends into Endless War

    Oct 11, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    Among the many moments described in the Washington Post’s recent article on the Biden administration’s failed efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, one stands…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranDemocracy and Governance

    Iran’s New President and Foreign Minister Stand on the Edge of a Precipice

    Aug 30, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    Commenting on Hezbollah’s retaliation to Israel’s August 25 pre-emptive strike on its positions, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani asserted tha…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranDemocracy and Governance

    Iran’s New President Must Navigate Dangerous Waters

    Aug 1, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    For the third time in the young history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a political leader identified with the “Reformist” camp has won the presidency. Masoud…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Israel Has Opted for War on All Fronts

    Israel's assassination of Hamas’s Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah military leader Fuad Shukr is an unwarranted escalation that could lead t…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranDemocracy and Governance

    Will Ebrahim Raisi’s Death Help Ultra-Hardliners ‘Make Iran Great Again’?

    May 31, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    The May 19 deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a fiery helicopter crash has created a challenge that Iran’s lead…

  • Policy Analysis
    UAERegional Relations and Geopolitics

    UAE Restricts US Military Strikes from Its Territory

    Fearing an attack by Iran or its allied militias in the region, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has restricted US military aircraft from targeting these proxy g…

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

    Gulf Arab States Avoid Iran-Israel Tensions

    Years of shadow conflict between Israel and Iran, which included targeted assassinations as well as cyberattacks, gave way in April to direct confrontation and…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Iran Between Managing Allies and Modulating Its Deterrence

    Jan 25, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    This is a bad time for Iran to become embroiled in an expanding regional war that pits the Islamic Republic and its allies in Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen against …