Policy Analysis

Policy Analysis
LebanonConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Crisis and Solidarity in Lebanon
Mar 12, 2026Patricia Karam
The widening of hostilities following the March 2026 US-Israeli attacks on Iran has placed Lebanon on a dangerous trajectory. Hezbollah’s decision to enter the…
From our Affiliates
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Gulf in the Line of Fire: The Calculations and Contradictions of Iranian Strategy
Mar 9, 2026The Unit for Political Studies
No sooner had news broke of a US-Israeli attack on Tehran on the morning of 28 February 2026, than Iran had launched a series of its own strikes targeting the …
From our Affiliates
LevantUS Foreign Policy
Epic Fury: Washington’s Contradictory War Aims in Iran
Mar 8, 2026The Unit for Political Studies
On 28 February 2026, US President Donald Trump announced the launch of a joint US-Israeli military operation, dubbed “Epic Fury”, against Iran. Within 24 hours…
Policy Analysis
IranUS Foreign Policy
After Khamenei: Operation Epic US–Iran Stalemate?
Mar 6, 2026Daniel Brumberg
There is no doubt that the United States will continue assassinating Iranian leaders in the belief that this strategy will deliver a political silver bullet to…
From our Affiliates
IranUS Foreign Policy
Trump and Netanyahu’s Iran Gambit: The Strategic Calculations behind Epic Fury
Mar 6, 2026The Unit for Political Studies
Following weeks of military mobilization and statements hinting at escalation from the White House, the United States and Israel launched a large-scale attack …
From our Affiliates
IranUS Foreign Policy
The War on Iran
Mar 3, 2026Mehran Kamrava
After months of tension and speculation, Israel and the United States jointly attacked Iran. The attacks started with a bombardment of the compound of the Isla…
Collective Analysis
IranUS Foreign Policy
The US-Israel War on Iran: Analyses and Perspectives
Mar 2, 2026Susan M. Akram Charles W. Dunne Amy Hawthorne Patricia Karam Khalil E. Jahshan Annelle Sheline Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
The United States has joined Israel in an all-out war on the Islamic Republic of Iran. On February 28, 2026, a US armada of two aircraft carrier strike groups …
Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Saudi Arabia Confronts the Israel–UAE Alignment in Somalia
Feb 26, 2026Giorgio Cafiero
Israel’s December 2025 decision to recognize Somaliland’s unilateral declaration of independence was of grave concern to Saudi Arabia. Riyadh sees Somalia’s te…
Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Constraint and Competition: Saudi Arabia’s Regional Policy in a Shifting Middle East
Feb 17, 2026The Unit for Political Studies
In a striking episode that captured the delicate intersection between domestic transformation and foreign policy, Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih pub…
Policy Analysis
QatarThe War on Gaza
Israel’s Smearing Campaign against Qatar: Latent Motives and Objectives
Feb 3, 2026The Unit for Political Studies
Since the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza, analysts, governments, and media outlets have debated Qatar’s involvement with Hamas and its wider role in Middl…
Policy Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Egypt: Partnering with Saudi Arabia on Security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden
Jan 27, 2026Gregory Aftandilian
Despite its extensive economic relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt appears to be hitching its wagon to Saudi Arabia in the kingdom’s dispute w…
Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfEnergy and Economics
A US Capture of Venezuelan Oil Could Come at OPEC’s Expense
Jan 23, 2026Jim Krane
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has a checkered relationship with American oil companies. In the 1970s, OPEC member states pushed the …