Policy Analysis

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  • 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
    MoroccoDemocracy and Governance

    Morocco’s Concerning Domestic and Foreign Policies

    Jun 7, 2023Imad K. Harb

    As Morocco works to become a pivotal power in northwest Africa’s security sphere, it continues to suffer from what can be seen as self-inflicted wounds caused …

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    The Jeddah Arab League Summit: MBS’s Final Crowning

    May 31, 2023Imad K. Harb

    The 32nd Arab League Summit was little more than the final crowning of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince as the leader of the current Arab political order.

  • Policy Analysis
    SudanConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The Sudan Crisis: How Regional Actors’ Competing Interests Fuel the Conflict

    May 11, 2023Khalil Al-Anani

    The outbreak of military clashes between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have resulted in the deaths of hundreds and t…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The Thorny Relationship between Yemen’s Government and the Southern Transitional Council

    May 3, 2023Afrah Nasser

    In Yemen, the Southern Movement calling for separation between the North and South of Yemen is controversial. For those who oppose it, it is a simple secession…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Israel’s Normalization with Arab States Slows as Repression of Palestinians Rises

    Apr 19, 2023Gregory Aftandilian

    Israel’s extreme right-wing government and its draconian policies toward the Palestinians have slowed down efforts to expand the so-called Abraham Accords, a p…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    What Does Normalization with Assad Mean for Accountability and a Political Resolution?

    Apr 18, 2023Patricia Karam

    Against the backdrop of Syria’s impending return to the Arab fold, French judges this month ordered three high-ranking Syrian intelligence officers to stand tr…

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Geopolitics of Small Islands: The Stalemate of Tiran and Sanafir’s Transfer Impacts Egypt-Saudi Relations

    Mar 29, 2023Khalil Al-Anani

    In June 2017, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi consented to ceding sovereignty over the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia. However, nearly si…

  • Policy Analysis
    TurkeyConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Obstacles to a Turkey-Syria Reconciliation

    Mar 29, 2023Salim Çevik

    Syrian President Bashar al-Assad paid an important visit to Moscow in mid-March 2023. One of the main agenda items was the Turkish-Syrian reconciliation that R…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Arab States Are Normalizing with Syria’s Assad Regime

    Mar 28, 2023Gregory Aftandilian

    Taking advantage of the devastating earthquake that ravaged parts of northwestern Syria in February, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has tried to use the trag…

  • 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…