Policy Analysis

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  • Policy Analysis
    IraqDemocracy and Governance

    Unfinished Business: Nation-Building in Iraq Since 2003

    Mar 21, 2023Rend Al-Rahim

    Nothing so perfectly expresses the failure of nation-building in Iraq as the cry of protesters in 2019, when they chanted, nureed watan, “we want a country.” T…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaSecurity and Defense

    Syrian Kurds Are Hoping for, but Not Banking On, Continued US Partnership

    Feb 24, 2023Gregory Aftandilian

    The massive earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria has given the Syrian Kurds a reprieve from a possible Turkish military invasion of ar…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arab WorldSecurity and Defense

    Washington Doubles Down on Middle East Ties

    Feb 15, 2023Charles W. Dunne

    Reducing US commitments in the Middle East and pivoting to Asia has been a hot topic among foreign policy analysts and Middle East experts since the idea was p…

  • Policy Analysis
    AlgeriaUS Foreign Policy

    US-Algeria Relations Remain Troubled, but Neither Side Wants a Break

    Jan 25, 2023Gregory Aftandilian

    Relations between Washington and Algiers have remained at a low point ever since the Trump administration, in its last month in office, recognized Moroccan sov…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arab WorldUS Foreign Policy

    The Biden Administration and the Middle East in 2023

    Jan 4, 2023Khalil Al-Anani Yara M. Asi Amal Ghazal Imad K. Harb Khalil E. Jahshan Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    The first two years of the Biden administration, although short, have offered insight into the ways in which the reality of governing can clash with declared h…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelUS Foreign Policy

    The Gordian Knot: A Bird’s Eye View of US-Israel Relations

    Dec 20, 2022Nabeel A. Khoury

    Nabeel Khoury takes a broad view of American-Israeli relations, highlighting the issue of robust US military aid to Israel and intelligence sharing between the…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy

    What Lies Ahead for Saudi Arabia in the 118th US Congress

    Dec 7, 2022Charles W. Dunne

    New challenges abound for President Joe Biden in 2023. The loss of a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives for the 118th Congress promises to lea…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranUS Domestic Politics and Elections

    The US Midterm Elections Spell Further Trouble for the JCPOA

    Dec 2, 2022Douglas Christensen

    In November, Americans went to the polls to cast their votes in the congressional midterm elections. In the end, voters dealt a major blow to Republican party …

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfEnergy and Economics

    US-Gulf Relations After OPEC+ Production Cuts

    Nov 2, 2022Jim Krane

    American presidents have long relied on Saudi Arabia and its leadership of OPEC to ease price pressure on oil markets, particularly in the lead-up to US electi…

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    Congress Versus Biden on Foreign Assistance to Egypt

    Nov 1, 2022Charles W. Dunne

    The Egypt Human Rights Caucus would like a word with President Joe Biden. The group, which was formed in January 2021 on the 10th anniversary of Egypt’s 2011 u…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantUS Foreign Policy

    Biden’s Syria Policy: Steady Non-commitment and Persistent Failure

    Sep 20, 2022Nabeel A. Khoury

    The Biden administration’s Syria policy, as well as its policy for the Middle East in general, stems from priorities and practices set in place during the eigh…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    No Plan B for the US as Geostrategic Shifts Threaten to Scuttle Iran Nuclear Deal

    Sep 20, 2022Daniel Brumberg

    What a difference a few days can make in the Middle East. On August 28 National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby addressed the diplomatic maneuvering t…