Regions

Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfUS Foreign Policy
The Trump Administration and the Fracturing Saudi-UAE Alliance
Jan 21, 2026Giorgio Cafiero
The historically close alliance between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is under strain because of diverging strategic priorities and competiti…
From our Affiliates
IranProtests and Activism
Iran Protests Stir International Convergences and Conflicting Interests
Jan 20, 2026The Unit for Political Studies
Since December, Iran has witnessed its largest wave of anti-government demonstrations since the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom movement sparked by the death of stud…
Policy Analysis
IranProtests and Activism
Iran’s Rebellion Will Transform Iran’s Islamic Republic for Better or Worse
Jan 14, 2026Daniel Brumberg
As the popular rebellion in Iran accelerates, the country’s sclerotic autocracy is fighting for survival. The reported deaths of at least 2,000 protesters and …
Viewpoint
YemenRegional Relations and Geopolitics
The Saudi–Emirati Drama in Yemen
Jan 13, 2026Nabeel A. Khoury
Of the three interrelated levels of conflict at play in Yemen—local, regional, and international—it was the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the Unite…
Collective Analysis
The Arab World
The Legacies of the Middle East in 2025 Are Likely to Repeat in 2026
Jan 6, 2026Yara M. Asi Daniel Brumberg Elobaid Elobaid Samia Errazzouki Imad K. Harb Marwan Kabalan Nabeel A. Khoury Laurie King Assal Rad Rend Al-Rahim Mtanes Shihadeh
In 2025, the Middle East and North Africa saw Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians and destabilizing military attacks across the wider region, Sudan’s unsalu…
From our Affiliates
YemenSecurity and Defense
Saudi Emirati Tensions and the Struggle for Influence in Southern Yemen
Jan 6, 2026The Unit for Political Studies
The Saudi airstrike targeting an Emirati weapons shipment in the port of Mukalla on 29 December 2025, marked a dramatic escalation in the simmering tension bet…
Policy Analysis
YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Reality and Threats of the STC’s Takeover of Eastern Yemen
Dec 29, 2025Nabeel A. Khoury
Two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, dominated the greater Middle East during the days of the Cold War. What happened from the Levant down …
Policy Analysis
IraqUS Foreign Policy
Undiplomatic Diplomacy Jeopardizes Improvements in US-Iraqi Relationship
Dec 26, 2025Gregory Aftandilian
US-Iraqi ties have witnessed an improvement over the past few months, largely in the energy and defense sectors that are key components of the bilateral relati…
From our Affiliates
YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution
South Yemen Escalation: Is the Country Headed for an Emirati-Sponsored Partition?
Dec 15, 2025The Unit for Political Studies
A major military operation seized swathes of southern Yemen last week, particularly in the governorates of Hadramout and al-Mahra. Military factions, most nota…
From our Affiliates
Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
Strategic Implications of Mohammed bin Salman’s Visit to Washington
Nov 27, 2025The Unit for Political Studies
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the White House on 18 November marked a highly symbolic moment in US–Saudi relations. After years of strained ties,…
Policy Analysis
IraqDemocracy and Governance
The 2025 Iraqi Election: Will Sudani Serve a Second Term?
Nov 20, 2025Hamzeh Hadad
On November 11, 2025, Iraqis voted in their seventh parliamentary election since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003. According to the Iraqi High Ele…
Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
MBS Returns to Washington: Re-Assessing US-Saudi Relations
Nov 18, 2025Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
Mohammed bin Salman’s return to Washington after seven years signals a recalibration of US-Saudi ties, with Riyadh seeking security assurances as well as suppo…