Regions

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…
Policy Analysis
YemenRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Israel, the UAE, and Yemen’s South: The Politics of Unlikely Alliances
Nov 14, 2025 Giorgio Cafiero
Having emerged in 2017 from Yemen’s Southern Movement, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) is the preeminent political and military force in southern Yemen…
From our Affiliates
IraqDemocracy and Governance
The 2025 Iraqi Parliamentary Elections
Nov 10, 2025The Unit for Political Studies
On 11 November 2025, Iraqis are heading to the polls to cast their vote in the sixth parliamentary election since the 2003 invasion and subsequent deposition o…
Policy Analysis
QatarUS Foreign Policy
Qatar Copes with Trump’s Middle East Vision
Nov 6, 2025Daniel Brumberg
Among Arab states, perhaps none faces a more complex challenge in managing relations with President Donald Trump than Qatar. Ironically, Doha’s deepening partn…
From our Affiliates
Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy
Saudi Crown Prince in Washington: The Return of Realpolitik
Nov 6, 2025The Unit for Political Studies
President Donald Trump voiced optimism that Saudi Arabia would soon join the 2020 Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and some Arab countr…
Policy Analysis
YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Yemen Caught Between Domestic Fragmentation and Regional Tensions
Nov 5, 2025Nabeel A. Khoury
More than a decade into Yemen’s civil war, no end to the conflict is in sight. The lines of control between the two main belligerents have barely changed, and …
Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfSecurity and Defense
Israel’s Attack on Qatar and the Failure of GCC Defense Cooperation
Oct 14, 2025Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
On September 9, 2025, Israel attacked Qatar in an act of international aggression that caused shockwaves in Doha, across the Gulf states, and around the world.…