• Policy Analysis
    LevantEnergy and Economics

    Turkey’s Challenge to Arab Interests in the Horn of Africa

    Feb 22, 2018Mustafa Gurbuz

    Turkey’s policies and many activities around the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa have added complications to the already complex strategic picture of the Middle…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    Is There a US Policy Toward the Kurds in Iraq and Syria?

    Recent tensions between the United States and Turkey over US support for the Syrian Kurds have brought to the forefront the issue of US policy toward the Kurdi…

  • Viewpoint
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Abbas Reassures UNSC of Palestinian Commitment to Just and Lasting Peace

    Feb 20, 2018Khalil E. Jahshan

    Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas delivered today his long-anticipated speech to the UN Security Council. His objective was essentially two-fold, he wanted f…

  • Viewpoint
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Mahmoud Abbas at the UN Security Council

    Feb 20, 2018Imad K. Harb

    What was most noticeable in Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s peace plan was his reaffirmation that the Arab Peace Initiative (API) of 2002 remai…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantSecurity and Defense

    The War of Others on Syria’s Soil

    Feb 20, 2018Radwan Ziadeh

    The late diplomat, politician, and publisher of the influential Lebanese daily An-Nahar, Ghassan Tueni, characterized the 15-year Lebanese civil war as “a war …

  • Press Releases

    Mahmoud Abbas’s speech at the UN Security Council

    Feb 20, 2018

    Statement byH.E. Mr. Mahmoud AbbasPresident of the State of PalestineBefore the United Nations Security CouncilNew York20 February 2018Excellency Sheikh Sabah …

  • Washington Policy Weekly
    BahrainMigrants, Refugees, and IDPs

    Congressional Update – Week Ending February 16, 2018

    Feb 16, 2018Marcus Montgomery

    Congressional hearings on global threats to the US; Trump’s illusive peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians; the state of human rights in Bahrain; Tillerso…

  • Policy Analysis
    JordanJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    Mahmoud Abbas’s Disappearing Options

    Feb 15, 2018Yousef Munayyer

    Abbas’s options have significantly narrowed after Trump’s position change on Jerusalem; but his limited choices are not beneficial for anyone given the ambigui…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Like Quicksand, Many Issues Threaten to Engulf Lebanon

    Feb 13, 2018Imad K. Harb

    As it approaches the highly anticipated round of legislative elections on May 6, Lebanon finds itself bereft of a cohesive political center that can withstand …

  • Viewpoint
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    A change in the American rules of engagement in Syria

    Feb 9, 2018Radwan Ziadeh

    The American forces in northeastern Syria intervened in the Deir Ezzor area to protect and defend their local ally, the Syrian Democratic Forces. An estimated …

  • Washington Policy Weekly
    IranSecurity and Defense

    Congressional Update – Week Ending February 9, 2018

    Government is funded until late March; Mattis discounts Iran and terrorism as the greatest threats to US; Congress, Trump Administration explore solutions to S…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqEnergy and Economics

    Jordanian-Iraqi Relations on the Mend, but Problems Remain

    Economic necessities and opposition to the so-called Islamic State have brought Jordan and Iraq closer together, but Amman remains concerned about Baghdad’s li…