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  • Policy Analysis
    IranEnergy and Economics

    Hormuz as Deterrent: How Iran’s Leverage Could Reshape Gulf Infrastructure

    May 21, 2026Jim Krane

    Iran has managed to convert its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz into a strategic deterrent. By blocking maritime trade, Iran has demonstrated that it can imp…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Saudi Arabia’s Strategic Dilemma in the Iran War

    May 21, 2026The Unit for Political Studies

    Saudi Arabia finds itself in the center of a storm not of its choosing and its choices in confronting that storm are narrow and costly.

  • Intern Corner
    IraqViolent Extremism

    Shia Militias in Iraq: A Backgrounder

    May 14, 2026Zainab Abdi

    On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran. In response, a coalition of Iran-aligned armed groups in I…

  • From our Affiliates
    IranUS Foreign Policy

    The Ceasefire Pause: Likely Outcomes of the Islamabad Negotiations

    May 13, 2026Mahsa Safi

    Sometimes, wars persist not because of military strength or the will of the parties involved, but because the very notion of an “end” remains undefined. Now, a…

  • Viewpoint
    IranDiplomacy and Negotiations

    Trump, Not Tehran, Is Blocking Diplomacy with Iran

    May 13, 2026Daniel Brumberg

    On April 26, 2026, Tehran offered the United States a proposal to lift the US and Iranian blockades of the Strait of Hormuz but to postpone talks on the nuclea…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranProtests and Activism

    Why Protest Has Not Produced Political Change in Iran

    May 12, 2026Sina Toossi

    Iran has not lacked moments of mass defiance against the regime. Over the past two decades, repeated waves of protest have challenged the authority, legitimacy…

  • Viewpoint
    UAEEnergy and Economics

    Why the UAE’s OPEC Withdrawal Matters Beyond Oil

    May 1, 2026Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    The UAE's withdrawal from OPEC is the most significant departure yet from the organization because it marks the first time that one of the major oil producing …

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqDemocracy and Governance

    Politics in a Parallel Universe: Iraq’s Leadership Crisis and the Iran War

    Apr 29, 2026Harith Hasan

    The Iraqi government and the leaders of the country’s ruling political factions have every reason for alarm. The US–Israeli war on Iran—and its profound conseq…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    War on Iran: The Dangers of Attacking Water Desalination Plants in the Gulf

    Apr 28, 2026Manal Shehabi

    International attention has focused on the energy and economic impact of Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Yet for people living in the Gulf Co…

  • Fresh Take
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The Complexities of US–Iran Diplomacy

    Apr 28, 2026

    Assal Rad breaks down the competing strategies, miscalculations, and sources of leverage shaping post‑war diplomacy between Iran and the Trump administration.

  • Viewpoint
    EgyptConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Egypt and the Gulf: A Relationship under Pressure

    Apr 21, 2026Imad K. Harb

    The US-Israeli war on Iran has put Egypt in a predicament. Since the 2013 coup that brought him to power, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has enjoyed a…

  • Viewpoint
    IranConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    After the Iran War: Regional Devastation and Future Instability

    Apr 21, 2026Marc Lynch

    The ferocity of the US-Israeli war with Iran that began on February 28, 2026, has given way to a shaky ceasefire, desultory negotiations, and competing blockad…

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