Issue Brief

Jul 5, 2023

The minilateral moment in the Middle East: An opportunity for US regional policy?

By Jean-Loup Samaan

Jean-Loup Samaan analyzes how regional powers in the Middle East are reconsidering the multilateral balance of their foreign policy arrangements.

Middle East Political Reform

Issue Brief

Jun 6, 2023

How monarchies end

By Stephen Grand

Stephen R. Grand flips the analytical script on the spate of notable books covering “How Democracies Die.” Democracies can corrode and crumble, but so can autocracies. Why are there no books being published about how kings and queens, emperors and caliphs, cease to rule—either because their throne is transformed into a more ceremonial post or because they lose power entirely? For Arab monarchs, there are several apparent lessons to be learned.

Middle East Political Reform

Issue Brief

May 30, 2023

China’s subsea-cable power in the Middle East and North Africa

By Dale Aluf

Dale Aluf analyzes China’s campaign to make countries in the region more dependent on Chinese networks, while reducing its own dependence on foreign cables. China’s growing presence in the Middle East and North Africa’s cable industry is significant because Beijing has the power to shape the route of global internet traffic by determining when, where, and how to build cables.

China Middle East

Report

Mar 14, 2023

Improving Gulf security: A framework to enhance air, missile, and maritime defenses

By The Gulf Security Task Force

Looking at decades of US support and operations in the Gulf and recognizing a continued, arguably growing, air and maritime threat from Iran, the Atlantic Council Gulf Security Task Force developed a framework on how to best protect US and allies’ interests in this sensitive, always relevant region.

Conflict Crisis Management

Issue Brief

Feb 1, 2023

Netanyahu’s coalition isn’t built to last: Expect high sparks within and fragile prospects for Israel’s incoming government

By Shalom Lipner

Competing agendas between the members of Israel’s incoming government portend another unsustainable partnership.

Elections Israel

Report

Mar 16, 2022

Great power projection in the Middle East: The China-Russia relationship as a force multiplier

By Jonathan Fulton and Li-Chen Sim

The conflict is also likely to provide states in the MENA region, especially oil producing states, with greater leverage over the US and Western allies. The US designation of Qatar as a major non-NATO ally in January 2022 could be seen from this perspective

China Economy & Business

Issue Brief

Dec 15, 2021

Doing it his way: How Naftali Bennett could beat the odds and wind up transforming Israel

By Shalom Lipner

Israel is experiencing the throes of growing pain. After the uninterrupted, twelve-year reign of Benjamin Netanyahu – whom many Israelis considered irreplaceable as the country’s prime minister – Israelis have a new chief. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, virtually unknown on the global stage, is moving through this uncharted territory ambitiously.

Elections Israel
International Friendly - United Arab Emirates v Israel

Issue Brief

Aug 30, 2021

Pitching Abraham’s tent: The human dimension of UAE-Israeli normalization

By Yoel Guzansky, Shalom Lipner, Jonathan H. Ferziger, Sarah Feuer, Tomer Fadlon, Ari Heistein, Ebtesam Al Ketbi, and Noura Al Breiki

In the past year, many have written on the normalization of relations between Israel and Arab states, focusing on economic interests and emphasizing shared security interests in the region. Case studies, however, indicate that relations between countries are improved when they encompass aspects related to the lives of citizens. Incorporating an element of cultural affinity […]

Economy & Business Israel

Report

Aug 17, 2021

Whither the Arabs: The end of the welfare state and the start of a journey into the unknown

By Hani K. Findakly, Kevin A. Findakly

Arab countries, rich and poor, large and small, are rapidly approaching a moment of reckoning. A confluence of anachronistic governance, economic mismanagement, and disruptive technology, which has changed the dynamics of both the supply and demand for hydrocarbon fuels and raw materials, is pushing the region to a tipping point.

Economy & Business Middle East

Issue Brief

Jun 24, 2021

No, the US shouldn’t withdraw from the Middle East

By William F. Wechsler

Wechsler responds to the New American Engagement Initiative’s latest publication. Read his recommendations and analysis on why the US should not withdraw from the Middle East.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy
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