Middle East

Working Group on Deterring a Nuclear-Armed Iran

Despite the interim agreement on the Iranian nuclear program in November 2013, Iran’s nuclear program remains perhaps the greatest emerging challenge to US national and regional security interests. US President Barack Obama has made it abundantly clear that a nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable and that the administration is prepared to do whatever it takes to […]

To Confront Yemen’s Security Dilemmas, Start With Security Forces

By Adam Simpson

Despite the conclusion of Yemen’s National Dialogue, violence continues to plague the country, most notably with clashes between tribesman and separatists pressing for greater autonomy and government forces that have lost their confidence.

Egypt’s labor dilemma

By Mustansir Barma

“Bread, freedom, and social justice,” is the familiar  slogan chanted across the Middle East and North  Africa since the Arab uprisings erupted in December  2010. Labor issues fit into this trifecta: bread is a symbol of earning a decent living, freedom is tied to  worker rights such as assembly and industrial action,  and social justice […]

Syria: There Is No Arm’s-Length Solution

By Frederic C. Hof

Geneva II was an attempt to fill that which nature abhors: a vacuum. Yet the vast emptiness of US policy toward Syria swallowed the effort itself, making it seem tiny, silly, and futile. President Bashar al-Assad’s regime calculated that it could treat the initiative with contempt. Although the opposition delegation in Geneva acted with competence […]

A Holding Action in Lebanon

By Faysal Itani

After ten months of stalling and infighting, Lebanon’s political factions have formed a cabinet. This does not indicate a broader political compromise, a willingness to tackle intractable and divisive issues, or a plan to address the country’s serious socio-economic problems. Rather, the cabinet’s significance lies in its makeup and the interesting compromises that led to […]