Middle East

Can the World Live Without Iranian Oil?

By Jason Harmala

On December 5, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center held a discussion entitled “Can the World Live Without Iranian Oil,” with Sara Vakhshouri, president of SVB Energy International; and Denise Natali, Minerva Chair, Institute of National Strategic Studies, National Defense University.

Syria: Has the Bubble Burst?

By Frederic C. Hof

Reports that the Syrian regime is moving chemical weapons components for possible use against rebels, or pro-rebel populated areas, have provoked stern warnings from President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton.  For an administration that has consistently steered clear of military involvement in Syria’s civil war, the use of dirty weapons by the Assad regime […]

“Boycott” Elections Distill Kuwait’s Divisions

By Kristin Smith Diwan

On December 1 Kuwait held its second parliamentary election in ten months following the court-imposed dissolution of a strongly oppositional parliament last June.  Instead of the usual selection among Kuwait’s liberal nationalist, Islamist, tribal populist, and independent candidates, the choice this time was more stark:  vote or boycott?   In the months since October, when Kuwait’s […]

Roundtable on US Policy in Yemen with Gregory Johnsen

By Jason Harmala

Following the release of his new book The Last Refuge: Yemen, al-Qaeda, and America’s War in Arabia, the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East hosted a roundtable discussion with Gregory Johnsen on December 3, 2012 to discuss US policy in Yemen and recommendations for the Obama administration’s second term. The discussion engaged Yemen experts […]

Yemen’s Democratic Revolution, One Year Later

By Danya Greenfield

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, stepping down from power after more than 10 months of protests led by youth activists and joined by a cross-section of opposition groups and ordinary Yemenis throughout the country. Over the past year, Yemen has crawled its way back from the brink of […]

Prospects for Maghreb Economic Integration

By Jason Harmala

More than twenty prominent economic and political experts joined the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East on November 29, 2012 to discuss prospects for North Africa (Maghreb) economic integration. The Maghreb region holds the distinction of having the lowest intra-regional trade in the world. And though integration holds enormous benefits for North African countries—as […]

Problems With Neighbors: Turkey, Iraq, and the Syrian Kurds

With reports of clashes between Kurdish militias and jihadist elements of the Syrian opposition in the ethnically mixed town of Ras al-Ain on the Syrian-Turkish border, the question of how Syria’s Kurdish population will fit into a post-Assad state has been forced to the front. For the past twenty months Syrian opposition forces have challenged […]

NATO Partnerships in the Middle East: Time for a New Look

By Richard LeBaron

NATO’s efforts to establish patterns of cooperation with countries in the Middle East and North Africa have not prospered. With the exception of the Libya campaign, the Alliance has not played a significant role in addressing conflicts in the region. NATO has assiduously avoided involvement in the Syria conflict or in countering Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Formal […]

Another Election “Crisis” in Kuwait

By Richard LeBaron

Kuwait has more experience with elections than any other country in the Gulf and more than most countries in the Middle East and North Africa.  Its tiny population of eligible voters (currently around 400,000) has been going to the polls since 1975, and the number of crises involving the ruling al-Sabah family and the 50 […]

VIDEO: Secretary Kerry Addresses the Key Points of the Iran Deal

By US Dept of State