Middle East

Is Saudi-Iran reconciliation threatening the future of Israeli normalization?

By Sarah Zaaimi

The recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran could signal a sea change in Arab-Iranian relations and pose practical hindrances to Arab-Israeli normalization.

Springtime in Iran signals the renewal of an environmental movement

By Shirin Hakim and Karen Makuch

Although there has been a decline in the size and frequency of protests in recent months, the onset of Spring serves as a reminder that the goals of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement are perennial.

How WhatsApp upended Middle East diplomacy—and what the US can learn from it

By Joze Pelayo, Yulia Shalomov

In WhatsApp’s encrypted channels, diplomats feel freer to form and participate in groups where they privately share resources, coordinate meetings, strategize with colleagues, create informal alliances, lobby for their country’s positions, and coordinate policy decisions.

Holding the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable for atrocity crimes

By Celeste Kmiotek, Alana Mitias, Nushin Sarkarati

Under the principle of universal jurisdiction, certain domestic justice systems allow prosecutions in national courts for crimes committed abroad, regardless of the victim’s or perpetrator’s nationality. This manual outlines the universal jurisdiction process in selected European states for those pursuing prosecutions of crimes committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Safeguarding the past: The Arab world’s cure to Holocaust amnesia

By El Mehdi Boudra

On the eve of Yom Hashoah, it is no longer considered taboo in the MENA region to promote Holocaust education and genocide prevention. The region’s youth are more receptive to discussing the events of one of the darkest chapters of human history, despite the political, religious, and educational challenges shrouding this historic move that has been praised in some nations in the region and criticized in others.

The rise of a Shia Vatican in Iraq

By Mehiyar Kathem

The anchoring of Shia religious institutions as a national actor in the cultural heritage field may altogether change Iraq’s cultural landscape.

State of the Order: Assessing March 2023

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

Hezbollah and its allies are more emboldened than they’ve been in nearly two decades

By Nicholas Blanford

The bottom line of this latest flare-up of violence along the Lebanon-Israel border is that Hezbollah, in coordination with Hamas, launched the largest barrage of rockets into Israel in nearly seventeen years without facing any repercussions.

Impact investing can help rebuild an inclusive, resilient Turkey after the earthquakes

By Selen Ucak

In the wake of Turkey's devastating earthquakes, investing in sustainable solutions for the displaced is crucial.