Middle East

Strategic change and its challenges

By Frederic C. Hof

During the Obama administration, Syria was treated as a two-part puzzle divided by the Euphrates River. East of the Euphrates, the objective was to degrade and destroy ISIS (ISIL, Daesh, Islamic State). The strategy was to support the anti-ISIS combat operations of a Kurdish (eventually Kurdish-dominated) militia with weapons, ammunition, supplies, and advisors on the ground, and combat aircraft aloft. Although the Trump administration believes it can take credit for having accelerated the anti-ISIS campaign, the objective and strategy in the east have remained constant.

Syria

IranSource

Why the Iranian Opposition’s Bet on Trump May Fail

By Maysam Behravesh

Much of the Iranian opposition abroad is thrilled with anticipation these days. It is looking forward to the resumption of US secondary sanctions against Iran’s oil industry and Central Bank on November 5, and the hard blow the Iranian economy is expected to take as a result. The opposition, along with some key members of […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

The future of the dollar in a post-Iran deal World

By Michael B. Greenwald

Some argue that if Iran shifted to euro-denominated transactions, it could spark a broader shift within energy exporting countries that would eventually weaken the USD as the reserve currency, as well as undermine the impact of future unilateral US sanctions.

Economic Sanctions International Markets

In the News

Cornell Quoted in The Financial Times on Saudi Arabia

By Phillip Cornell

Read the full article here.

Saudi Arabia

In the News

Nimmo Quoted in Buzzfeed on Facebook Removing Iranian-tied Pages

By Ben Nimmo

Read the full article here.

Iran

In the News

Seznec Quoted in Bloomberg on Saudi Lobbying

By Jean-François Seznec

Read the full article here.

Saudi Arabia

SyriaSource

War games in Syria: a lesson in futility

By Aaron Stein

The conflict in Syria is not comparable to global thermonuclear war, or tic-tac-toe. However, the ultimate point of Joshua’s game with himself is to learn a critical lesson: futility.

Syria

In the News

Cornell Quoted in Foreign Policy on MBS

By Phillip Cornell

Read the full article here.

Saudi Arabia

IranSource

Head of International Affairs, UK, Edelman

Second Wave of Resumed Iran Sanctions Targets Banks, Petroleum, Shipping

By Holly Dagres

As part of the United States’ withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the US Treasury Department will restore sanctions on a number of key Iranian sectors and activities on November 5. Here’s what you need to know about this second set of sanctions:

Iran

In the News

Oct 25, 2018

Wechsler in The National Interest: Saudi Arabia Is Its Own Worst Enemy

By William F. Wechsler

Read the full article here.

Saudi Arabia

Experts

Millennium fellow

Tim Carlton Jones

Foreign Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal

Education Middle East

Millennium fellow

Stephen Kalin

Head of US, Blue Laurel Advisors

Eastern Europe Economy & Business

Millennium fellow

Mark Donig

Nonresident senior fellow

Entrepreneurship Middle East

Fellow

Kurt Davis Jr.

Millennium Leadership Program Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

Millennium fellow

Dan Murphy

Anchor, CNBC

CEO and Co-Founder, Anadyr Horizon

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

Millennium fellow

Arvid Bell