Featured commentary & analysis


Counterterrorism Study Group

The Counterterrorism Study Group is a forum for former counterterrorism officials to review the latest threats, to understand emerging trends and future predictions, and to explore creative new proposals for improving the effectiveness of current policies and operations.


Podcast series

Listen to the latest episode of the China-MENA podcast, featuring conversations with academics, government leaders, and the policy community on China’s role in the Middle East.


Gulf Security Task Force

The Gulf Security Task Force is revisiting the question of how to best protect US interests in this sensitive, always relevant region. Our goal is to provide US decision-makers with an updated, fact-based strategy for protecting US interests in the air and maritime domain from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, and ensuring Gulf partners’ ability to assume this responsibility, with the assistance and leadership of the United States.

Content

In the News

Oct 17, 2018

Slavin Quoted in Albawaba on MBS and Impact on Region

By Barbara Slavin

Read the full article here.

Saudi Arabia

MENASource

Oct 16, 2018

The chilling effect of the Khashoggi case: A trigger for Arabs living in fear

By Tuqa Nusairat

Since the apparent murder-disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on October 2, analysts have focused primarily on the implications for US-Saudi relations and the future of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s vision for domestic reforms. Absent from policy discussions and analysis is the impact of brutally silencing a mild critic of an autocratic regime on the psyche of 450 million Arabs, most of whom still live under regimes that severely limit freedoms of speech, protest, political participation, and religion.

Saudi Arabia

In the News

Oct 16, 2018

Wald Quoted in CNN Business on Saudi Crisis

By Ellen Wald

Read the full article here.

Saudi Arabia

MENASource

Oct 15, 2018

The Khashoggi affair: Back to the future

By Nabeel Khoury

From the abuses of the male guardianship in Saudi Arabia to arrest and torture of dissenters in Egypt and the jailing of environmentalists and journalists in Iran, the Middle East is rife with human rights abuses. Nor is this something new.

Saudi Arabia

EnergySource

Oct 15, 2018

How oil turns antagonists to allies

By Ellen Wald

Oil market dynamics can make for strange bedfellows, as overlapping economic interests can often trump entrenched regional rivalries or bilateral strife. That is not to say that oil markets are not vulnerable to geopolitical events—they are. Probably the most well-known and often cited example of a geopolitical issue to effect oil markets was the 1973 […]

Energy Markets & Governance Iran

In the News

Oct 15, 2018

Kempe on CNBC Discussing Khashoggi Investigation

By Frederick Kempe

Watch the full discussion here.

Saudi Arabia

In the News

Oct 15, 2018

Fried on Fox News Discussing Khashoggi Investigation

By Daniel Fried

Watch the full discussion here.

Saudi Arabia

In the News

Oct 14, 2018

LeBaron Quoted in the Telegraph on Jamal Khashoggi

By Richard LeBaron

Read the full article here.

Saudi Arabia

Inflection Points

Oct 13, 2018

Saudi silence on Khashoggi must end

By Frederick Kempe

I count myself as one of those who had been captivated by the possibility of change and the compelling MBS personality. What impressed me was his focus, energy and vision, laid out over three lengthy meetings in Riyadh and Washington, of how his country had gone wrong and what he would do to modernize it with next-generation support.

Saudi Arabia

In the News

Oct 11, 2018

Hellyer in Slate: The World Needs to Take the Safety of People Like Jamal Khashoggi More Seriously

By H.A. Hellyer

Read the full article here.

Saudi Arabia

Experts