Policy Analysis

In April 2020, the IRGC launched its first domestically made satellite, the Nour-1, into orbit. The launch showed the risks of lifting arms restrictions on Iran, a move supported by potential weapons trade partners Russia and China but vehemently opposed by the United States. Ending the embargo could facilitate Tehran’s

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi led a large cabinet delegation to Washington D.C. for new sessions of the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Dialogue, topped off by the first Iraqi prime ministerial visit to the White House in over three years. During the visit, I spoke to most of the Iraqi

In a recently announced move, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Khartoum yesterday as part of his broader tour through the region, including visits to Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE. The Israel-UAE normalization deal sparked the series of diplomatic visits. In the wake of these developments, international observers wondered if

تعهد علنی به آتش‌بس تحولی مثبت است، اما جزئیات زیادی هنوز هست که باید با حمایت فعالانه آمریکا حل‌وفصل شود، به‌ویژه تدابیر امنیتی در لیبی مرکزی و ازسرگیری سریع صادرات نفت.

Growing tensions between the two allies have both Islamic and nuclear angles.

حکم دادگاه ویژه لبنان که با دقت نوشته شده بود و روز سه شنبه ۱۸ آگوست ۲۰۲۰ اعلام شد، به نیروهای نیابتی ایران در لبنان این فرصت را می‌دهد تا بر کنترل همه‌جانبه خود بر لبنان بیفزایند. هم دولت لبنان و هم جامعه این کشور در میانه تحولات تازه‌ای قرار دارند که آن را به صورت قهری به سمت وابستگی شدید به «محور مقاومت» ایران می‌کشاند. مخالفت با نفوذ روزافزون ایران گسترده اما پراکنده است و از امکانات کافی برای مقابله با این تهاجم برخوردار نیست.

رژیم ایران به جای سرسختی نشان‌دادن، ظاهرا رویکردی محتاطانه‌تر پیش گرفته است؛ یعنی بی‌اعتنایی به تهدید آمریکا و بهره‌برداری از برخورد دیپلماتیک ناشی از این تهدید برای کسب منافع سیاسی.

Moscow’s growing use of international legal loopholes in Libya, Sudan, and other countries gives it a worrisome template for chipping away at the global order without confronting the United States directly.

Far from producing a melting pot of coexistence and equality, forcing Israelis and Palestinians into a single state would only inflame the conflict and trigger an endless struggle over dominance.

The latest twist in the long battle for control over Egypt’s religious realm could have profound implications for the state’s ability to regulate—and thus reform—Islamic discourse.

American security force assistance missions to Arab states have had only limited success, in large part because they do not train local units to fight in a manner well-suited to their cultural preferences and operational requirements.

Individuals and groups in the Gulf Arab countries—especially Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain—have repeatedly expressed interest in Israel and frustration with Palestinian leadership over the last few years. These statements reflect a growing loss of patience with the prolonged Palestinian-Israeli dispute, along with a new attribution of the conflict’s

Why did the United Arab Emirates decide to establish formal diplomatic ties with Israel? How much was Iran a factor?

The UAE’s deal with Israel may render Egypt a junior partner in future peace diplomacy, aggravating its existing frustration over years of financial dependence on the small Gulf state and a string of foreign policy setbacks.

In a series of royal decrees that imply a sharp focus on the economy, Sultan Haitham delegated key powers to various ministries for the first time while trimming and professionalizing the government.

The second season of the Decision Points podcast with host David Makovsky focuses on key Israeli and Arab leaders.

After much anticipation, the White House confirmed in an official August 2 statement that a meeting between the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and U.S. President Donald Trump will take place this week to discuss “challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic as well as security, energy, and economic issues.” The

Like all good policy decisions, the deal emerged from the enlightened self-interest of the key parties, but the stakes are not as high as with Israel’s previous two Arab peace treaties.

Experts discuss the deadly Beirut explosion as it relates to the Lebanese political system, Hezbollah hegemony, and foreign aid.

It shows the Palestinians that their longstanding paradigm for isolating Israel has failed, partly due to converging regional interests, and partly because it was based on incorrect assumptions.