All Policy Analysis by Ghaith al-Omari

The French-sponsored event could be a welcome starting point for wider cooperation between Iraq’s new government and its Arab neighbors—particularly Jordan—but only time will tell whether agreements made there come to fruition.

Although Palestinian and Kurdish politics have similarly deteriorated into ineffective blame games, fresh U.S. policies focused on institution-building could restore the promise of progress in both cases.

The meeting itself is the objective, and the more uneventful it is, the more it will be deemed a success.

The proposal to downgrade the U.S. Security Coordinator from a three-star general to a colonel could decimate a crucial mission, especially amid the recent uptick in Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

Three experts discuss the risks of escalating violence on the ground, the Israeli and PA response so far, and U.S. policy options.

Despite increased readiness and cooperation in the lead-up to the holy month, recent polls provide a discouraging portrait of public hopes for peace, forcing authorities to keep a close eye on any moves that might inflame tensions.

To follow up on the king’s Ramallah trip, Washington should encourage further engagement in the peace process beyond the diplomatic realm, including economic stabilization initiatives and tie-ins with the Abraham Accords.

The kingdom has navigated tricky successions in the past, and many of the elements that allowed it to do so remain in place today.

The trilateral agreement will combine long-established peace partners with one of the Gulf parties to last year’s Abraham Accords, providing a model for broader normalization efforts.

The visit will set the stage for future U.S. assistance negotiations and allow King Abdullah to express his views on Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy and other regional issues, while the White House can bolster the relationship and (quietly) push for achievable reforms.

Fatah and Hamas have tried every conceivable power-sharing mechanism to no avail, and many Palestinians now feel alienated from both brands of authoritarianism.

What caused the latest Israeli-Palestinian crisis? What does each side seek to gain from it? And how can Washington help deescalate the fighting? Watch video or read a summary of this expert panel discussion.

Boosting aid and addressing provocative policies will need to be discussed soon, but doing so prematurely would only further the terrorist group’s power struggle against the nonviolent Palestinian Authority.

As the risks of holding Palestinian elections come into focus, a Palestinian Authority decision to postpone the elections will increase tensions on the ground while highlighting structural flaws within Fatah and the PA.

The immediate crisis seems to have ended for now, but the stunningly public Hashemite feud is a reminder that Jordan’s stability needs tending and is not something to be taken for granted by Washington or Amman’s regional friends.

Abbas may decide to postpone the vote given Fatah’s internal fissures, his rivals’ relative unity, and the damage that certain outcomes could do to Palestinian relations with the West.

The deterioration seen in recent years has diplomatic, political, economic, and even personal roots, and their collective effect has been to hold back everyone’s interests, including Washington’s.

Even if Fatah and Hamas somehow get past the same towering political obstacles that derailed past decrees, elections hold little prospect of reconciling their deeply entrenched leaders and institutions anytime soon.

Recent gestures, which have included reconciliation talks with Hamas, could strengthen the PA’s Gaza-based rival, further strain relations with its traditional Arab allies, and spur elections with destabilizing results.

New royal decrees amount to business as usual on the kingdom’s political landscape, but heightening tensions over COVID-19, economic contraction, and other factors call for careful attention from Washington.