Essays
The Case for the One-State Solution
With the two-state solution on life support, it’s time to revisit solutions once discarded as radical—namely, the one-state option
Oslo’s Mangled Legacy
After the PLO suffered a legitimacy crisis in the early 1990s, the organization was forced to survive by entering the Oslo talks. Despite initial success, it has since endured failures
Europe: In Search of a Role
The European Union’s foreign policy since the Arab Spring has fluctuated between outdated economic initiatives and political misreadings; instead the EU needs more internal unity and a better understanding of needs in the Arab World
The Inflection Point
Reduced American focus on the Middle East going forward is just one of many changes with which Arab leaders will have to grapple in the coming years, and it is disorienting
The Choice for the West: Focus or Strategic Failure
The Middle East and North Africa would be better off with diminished Western ambitions in the region. However, rather than coalescing around a more manageable and realistic set of goals, the West is beset by confusion and growing discord
An Overdue Reckoning
British foreign policy in the Middle East has shifted decisively from a long period of consensus to one of sharp contestation between an empire-2.0 right and a transformative left
In the Leopard’s Footprints
Despite the rise of the continent’s first populist government, in its relations with the Middle East, Italy shows remarkable continuity with its recent past in its emphasis on migration and energy security
In Pursuit of a Grand Strategy
France’s diplomatic sojourns into the Middle East over the past quarter century have only yielded moderate success. Can the government of Emmanuel Macron reverse this slow downward spiral?
India’s Multipolar Commitment
With a modern diplomatic history going back to Gandhi and Nehru, India views its role in the Middle East as a supporter of multiple powers. But how long can India’s commitment to a multipolar Middle East continue?
Russia’s Sharp Turns
To get involved in Syria, Russia had to turn to Iran as an unexpected ally, yet as the conflict develops, it is ready to accommodate any and all players to strengthen its foothold in the region
Patrons of Peace and Conflict
In Northeast Africa today, Middle Eastern states vie for influence, and African governments accede—with conditions
Building Fortress Europe
There is hypocrisy in Europe’s migration policies, which give lip service to human rights, but actually push back those seeking access to better lives.
Migration Myths and the Global South
The discourse currently dominating international migration privileges a Northern agenda and obfuscates the real causes and consequences of why people move. A greater focus on the Global South is essential.
In a Storm Not of their Making
The arrival of mass numbers of Syrian refugees in Europe has ignited a “perfect storm” for the surge of xenophobia and populist politics among Europeans. Its cause, however, originates in the West and not with the Syrians themselves.
A Horrible Game Changer
The Trump administration’s decision to cut aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East or UNRWA may highlight a need for institutional reform. Nonetheless, the humanitarian crisis and political unrest resulting from such a decision far outweigh any benefits.
A Compact for Syrian Refugee Women?
When the “Jordan Compact” was inked between European governments and Jordan in 2016, it was presented as a transformative experiment in employing and empowering Syrian refugees. Two years later, the Compact has failed to help Syrians and address the realities of working refugee women.
From Africa to Israel to Nowhere
Thousands of undocumented Africans in Israel present the Jewish-majority state with an existential question: how open is Israel—originally a safe haven for displaced Jews—to newly-arrived non-Jewish migrants?
Empowering Yemen’s Displaced Women
Since 2004, internal displacement in Yemen has hit women the hardest. Rather than narrowly focus on life-saving assistance, humanitarian organizations must develop policies with women’s strategic and long-term needs in mind.
Erdoğan’s Achilles Heel
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s policy toward Syrian refugees could become his downfall as anti-refugee sentiment in Turkey grows, especially if the economy weakens.