Analysis: Can BRICS+ Provide a Counterweight to the West?

By Helmo Preuss /

With the admission of six new countries, BRICS increases its economic power and global clout, possibly establishing its place as a challenger to the G7.

Egypt: An Economic Growth Success, yet a Health Failure?

By James E. Rauch /

Amid relatively successful long-term economic growth, Egypt still needs to address lagging health issues.

From Cold War to Regional Reconciliation: The New Pragmatism in the Middle East

By Albadr Alshateri /

The new pragmatism in the Middle East is leading to a regional reconciliation process that, though some critics doubt it, is showing signs that it can sustain itself in the near future.

The Saudi Gambit in Washington

By Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy /

Saudi Arabia is in a position to become a major international player but to sustain such a role it needs to consolidate its leadership in the Middle East.
The Arab Summit, which concluded in Jeddah last weekend, may well have just confirmed the Kingdom’s leadership of the Arab World. But now Riyadh needs to transform that into a regional leadership role.
Such a regional undertaking requires—in addition to taking the lead on the political settlement of the various crises that have plagued the region—the sagacious management of its relationships with both the United States and Israel. » Read more about: The Saudi Gambit in Washington »

The Future of Water in MENA is at Stake

By Malak Altaeb / May 17, 2023

The MENA region, one of the driest in the world, is facing unprecedented water management challenges due to the effects of climate change

Could the Future of Work be Green? Two Plot Twists

By Ghada Barsoum / May 17, 2023

Given the pressures of climate change could “green” define the future of work? Why are green jobs limited and who is pushing for them to grow?

Good to the Last Drop

By Thomas L. Crisman and Zachary S. Winters / Spring 2023

Why nature-based solutions and adaptive management may hold the key to water conservation in the MENA region

Hearing the Global South in Climate Convos

By Zeinab Shuker / Spring 2023

If progress on climate change is to be made, voices from the most vulnerable Global South and African countries must be heard and included in conversations at climate conferences

The Strategic Calculus behind the Saudi-Iranian Agreement

By Abdolrasool Divsallar and Hesham Alghannam /

Reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia creates opportunities for cooperation and poses security challenges stemming from opposing objectives, and foreign and domestic spoilers.

Iran-Saudi Arabia: A Regional Transformation?

By Ana Davis and Omar Auf /

The expected resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran has the potential to reshape the dynamics of the Middle East by bringing an end to proxy wars and creating opportunity for regional stability.

Strategic Survival in Syria

By Omar Abu Layla / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

How Russia and Iran maintain their grip in Syria under the shadows of the Ukraine war

Fortune and Hazard for Algeria

By Zine Labidine Ghebouli / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

War in Ukraine has brought new cash flow to Algiers, but the state must walk an ever-narrowing path to maintain its non-alignment

Russia, Ukraine, and U.S. Policy in the Middle East

By Daniel C. Kurtzer / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has influenced U.S. policy in the Middle East, the future of which depends on the outcome of the war, as well as Washington’s commitment to the region

The Nuclear Pyramid of the Islamic Republic

By Ali Fathollah-Nejad and Rahman Bouzari /

Iran has squandered billions on a nuclear program that has impoverished its people and hastened ecological disaster.

Will Lebanon and Israel Finally End their Maritime Border Dispute?

By Mohamed O. Abd El-Aziz /

Israel and Lebanon seem on the verge of a deal that is expected to settle their maritime border dispute, which could lead to securing their energy resources

A Palestinian Outlet to the World, A Path toward Peace? Considerations and Options for a Gaza Seaport

By Asaf Ashar and Joel Singer / Summer 2022

Between economic considerations, intra-Palestinian divisions, and Israeli security concerns, there are a number of challenges facing the building of a seaport in Gaza, or in its alternatives. Nevertheless, it may be an opportunity to establish a tri-state free trade zone, and, ultimately, peace.

The Women of War

By Noor-E-Nawaal Bhuiyan / Summer 2022

Hankir’s collection of portraits sheds light on the unique contribution of female Arab correspondents to their craft, including the integral role of their identity in giving voice to otherwise untellable stories from the Arab World

Time to Stop Talking of the Shiite-Sunni Divide

By Abdullah Hamidaddin / Summer 2022

When Western media frames the Middle East in terms of sectarianism, not only does it do a grave disservice to its audience, but also to the people of this region, with far-reaching consequences

Why Climate Journalism Must be Mainstreamed in the Arab World

By Sarah El-Shaarawi / Summer 2022

While the issue of climate change journalism is particularly relevant to the Arab World today, as the upcoming COP27 and COP28 will be hosted in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates respectively, climate reporting in the region still lacks a critical lens that reflects the issue’s urgency

Social Change Will Be Tweeted—By a Select Few

By Nadine El Sayed / Summer 2022

While social media has had a drastic impact on social and political movements in the region, the dynamics of its algorithms and the financing models of the media still pose limitations on who is heard online

Red Lines in Global Media

By Khaled Ezzelarab / Summer 2022

Whether in liberal democracies or across the Arab World, journalists today are struggling to navigate a difficult route amid government restrictions, ambiguous red lines, and non-state actors affecting how the media is run

From Borno to Aswan: Where Development, Climate and Conflict are Interlinked

By Omar Auf / August 23, 2022

The Aswan Forum, hosted on June 21-22 in Cairo, discussed topics related to African peace and development, including climate change, confronting terrorism, regional security, youth and women empowerment, and more.

An Insider’s Attempt at Syrian–Israeli Peace

By Farah Bassyouni and Nadeen Shaker /

Frederic Hof discusses a lesser-known track in the Arab-Israeli peace process: a Syrian-Israeli mediation that came closer to a deal than expected

A Decade of Enlightenment

By Nabil Fahmy / Winter 2022

Editorial

The Changing Middle East Regional Order

By Paul Salem / Winter 2022

A history of the Arab state system starting from the second half of the twentieth century to the present

Managing Crises, the Least-Bad Option

By Joost Hiltermann / Winter 2022

Conflict management in the MENA region has little chance of succeeding as conflicts increasingly intersect and tensions driven by larger, regional triggers become even more unpredictable

Arab Nationalism, Regionalism, and Regional Integration

By Ibrahim Awad / Winter 2022

In the third decade of the 21st century, regionalism and regional integration in the Arab region stood in contrast with experiences in other regions of the world. Rather than facilitate integration, Arab nationalism seems to have in fact obstructed it

From Political Islam to the Politics of Islam

By Nathan Brown / Winter 2022

With electoral paths blocked or unpromising, the Islamist project is now being transformed from what it was at the beginning of the last decade

AlMostaqbal: Envisioning a Better Arab Future

/ Winter 2022

An excerpt from the American University in Cairo’s blue-ribbon report, “AlMostaqbal: Envisioning a Better Arab Future”.

Is It Time to Bury the Two-State Solution?

By Hesham Youssef / Winter 2022

While many may be dismissive of the two-state solution, there are no viable alternatives for peace between Israel and Palestine

Framing the Partition Plan for Palestine

By Lorenzo Kamel / Winter 2022

Many different opinions abound concerning Resolution 181, but one fact cannot be denied or overlooked: it was not a solution born out of the “free and sovereign” world states of the time

Prepping for COP27

By David Dumke and Thomas L. Crisman and Zachary S. Winters / Winter 2022

Egypt is a microcosm for the impacts of climate change being felt across the MENA region, with water loss at the very top. It should likewise be high on the agenda when Cairo hosts this year’s UN climate summit

Young People Are Leading Climate Activism in the Middle East

By Neeshad Shafi / Fall 2021

Across the Arab World and the Middle East, young people are mobilizing to raise climate change awareness.

Through the Looking Glass: Syria and Lebanon

By Ariana Bennett /

Parallel and interdependent crises in Syria and Lebanon undermine domestic and regional progress.

Saving a Water-Stressed Middle East

By Neda Zawahri / Fall 2021

Inefficient water management exacerbates water insecurity in the MENA region, already the area most vulnerable to the catastrophic impact of the climate crisis. Building adaptive capacity is critical to ensure national and individual water security.

For A Worse Tomorrow

By Cairo Review Staff / Fall 2021

Journalist Dahr Jamail stresses the severity of the climate crisis—and asks everyone to start acting like it.

Locked-in Emissions: The Climate Change Arms Trade

By Wendela de Vries / Fall 2021

With militaries’ locked-in fossil fuel systems and looming climate chaos, the arms industry continues to take advantage of nefarious profit opportunities.

The Slow Violence of Climate Change

By Garret Barnwell and Savo Heleta / Fall 2021

A warming planet places the heaviest burden on the countries and people least responsible for climate destruction. Survival necessitates justice, redress, and structural change.

This Watershed Moment for the Land(s) between the River and the Sea

By Richard Silverstein / June 21, 2021

The recent war between Israel and Hamas has transformed the moral calculus of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Enough with Words

By Nabil Fahmy / May 17, 2021

It is time that Arab states lead the world community in standing up against Israeli practices which jeopardize the national and human rights of the Palestinian people.

The Rise of the United Arab Emirates

By Abdulkhaleq Abdulla / Spring 2021

By harnessing national confidence, proactively dealing with regional security concerns and exercising geopolitical cooperation, the UAE is positioning itself as a regional powerhouse.

Maintaining the U.S.-Saudi Relationship

By Hussein Ibish / Spring 2021

The once booming strategic alliance between Riyadh and Washington has weathered a number of regional storms but is beginning to show wear and tear.

Women and Children First

By Elena Habersky / Spring 2021

Women and children migrant voices, especially after the pandemic, must be amplified in discussions around the Global Compact, which aims to bring world governments in line with good and safe migration governance.

Funding Feminism: Grantmaking for Women’s Rights

By Sydney Wise / Winter 2021

Anne Firth Murray, founding president of the Global Fund for Women, chronologizes a lifetime of harms faced by women and posits community as a remedy.

Biden Bolstering Diplomacy

By Sydney Wise / Winter 2021

PART II: Director of the Boston Consortium for Arab Region Studies, Denis Sullivan, discusses U.S. President Joe Biden’s foreign policy plans in the Middle East.

Biden Negotiating the Balance of Power

By Sydney Wise / Winter 2021

Director of the Boston Consortium for Arab Region Studies, Denis Sullivan, discusses U.S. President Joe Biden’s foreign policy plans in the Middle East.

Can the Arab Region meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030?

By Mourad Wahba / Winter 2021

There are multiple challenges which need to be confronted in both data collection and public policy so that the SDGs can be attained.

Global Tourism Post COVID-19 and the Island Model

By Omar Auf /

A recovery in tourism, one of the hardest hit industries by the COVID-19 pandemic, is inevitably tied to health considerations. It also depends on governments’ willingness to move away from old models toward long-term sustainability.

What to Expect from Biden in the Middle East

By William B. Quandt / February 24, 2021

A Biden administration is likely to rewrite a lot of Trump’s Middle East policies, but the Israel-Palestine issue may not be a priority.

Does the Biden Administration Have Time for Foreign Policy?

By Basant Samhout / Winter 2021

As the United States moves back to a more traditional presidency, the world questions the new administration’s ability, much less willingness, to take a leading role in world politics amid more demanding issues at home