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

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

Competing Economic Visions in the Gulf

By Robert Mogielnicki / Winter 2022

Economic visions offer regional governments roadmaps for development, but they can also serve as a tool for measurement and—ultimately—accountability

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.

The End of Corporate Janissaries in the Gulf

By Omar Al-Ubaydli / Spring 2021

Gulf family companies and businesses must learn to wean off the Kafala system that has created short-sighted dependency on elite migrant workers, much like the flawed Janissary model of governance.

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.

A Timeline of Arab Rapprochement

By Ibrahim Elzayat /

A blockade of Qatar is lifted after Arabs mend fences and resume diplomatic ties.

The Viral Quotient: How Arab Media Responded to COVID-19

By Lobna Khairy and Sarah El-Shaarawi /

From social media to government narratives, the audience was bombarded with a plethora of information, some of which was confusing and contradictory.

Gulf Arab States Review Tax Regimes Amid Economic Crisis

By Robert Mogielnicki /

Value-added and excise taxes offer Gulf Arab states narrow fiscal levers to help offset the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis and drop in oil prices.

A Regional Order Contested

By Karim Haggag / Spring 2019

Extreme instability has prompted a fundamental reconfiguration of the contemporary Middle East; as the old order crumbles, a new one has yet to emerge

Erdoğan’s Failure on the Nile

By Soner Cagaptay / Spring 2019

How Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan went from being a regional Islamist leader in the Arab Spring to being the Middle East’s odd man out

The Qatar Blockade’s Impact on Migrants

By Haniya Javed / November 6, 2018

The blockade against Qatar has had a disproportionate economic impact on foreign workers, though increased self-sustainability efforts may provide new employment opportunities.

Patrons of Peace and Conflict

By Nanjala Nyabola / Fall 2018

In Northeast Africa today, Middle Eastern states vie for influence, and African governments accede—with conditions

Trump’s Ineptitude on Iran

By Reza Marashi / May 7, 2018

Trump’s Iran policy burns with fury as well as utter incoherence.

Consuming Snow in Desert Shopping Malls

By Mona Abaza / May 3, 2018

Mega-mall development in Cairo’s suburbs follows a neoliberal model of consumerism popular across the Middle East.

Arabs Rising to the Occasion?

By Amre Moussa / March 10, 2018

Former secretary general of the League of Arab States, Amre Moussa, offers eight recommendations for establishing a new regional order that would see Arab countries end instability and regain control of their futures.

Trends in Qatar Stand-Off

By Rami G. Khouri / August 5, 2017

Is Qatari diplomacy and policy outperforming the Saudi Arabian-UAE-led camp in the Gulf’s ongoing confrontation?

Final Battle for the Arab World

By Rami G. Khouri / June 14, 2017

It might be useful to step back from examining any one conflict and instead simply try to identify larger historical and political patterns that help us understand the players and the issues at stake.

What Is Qatar’s Real Threat to Saudi Arabia?

By Rami G. Khouri / June 7, 2017

Citizens’ freedom, rights, justice, and dignity seem to be the threats that frighten Saudi Arabian and other Arab autocrats, and these must be minimized at any cost, it seems.