Conflict

Libya’s Fragmentation

By Tim Eaton / Summer 2020

Novel ways to understand why the Libyan revolution occurred and moves toward its resolution

The Disrupting Stabilizer

By Samuel Ramani / Summer 2020

How Russia’s military, diplomatic, and economic roles in the Mediterranean have developed in recent years

Strategizing Toward Irrelevance in Libya

By Alessia Melcangi / Summer 2020

The Libyan conflict is marred by competing interests, and is where the Mediterranean’s major players all hope to come out on top.

Why Palestinians consider the UAE-Israel Deal a strategic betrayal

By Nour Odeh /

Palestinian anger rises towards the UAE-Israel deal, which is not only a breach of international law, but also perceived as a betrayal of long-standing Arab solidarity with Palestine.

Syria’s Prospects for Reconstruction Are Bleak

By Alexander Decina and Katherine Nazemi /

Hindered by an array of domestic and international obstacles and competing regime priorities, the Syrian government’s efforts to attract regional capital for investment and reconstruction will be insufficient.

The EU and the Med: Is Geography Still Destiny?

By James Moran / Summer 2020

Europe needs to find ways of reinvigorating its relations with MENA countries to bring stability in its southern neighborhood and Mediterranean region.

Players on the Libyan Chessboard

By Sydney Wise / Summer 2020

Lisa Anderson explains how external response to the Libyan conflict largely synchronizes with existing alliances and strategic interests.

The Charter of the United Nations After 75 Years: Personal Reflections

By Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf / August 8, 2020

On the 75th anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations, Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, President of the International Court of Justice, reflects on the Charter’s world-changing history.

Society 5.0 and the Future Economies

By Hesham Dinana / Spring 2020

We’re better-connected today than ever before—but has modern innovation created a new society altogether?

COVID-19: America, China and the Conspiracy War

By Amanda Tapp /

The two rival powers have been at loggerheads about the spread of the novel coronavirus, but maybe it’s time they cooperate for the greater good.

Re-Engineering Regional Security

By Sydney Wise / Summer 2020

In the last half-century, Egypt has had to negotiate its way through the Arab–Israeli peace process, regional nuclear proliferation, and domestic political transition. What has it taught us?

Annexation Makes No Policy Sense

By Daniel C. Kurtzer / June 15, 2020

The fors and againsts of the West Bank’s annexation.

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.

Thunderbolt Hitting the Land

By Nasser Alkidwa /

An uncertain future looms as Palestine and Israel attempt to mitigate the onslaught of COVID-19.

COVID-19 Impact on Africa Elections

By Arnaud Oulepo /

The pandemic is forcing African states to choose between holding elections on time and postponing them for safety. The risks run both ways.

Seeing COVID-19 as an Opportunity

By Ted Reynolds /

Extremist groups will attempt to take advantage of the turmoil created by COVID-19—and it’s not the first time.

Let Conflicts Be Bygones

By Nadeen Shaker /

A sobering look at how COVID-19 will affect Libya, Syria, and Yemen, where war and conflict have not only decimated most of these countries’ precious resources but are further destroying what remains of them.

In Close Proximity to Their Abusers

By Karina Powell /

Domestic violence worsens worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Surplus of Deficits

By Amr Adly / Spring 2020

From a political economy perspective, there are four key forces working against the peace and prosperity of Middle Eastern and North African states. To defeat them, robust institutions are essential.

It is Time to Establish a Middle East Regional Security System

By Peter Jones / April 24, 2020

Unlike every other region of the world, the Middle East does not have an inclusive regional security system. This article explores why that is, asks whether now is the time to begin, and suggests how such a process could be started

Strategic Actors in Libya

By Sydney Wise /

Political Scientist Lisa Anderson explores how the local players in the Libyan conflict affect the decision-making of states, both in North Africa and beyond.

A Future Filled With Pathogens

By Dahr Jamail /

The combination of a worsening climate crisis and ongoing human encroachment on the wilds will bring more pandemics.

Mobilizing Against Trump’s “Vision”

By Sean David Hobbs /

Former Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Alkidwa explains the ways Palestinians are contesting the Trump plan for peace and how the Trump deal caters only to extremists on the Israeli and American right

Hosni Mubarak: Passing of an Era, or Lingering Legacy?

By Tarek Osman / February 25, 2020

What Mubarak’s legacy reveals about changes in different generations’ relationship to state and society.

The “Deal” of the Century?

By Nabil Fahmy / February 12, 2020

The Trump plan imposes Israeli security and economic control over a self-autonomous Palestinian entity.

Brexit Reveals a Damaged Democracy

By Russell Merryman / February 10, 2020

The drunken celebrations in Parliament Square as the UK broke from the European Union provide an apt metaphor for the whole affair.

The Middle East Reacts to Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century’

By Sydney Wise / January 30, 2020

Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace, the reactions of key regional figures ranged from hopeful to enraged.

The Country to City Continuum

By Audrey Lodes /

Government leaders and public policy experts attended the Regional Workshop on Strengthening Migration Governance Across the Rural Urban Continuum.

The Neo-Ballistic Middle East

By Karim El-Baz / Fall 2019

Over the past forty years, Iran has written the book on Lebanization and using non-state actors in interstate warfare

Libya’s Dangerous Political Stalemate

By Riccardo Redaelli / October 8, 2019

Until now, most of the external actors involved in Libya relied on a Cold-War “zero sum game theory”, based on the dichotomic vision amicus/hostis (friend/enemy) of classical realpolitik. It is time this changes.

The End for Netanyahu?

By Dan Perry / September 19, 2019

After a murky election Netanyahu might be out and Gantz might be in, but it is Lieberman who is set to be kingmaker.

Reconstruction as a political-economy issue: The case of Syria

By Samir Aita / September 18, 2019

There can be no meaningful separation between state-building, peace-building, and revival at the end of a conflict, especially as post-conflict state institutions are the only apparatus which can be somewhat directly or indirectly accountable toward their populations for the management of the country.

Kushner’s New Plan for Palestine

By Robert Mason / September 18, 2019

The “Deal of the Century” is quickly shaping up to be the “Deception of the Century” and here’s why.

A Whole Government Effort

By Sean David Hobbs / Summer 2019

In reaffirming the U.S. role in the Middle East, anti-terrorism expert Gerald Feierstein explains that it is not enough to just fight violent networks; leaders must also address the root causes of extremism

Sister of the Rebels

By Marley Dizney Swanson / Summer 2019

Meet the sister of the rebels.

When the Shooting Stops

By Suma Chakrabarti / Summer 2019

The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development highlights the bank’s commitment to supporting post-conflict nations in the Middle East and beyond

Reinventing Peace in Syria

By Achim Wennmann / Summer 2019

For Syria, and the rest of the world, the era of liberal peacebuilding has passed. But there are other ways to make peace, which call for a return to basics and a new kind of “software”

Rebuilding Iraq: Prospects and Challenges

By Abbas Kadhim / Summer 2019

Reconstruction in Iraq cannot be achieved without universal reconciliation, economic and education reform, and equitable application of the rule of law

Prioritizing Peace Ahead of Economic Growth

By Mariam Safi / Summer 2019

Afghanistan’s economic fate is intricately tied to its post-conflict peace plan, which is currently in the making

How Yemen Rises

By Abdullah Hamidaddin / Summer 2019

Reconstruction is never easy, and in Yemen the road will be longer than most. The first step is to pass on “best practice” in favor of a critical, reflexive approach

Rethinking Gaza’s Reconstruction

By Mohammed Samhouri / Summer 2019

With living conditions in the Palestinian enclave fast approaching breaking point, anything short of a comprehensive approach to peacebuilding and reconstruction will not work

End of War, but Not of Conflict

By Amr Adly and Ibrahim Awad and Muhammad Alaraby / Summer 2019

State (re)building in war-torn countries can only happen in a conducive political process on all levels ranging from the local to the international, which is exactly what seems lacking in MENA

Opportunity of the Century?

By Nabil Fahmy / Summer 2019

Jared Kushner’s economic stimulus initiative to solve the Palestinian issue was introduced in the 80s and ended in failure.

An Iran Strategy Worth Fighting For

By Robert Mason / July 24, 2019

U.S. and Saudi confrontations with Iran are causing proxy-warfare in weak or failing Arab states and escalating tensions in the Gulf, but there might still be a chance for diplomatic progress with the right combination of measures targeting Gulf-specific, regional, and international issues.

Civil Marriage in Limbo

By Sarah El-Richani / June 23, 2019

In Lebanon, the recurring debate around civil marriage highlights the sectarian-patriarchal grip on personal status affairs and the state itself.

The Juggernaut’s Achilles Heel

By Dahlia Scheindlin / June 20, 2019

The US may have recognized Israel’s 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights, but the Golan Druze, like East Jerusalem Palestinians, continue to reject Israeli citizenship and civic participation. If Israel is now empowered to annex parts of the West Bank, will Palestinians there break the pattern and embrace citizenship if offered?