Local Mediation in Southwestern Yemen Alleviates Life Under Siege

By Maeen Al-Obaidi / Spring 2026

For the residents of Taiz under one of the longest military blockades in history, life became a daily struggle of days-long journeys searching for food, water, and vital medical supplies. This is the story of one Yemeni woman whose name became synonymous with bringing the warring parties together.

Reconciling a Fractured Sudan

By Nureldin Satti / Spring 2026

To address Sudan’s problems, the efforts of the Sudanese people and international mediators must be synchronized.

The Complexity of Mediating the Libyan Quagmire

By Abdussalam Elbelazi / Spring 2026

Mediators in Libya hoping to create a mechanism to establish an egalitarian and inclusive state often find themselves challenged by factional politics, foreign interventions, and a heritage of repressive authoritarianism.

Empowering Peacemakers: The Pathways to Hope Project

Spring 2026

How can we build peace in a region embroiled in conflict? The project’s team shares more about their mission to strengthen mediation efforts.

Sudan’s Water Crisis Worsened by War, But There is Hope

By Lama Elhatow / Spring 2026

As Sudan continues to face numerous obstacles, including a lack of multilateral governance for hydrological stability, water remains a potential entry point for cooperation domestically, regionally, and internationally.

Between Ambition and Abandonment: Lessons from Mediating the Syria Conflict

By Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy / Spring 2026

The ruins of failed negotiations, committees, and conferences on the Syrian issue can offer guidance to future peacemakers.

Prologue

Spring 2026

This special issue is dedicated to highlighting the work of the Peacemakers.

One Alliance, Two Wars: Why Israel and America Diverge on Iran

By Jagannath Panda /

While strategically interdependent, their ambitions and long-term mapping of Iran strategy do deviate, ultimately drawing red lines between them

The Axis of Resistance and Shifting Gulf Alliances—with Dr. Hamidreza Azizi: CR Amplified ep. 9

By Abigail Flynn /

How has the recent U.S.-Israel war on Iran shifted the balance of power in the Middle East? Dr. Hamidreza Azizi joins CR Amplified to discuss the restructuring of the Axis of Resistance, the fracturing alliances of the Gulf States, and Iran’s long-term strategy for regional deterrence

Iran and Egypt Now Have An Opportunity to Rebalance the Middle East

By Nanis Fahmy and Seyed Hossein Mousavian /

As the war continues, cooperation between Tehran and Cairo could build a foundation for a more stable regional arrangement

The Iran War Isn’t About China, But Beijing May Still Benefit

By Gedaliah Afterman /

As the United States finds itself embroiled in another war in the Middle East, its ability to pressure China in the region and in Asia may be waning

The Dynamics of War, Politics, and Peace in the Middle East

By Paul Salem / Spring 2026

The justifications, enactments, and conclusions of the various conflicts that arose in the aftermath of October 7 remain murky, but historical and modern theories of war light a path toward future stability.

Of Bombs and Regime Change: Experts Weigh the Israel-U.S. Strategy on Iran

Both the Americans and Israelis have for decades sought to topple the Islamic Republic. With Khamenei assassinated by Israeli bombing, is the end game near?

The Banality of a Public Race for the Nobel Peace Prize

By Kourosh Ziabari /

Donald Trump’s year-long campaign for a Nobel Peace Prize was not just impractical, unrealistic, or outrageous. It showed a clear disregard for the rules of the Nobel Foundation

U.S. Jazz Diplomacy—with James Ketterer: CR Amplified ep. 6

By Judi Yassin /

How did jazz evolve into an unlikely diplomatic force for the United States? Professor James Ketterer joins CR Amplified to revisit the history, tensions, and global impact of jazz diplomacy

Trump’s Peace Plan for Gaza: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown

Fall 2025

The most recent ceasefire deal proposed by the U.S. president makes big promises, but can it deliver?

A State is not Built with Rhetoric Alone—with H.A. Hellyer: CR Amplified ep. 5

By Abigail Flynn / Fall 2025

Verbal gestures toward recognition of a Palestinian state mean little without practical policies to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law

Caught in the Crossfire: Jordan’s Balancing Act in the Iran-Israel Conflict

By Francesca Maria Lorenzini and Kourosh Ziabari / Fall 2025

Jordan’s defensive action to intercept Iran’s retaliatory drones and missiles, slashing through its skies in mid-June, has drawn both approval and criticism, underscoring the kingdom’s struggles to balance strategic alliances with public opinion

Ending the War In Gaza: What Must Be Done Now

By Gershon Baskin / Fall 2025

Israel’s military juggernaut will not be stopped in Gaza without significant international pressure and a range of conditional sanctions

Recognizing a Palestine State: What’s New—and What’s Not

By Bidisha Biswas / Fall 2025

Australia is the latest G8 nation to pledge recognition of an independent Palestine, but long before Western capitals took action, recognition of the Palestinian state echoed across India, Indonesia, South Africa, and much of Latin America in a shared sentiment of justice rooted in anti-colonial solidarity

From Symbolic Victories to a People’s Victory: How Gaza Forged Global Recognition of Palestine

By Ramzy Baroud / Fall 2025

A story of two tracks: the symbolic quest for a state and the daily reality of a people fighting for their existence

Gamechanger or Fantasy? Trump’s Evolving Middle East Strategy

By Carla Dondera and Gedaliah Afterman /

Trump’s return to the White House has revived his ambition to reshape the Middle East, but as the recent war between Israel and Iran shows, the way forward is anything but simple and demands an unprecedented level of U.S. involvement

Tehran’s Red Lines, Trump’s Maximum Pressure, and Regime Survival

By Ali Fathollah-Nejad / Spring/Summer 2025

Progress toward a potential nuclear deal between the United States and Iran stalls, amid a high-stakes process for Tehran and others

Silicon Borders: The Global Justice of AI Infrastructure

By Johannes Himmelreich / Spring/Summer 2025

Washington uses ‘chokepoints’ to restrict global access to AI development, but this approach may threaten U.S. national security while creating significant moral dilemmas

A Costly Illusion of Control: No Winners, Many Losers in U.S.-China AI Race

By Paul Triolo / Spring/Summer 2025

The aggressive U.S. approach to China risks triggering conflict between the two nations while upending any progress to a global framework for AI safety and security

The U.S. Presbyterian Mission in Iran— with Matthew Shannon: CR Amplified ep. 3

Many see the United States and Iran as sworn enemies, but few are aware about the deep history of the relationship between the two countries. A focal point of this shared history can be seen through Christian missionaries present in Tehran during the first half of the 20th century.

Longer Sticks and Shorter Carrots: How the U.S. is Changing its Engagement in MENA

By Amr Adly / Winter 2025

The United States’ approach to achieving international hegemony is shifting away from trade and investments back toward bombs and missiles

Round Two: Trump’s Foreign Policy Takes on New Challenges

By William B. Quandt / Winter 2025

Trump will have to manage the continuing conflict in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, and the rising power of China as he navigates the beginning of his second term

Trump’s Return: What It Could Mean for Palestine and the Region

By Ramzy Baroud / Winter 2025

Donald Trump’s return to the White House in the context of the Gaza war and other regional conflicts raises questions regarding his approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict

A Resurgent Trump Returns to a Turbulent Middle East

By Paul Salem / Winter 2025

Trump’s unpredictable yet forceful leadership is entering a region in flux, offering both challenges and opportunities for his second term

President Trump’s Policies in the Middle East

By Raphael Cohen-Almagor / Winter 2025

The U.S. president’s pragmatic approach and his out-of-the-box bold ideas may bring a positive change to both Israel and the Palestinians provided they will be translated into action plans carefully and through sensitive communication with all concerned stakeholders

Trump’s Alternate Reality in the Middle East

By Hussein Ibish / Winter 2025

With his recent foray into drastic measures to resolve the Israel-Palestine continuum, could there be a method to the madness of King Trump?

Relocating Palestinians to “Clean Out” Gaza: Trump’s Proposal Echoes Forced Population Transfer

By Ola G. El-Taliawi / January 30, 2025

Moving the Palestinians in Gaza to neighboring Arab countries will not solve the underlying problems caused by the Israeli occupation

The Elusive Saudi-Israeli Normalization Deal: Why an Agreement is Likely to Fall Short of Expectations

By Robert Mogielnicki / Winter 2025

A deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel will likely happen eventually but is unlikely to transform the Middle East

Enabling Evolution: The Role of Knowledge Production in the Development of African Unity

By Angela Leahy and Samuel M. Makinda / Fall 2024

Knowledge is power; by harnessing knowledge production, the Organization of African Unity and its successor, the African Union, have set the continent on a new path

Pursuing Unity: Pan-Africanism in Practice

By Stephen Okhonmina / Fall 2024

History has proven that a completely politically unified Africa may be impossible to achieve; instead, integration should be pursued with a more limited goal of facilitating faster economic, social, and political progress

Syria is the Middle East’s Hinge, but Which Way Will It Turn?

By Hussein Ibish /

The demise of the Syrian dictator has put the country on the precipice of the chaos and instability other countries experienced since the Arab uprisings. But there is a glimmer of hope that Syria can buck the trend and instead embrace tolerance, plurality, and security

A Pacifism for Our Times

By Antonio Patriota / Fall 2024

Growing trends of unilateralism are encouraging violence and threatening a systemic breakdown of international law and order. Change must come, and soon

A Reading on the Future of Hamas

By Omar Shaban / Summer 2024

The aftermath of October 7, and assassination of senior commanders, has forced an existential rethink within Hamas

Is Israel’s Star Fading in Latin America?

By Jodor Jalit / Summer 2024

The Latin American response to Israel’s war on Gaza could help strengthen the rich but neglected cultural ties with Arab states

Looking Backward into The Future: Why the United Nations Has Failed to Prevent Genocide

By Gregory H. Stanton / Summer 2024

At its root, genocide is committed through a lack of empathy, and it has failed to be prevented by a lack of political will. It is time to reverse those failings by rethinking our systems and challenging our assumptions.

China Tests the Water in Palestinian Diplomacy

By Ramzy Baroud / Summer 2024

While the ramifications of the recent unity agreement signed in Beijing by multiple Palestinian factions remain to be seen, it is evident that China has stepped up as a leader in the region

The Olympics: Arenas of Contention

By Jung Woo Lee / Summer 2024

Political tensions simmered under the facade of international communion at the Paris 2024 Games as countries competed both on and off the stage

Politics of Apathy and All-Out War in the Post-Gaza New World

By Abdalhadi Alijla / Summer 2024

The genocidal campaign against the Gaza Strip threatens widening of the conflict into a regional war, creating new realities that may endure for decades

In Memory of Dr. Nabil Elaraby

It is with great sadness and deep admiration that we mourn the passing of Dr. Nabil Elaraby, one of Egypt’s leading diplomats, legal practitioners, and a tireless global advocate for international law, human rights, and the cause of peace.

The World Fears Wider War After Hamas Leader’s Assassination

The international community races to reduce tension after a series of targeted killings carried out by Israel

Egypt’s Balancing Act

By Karim Haggag /

Jon Alterman: Karim Haggag, welcome to Babel.

Karim Haggag: Thank you Jon, thank you for having me. It’s great to be with you.

Jon Alterman: Egypt has had a security focus on the Israeli border since the creation of Israel in 1948. Help us understand the context. How does the current Egyptian concern over Gaza rank among the various crises that Egypt has felt on its border with Israel over the last 75 years?

Karim Haggag: This is a fundamentally different challenge than the large-scale armed conflicts that Egypt fought with Israel over the years, » Read more about: Egypt’s Balancing Act »