Book Review: 2017 Novel Warns of Decay of American Democracy

By Mariam Mohsen /

Escalating state violence and waning strength of democratic norms paints a concerning picture for the future of the United States

Urbicide and the Brutal Unmaking of the City in Gaza

By Muhammad Alaraby /

Palestine has become a laboratory for how to destroy a people by demolishing their cities

Iran at a Strategic Breaking Point

By Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy /

The war in June and recent nationwide protests could shape not only Iran’s future but also broader debates on sovereignty, intervention, nuclear proliferation, and the prospects for fundamental political change

2025 Year in Review: Prolonged Conflict, Erratic Policy, and Burgeoning Artificial Frontiers

The past year has presented important lessons for the world to learn

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

What’s New Is Old: The Enduring Challenge of Non-State Armed Actors in the Post-October 7 Landscape

By Grace Wermenbol /

While these groups may not have the resources or structure of traditional states, they play a major role in the continuation, or cessation, of conflict in the region

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?

Beyond Its Wildest Dreams: Israel’s Campaign for Geo-Strategic Dominance in the Middle East

By Richard Silverstein / Fall 2025

Israeli hubris as it celebrates the demise of its enemies will be its ultimate downfall

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

Governing AI Under Fire in Ukraine

By Anna Mysyshyn / Spring/Summer 2025

Ukraine offers an opportunity to examine how democracies may balance innovation, accountability, and human rights in the age of autonomous warfare

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

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

Duel with Israel is Turbocharging Iranian Nationalism

By Kourosh Ziabari /

There’s only one ingredient in the Iranian people’s worldview that has not been outperformed by a disastrous mélange of crackdowns on civil liberties, economic maladies, corruption, and the specter of an all-out confrontation with Israel: nationalism

Israel Accelerates Mass Arrest and Torture Campaigns

By Kellie Kuenzle /

The Israeli government has capitalized on public anger and fear following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks to justify arbitrary mass arrests of Palestinians, the systemic use of torture, and inhumane prison conditions

Iranians Don’t Want a War With Israel

By Kourosh Ziabari / Summer 2024

Most believe that Tehran’s engagement in the battle for Palestinian emancipation is intrusive and uncalled for

Why Hamas Cannot Be Destroyed

By Grace Wermenbol / Summer 2024

Israel’s strategy to eradicate Hamas by killing off its leadership has proven ineffective for decades; the current war demonstrates the myopic nature of this approach

The War in Sudan—with Amira Ahmed and Manuel Schwab: CR Amplified ep. 2

By Abigail Flynn /

The war in Sudan is entering its second year. In 2019, Sudan witnessed a massive popular revolution that ousted its former president, Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled for over two decades. Sudanese civilians were key in bringing down al-Bashir and establishing a civilian government in his place. Two armed organizations also played an important role in the revolution: the government’s military, called Sudanese Armed Forces, known as the SAF, and the paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, » Read more about: The War in Sudan—with Amira Ahmed and Manuel Schwab: CR Amplified ep. 2 »

Hegemonic Reasoning Fueled the Russia-Ukraine War

By F. Andrew Wolf Jr. /

With the Cold War at an end for over 30 years, how is it that the US still perceives Russia as a threat?

Radicalization and Regional Instability: Effects of the Gaza War

By Mamoun Fandy / Winter 2024

As Israel attempts to reestablish its identity as a regional deterrent by destroying Gaza, the effects of its campaign cascade through the region, shifting political alignments, and generating new concerns over radicalization and conflict spillover

Gaza: Israel’s Unwinnable War

By Richard Silverstein / Winter 2024

Even if, for argument’s sake, it achieved its war goals, Palestinian resistance will exist wherever there are Palestinians—whether in Sinai, Beirut, Ankara, Tehran or Amman

Miscalculations and Legacies: A Look Back at the 1973 War Half a Century On

By David Makovsky / Fall 2023

Historians continue to debate “what if” scenarios about the pivotal conflict which reshaped the Middle East

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 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.

A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

By Muhamed H. Almaliky / Winter 2022

Did Saudi Arabia miss a huge opportunity at an early engagement with Iraq?

Shifting the Conversation on Palestine

By Nour Odeh / May 28, 2021

Arab states and the world community must counter Israel’s impunity as well as put an end to the profitable occupation enterprise… otherwise it’s another futile ceasefire.

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.

The Arab World Between Regime Change and Political Reform

By Mustapha Kamel Al-Sayyid / Winter 2021

The American tendency to overthrow existing governments in sovereign states has been fuel and fodder for conspiracy theories of the last decade.

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.

The Iran Nuclear Deal: A Springboard for a New Middle East Security Architecture

By Nabil Fahmy / February 25, 2021

The Iran nuclear deal could be the first building block in a new Middle East security architecture.

Explaining Egypt’s January 2011 Revolution between Conspiracy and Conventional Wisdom

By Mustapha Kamel Al-Sayyid / Winter 2021

Ten years on, conspiracy theories about the root causes of the 2011 Egyptian uprising still abound.

Why the Phrase “Arab Spring” Should be Retired

By Sean David Hobbs / Winter 2021

It’s time to stop using a Western-based concept ten years on from the events that began the Arab Uprisings.

In the Zone: The Long and Winding Road to Middle East Disarmament

By Karim Haggag / Winter 2021

As the international community grapples with the immediate challenge of Iran’s nuclear program, those in Washington and other capitals should consult Seyed Hossein Mousavian and Emad Kiyaei’s book and perhaps devise a more considered approach to rid the Middle East of the threat of mass destruction that continues to hang over the region.