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

A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

By Muhamed H. Almaliky / Winter 2022

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

Millions of People Continue to be Forcibly Displaced in Africa

By Maysa Ayoub / Summer 2021

Even though forced displacement is a global crisis, it is no more obvious than in Africa.

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.

Tunisia: Birth of The Citizen

By Youssef Cherif / June 7, 2021

Gains made in the wake of the Tunisian uprising and in the decade since cannot be fully qualified but, on the ground, it is clear that Tunisia has transformed itself.

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 Normalization of Antidemocratic Extremism in the United States

By Risa Kitagawa / May 4, 2021

To dissect the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol requires an understanding of the language of American political violence.

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.

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.

A Timeline of Arab Rapprochement

By Ibrahim Elzayat /

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

Will the U.S. Evolve its Foreign Policy from Past Mistakes?

By Sean David Hobbs / Fall 2020

Former U.S. Ambassador and American University in Cairo President Francis Ricciardone evaluates how the United States has dealt with global crises in the 21st century.

Embracing Change: U.S. Foreign Policy Shifts

By Sean David Hobbs / Fall 2020

Former U.S. diplomat and American University in Cairo President Francis Ricciardone discusses whether a Biden win will see a return to a rules based international order.

The United Nations at 75: Multilateralism at a Crossroads

By Antonio Patriota / Fall 2020

If the UN survived the Cold War and a later unipolarity, shouldn’t it be thriving in a multipolar world?

Resisting the Tide of Bigotry

By Jonathan Weisman / Fall 2020

American Jews are left divided and looking for new directions as Donald Trump embraces the white supremacism of the alt-right and the Zionism of Benjamin Netanyahu

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.

Deconstructing Fukuyama

By Ibrahim Awad / Spring 2020

Taking apart the arguments of division that underscore the populist movements emerging in today’s liberal democracies

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.

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.

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

Netanyahu’s Masterful Gaslighting

By Allison Hodgkins / April 16, 2019

The recent Israeli election showed Bibi to be the king of Israel and a master of the status quo.

Reforming UN Peacekeeping

By Ashraf Swelam / February 10, 2019

How Cairo views efforts at reforming United Nations’ peacekeeping, especially in the Middle East and Africa.

Faith That Peace Will One Day Come

By Jimmy Carter / January 22, 2019

Former United States president and architect of the Camp David Accords Jimmy Carter discusses the 1978 conference that changed the Middle East and the prospects for peace today.

Children and Family Terrorism

By Kumar Ramakrishna / July 13, 2018

Recent bombings in Indonesia marked the first time that entire families, including children, were involved in violent Islamist attacks in Southeast Asia; A discussion on how people can fight back against this form of fundamentalist indoctrination.