Can the Gaza War End With Hamas Leaders at Large and Netanyahu in Power?
SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE REPORTING – Nearly every week, politicians and headline writers tell the world that a ceasefire in Gaza is at hand. A new deal […] More
Middle East
Genocide Ruling and Engaging Enemies Who Use Human Shields
This piece was first published in Just Security OPINION — The International Court of Justice recently ordered provisional measures against Israel in response to a complaint brought by South […] More
After Gaza: A Political and Economic Path Forward
OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — As the Gaza war enters its fourth month, it’s become abundantly clear that Israel’s massive military response and the assassinations […] More
‘Rules of War’ are Complicated, not only in Gaza
OPINION — One of the most common accusations of Israeli illegality in the ongoing conflict in Gaza is that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) consistently […] More
The Elusive Silver Bullet of Democracy
OPINION — According to a White House statement last March, “President Biden has called the struggle to bolster democratic governance at home and abroad the […] More
What’s at Stake in Biden’s Push toward Saudi-Israeli Normalization?
SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — The Biden administration is reportedly taking serious steps to push forward with efforts to negotiate a deal that would see official diplomatic […] More
The Middle East is Rebalancing: Where Do America and China Fit In?
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Syria this week marks the first visit by Iranian leader since the beginning of Syria’s war […] More
Saudi Arabia’s Disengagement from Yemen Will Be Messy
OPINION — The logic behind Saudi Arabia’s latest diplomatic maneuver was clear. Riyadh faced a major threat from the Iran-led axis, and when the U.S. […] More
Arab Countries are Launching Significant Investments in Space
EXPERT VIEW – For only the second time since its launch in 1998, the International Space Station (ISS) has welcomed an Arab astronaut. Sultan al-Neyadi […] More
The Power of Protests and Religious Nationalism in The Middle East
OPINION — On-going mass protests in Iran and Israel have taken a contrasting view on religious nationalism and the role of political Islam and religious […] More
A Coming Year of Change in the Middle East
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Change is a constant in the Middle East as the past several months have demonstrated with focused attention on protests in Iran, […] More
Tehran’s Protest Problem may run deeper than it thinks
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Students at dozens of universities across Iran faced tear gas and gunfire over the weekend as they continue to defy officials in […] More
The Middle East and the Cost of Strategic Inconsistency
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — The main objective of President Joe Biden’s recent trip to the Middle East was to signal to both partners and adversaries that […] More
A Path of Cooperation and Opportunity Between the U.S. and the UAE
The impressive string of world leaders visiting the UAE following the recent death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, made clear that the UAE plays an […] More
Contradictions in US Policy between Ukraine and The Middle East
OPINION — The Biden administration is correct in responding to reported Russian atrocities by arming Ukraine to defend itself and is equally justified in assiduously […] More
The Case for a New Social Contract for Arab States
OPINION — According to the DAWN 2021 Annual Report about the Arab world, the region’s peoples “continue to aspire to democratization and respect for human rights.” Tyrannical […] More
How the Middle East Conflict Leads Back to US National Security
In the Biden Administration’s highest-level face-to-face visit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to the Middle East to seize momentum created by last week’s […] More
Netanyahu’s Obsession and the Palestinian Uprising
Cipher Brief Expert Emile Nakhleh is a retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service Officer and founding director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program Office. […] More