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By releasing military aid before Egypt fully meets the United States’ conditions, the Trump administration is inviting the Egyptian government to backslide.
The United States can still salvage a marginally but meaningfully better outcome for its own interests and the Syrian people by pushing for greater formal decentralization in eastern Syria.
The government and civil society have been productive collaborators during previous phases of the Tunisian transition, but today, a climate of fear and a growing trust gap are getting in the way of their cooperation.
China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil, and arguably its most important political relationship. What do Trump’s statements mean for China’s relationship with Iran, and the greater Middle East?
What the U.S. government, and particularly Congress, can do is scrutinize engagement with and assistance to Egypt in order to ensure that they promote stability for the nation rather than one man rule.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah have taken a flexible approach to maintaining their political influence. This has allowed them to weather the ups and downs of their relationship in recent years.
Erdogan’s new partner in parliament—the ultranationalist MHP—will make Ankara a more belligerent and intransigent ally.
The nature of the conflict in Tunisia’s northwest differs from the country’s other security challenges in that it mirrors an insurgency rather than a protracted terrorist campaign.
With his reelection as president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become Turkey’s most powerful leader since World War II. However, two key considerations will constrain how Erdogan uses his prerogatives.
While New Delhi has begun to build on the synergies with the United Arab Emirates on counter-terrorism and long-term strategic economic cooperation, it has barely scratched the surface of what is possible in the domain of defense.
For the citizens of Turkey, the upcoming elections boil down to a choice between a one-man-rule system with no checks and balances and a possible return to a more liberal and parliamentary system of governance.
Without a firm constitutional basis, early elections in Libya would not only produce a government whose legitimacy is contested even more widely, but also leave the door open for another strongman to rise to power.
Whatever the outcome of Turkey’s June 24 elections, a new presidential system will come into effect and the foreign policy, economic, and social ramifications will be significant.
The negative consequences of pulling out of the JCPOA could be diminished by aligning the goals announced by the Trump administration into an operational, strategic agenda.
While Iran’s positive political transformation may be a worthy goal, the Trump administration’s reckless execution of this strategy could serve to resuscitate an ailing regime.
Europe remains at fault for both failing to rebuild Libya following its 2011 intervention, and for increasingly relying on rights-abusing militias for its coast guard and migrant interdiction responsibilities.
The Trump administration does not have a plan to get Iran to do anything the United States wants. Pompeo’s new strategy to counter Iran’s behavior across the Middle East is just a long wish list of demands.
Absent effective institutions, Libya has struggled and devolved into civil war since the fall of Qaddafi. But while the country has dropped off Western radars since the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, the story of Libya is far from finished.
Gulf-based Salafi financiers have had a diminished role in the Syrian civil war recently, but their influence will linger in the country's religious sphere.
While the Middle East’s central battle line is changing, Egypt is pursuing a strategy of opportunism that aims to maximize its returns and preserve its options.