Carnegie Middle East Center
A discussion on lessons learned from the Arab Peace Initiative, the two-state solution, and the future direction of Jordan.
The sorry position of the United States in the Middle East today ought to be sending President Trump a powerful message. The region bristles with American air and naval bases and major deployments, but despite all this military strength, the “go to” power in the region today is Russia.
No longer confined to homeland states, Shia politics is being advocated, reinforced, and supported by diasporic transnational networks.
U.S. military assistance in the Middle East (and more broadly) is in need of serious reform.
Carnegie Moscow Center’s Director Dmitri Trenin and Rethinking Russia discussed his new book “What Is Russia Up To in the Middle East?”, Moscow’s role and place in the region, the future of Syria and the Islamic State as well as Russia’s Syria collaboration with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the U.S.
Iran boasts that its foreign policy is driven by fighting injustice rather than furthering the state’s economic interests. This may restrain possibilities for reform.
India must recognize the reality of regional conflicts in the Middle East and limit their impact on India’s ability to secure its goals in the region.
From Moscow, Ankara, and Warsaw to Washington, DC, and New Delhi, nationalist leaders are pitting their base against their neighbors. For Israel, in particular, choosing to scapegoat minorities is beyond ironic.
With no effective Libyan government and no capable police or security services, militias present themselves to outside powers as counter-terror partners. The challenge is dealing with extremism in a way that does not empower these militias at the expense of an inclusive, civic state.
A “Gold Standard” nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia may not be the best way for the United States to balance against Russia and China or restore its influence over nonproliferation policy in the Middle East.
As the Trump presidency passes its one-year mark, it provides an opportunity to take stock of the administration’s Middle East policy. Trump’s short term failures, and even his successes, may lead to unintended consequences that will weaken the U.S. position in the region.
Implementation of the NSG guidelines—including by Pakistan—should significantly reduce the likelihood that Saudi Arabia will enrich uranium anytime soon.
Ankara’s activity in Syria raises the alarming prospect of military confrontation.
Two months after the political turmoil in Lebanon, which placed its prime minister under the world’s scrutiny, Lebanese politics seem to have resumed.
As one of the region’s largest countries, Iran has sought to fill the power vacuums after the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, coupled with ongoing Arab upheavals.
Turkey’s offensive in Afrin helps to dispel doubts, after the failed coup attempt of July 2016, about Ankara’s ability to project force across the border.
Tunisia has increasingly relied on the military to bring security to its border region with Libya. But the current approach risks worsening the security situation and playing into the hands of jihadis.
Turkey’s incursion into Afrin marks a significant move in Ankara’s campaign against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).
The Islamic State’s defeat in Syria will not automatically bring displaced people home. A broader political settlement that reflects regional and national realities will be required.
There is very little opportunity for the United States to have a controlled influence inside Iran. The United States should be pursuing its national interests vis-à-vis Iran’s policy in the region and the globe.