Turkey vs. Saudi Arabia: Will the U.S. Have to Pick a Side?

by Derek Davison In the mid-twentieth century, U.S. Middle East policy rested primarily on its alliances with three major regional players: Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. The alliance with Iran was, of course, broken in the wake of the 1979… Continue Reading

Nikki Haley’s Mission Accomplished Moment

by Derek Davison On Tuesday morning, Donald Trump announced that his United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley, was resigning and will leave the administration at the end of 2018. Haley’s departure came as a surprise. Most high-profile departures from the Trump… Continue Reading

While Iran Braces for Sanctions, What Comes Next?

by Derek Davison Consistent with his decision in May to breach the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA), Donald Trump issued an executive order on Monday re-imposing the first group of U.S. nuclear-related sanctions on… Continue Reading

Poll: Arab Views of US Low, Support for Palestinians High

 by Derek Davison A year and a half into his presidency, Donald Trump’s two biggest beneficiaries in the Middle East have been Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. To Netanyahu, Trump has been… Continue Reading