Obama Prioritizes Security over Democracy in Middle East

by Henry Johnson In an impressively detailed report on the president’s budget request for FY2016, experts at the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) make it clear that President Obama has prioritized the security of authoritarian regimes in the Middle… Continue Reading

Political Backlash in the Gulf

by Henry Johnson If the United States seeks long-term stability in the Middle East, it must begin empowering opposition voices in the Gulf countries. A report published by Chatham House and presented at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace last… Continue Reading

Iranian Strategy in Syria Could Make Peace Possible

by Henry Johnson The group that calls itself the Islamic State (IS), beyond its doctrinaire propaganda and lurid beheadings, is beginning to uproot the foundations of order in the Middle East, and the United States has decided to not sit… Continue Reading