Russia’s Cautious Response to Algeria’s Deepening Political Crisis

by Giorgio Cafiero The peaceful demonstrations that have brought millions of Algerians out to the streets of Algiers, Annaba, Bejaia, Blida, Constantine, Jijele, and Oran since last month have been astonishing. Not since the revolt against French colonial rule in… Continue Reading

Trump’s Doomed Quest for a Middle East Strategic Alliance

by Daniel Brumberg American efforts to foster Middle East alliances have long run into roadblocks, not least of which is the clashing interests of the region’s key states. The animating logic of any alliance is that states will subordinate their… Continue Reading

Tunisia Feels Heat from the GCC

by Giorgio Cafiero and Khalid al-Jaber On December 22, tension between Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) heated up. Citing “credible security information” about militant female members of the Islamic State (ISIS or IS) planning on entering the UAE… Continue Reading

Risks of Ejecting the Taliban’s Office from Qatar

by Giorgio Cafiero In 2013, with support from the American, Afghan, and Qatari governments, the Taliban opened an office in Doha. The office was to serve as a platform to engage the Taliban’s representatives in talks to bring peace to… Continue Reading

One Person, One Vote, One Time

by Paul R. Pillar An old fear about Islamist political parties entering government is that once in power, even if they’d gained their position through democratic means, they would subvert democracy for the sake of maintaining power. The U.S. government… Continue Reading