Outside-In Won’t Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

by Paul R. Pillar Donald Trump never has given evidence that he has new, fresh, and promising ideas to achieve his declared objective of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. His statements on the subject can more plausibly be interpreted as another… Continue Reading

Trump’s Biggest Donor Pushed for Jerusalem Embassy Move

by Eli Clifton On Wednesday, President Donald Trump may announce U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital while continuing to keep the U.S. embassy in in Tel Aviv. The move goes toward fulfilling his campaign promise, during a speech to… Continue Reading

The Challenge of Saudi-Israeli Intelligence-Sharing

by Emile Nakhleh Saudi-Israeli relations, especially between their intelligence services, started several years back under the direction of Bandar bin Sultan, a former Saudi ambassador to Washington and a former director of the Saudi national security council. These relations, however, accelerated significantly during… Continue Reading

MbS: Pride Cometh Before the Fall?

by Shireen Hunter Until only a few months ago, Saudi Arabia’s conduct of its domestic and foreign policies was largely characterized by a good deal of caution, a lack of bombast, and a respect for established traditions. One area where… Continue Reading

Regime Change in Iran By Other Means

by Mitchell Plitnick While the Iran nuclear agreement (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) is far from safe from attacks by Donald Trump, it is becoming clear that a Plan B is being put in motion. The United States… Continue Reading