by Ali Rizk In 2019, the Trump administration will focus its Middle East policy on intensifying its opposition to Iran and the Lebanese movement Hezbollah. This escalation will likely involve decoupling the Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, from… Continue Reading
by Giorgio Cafiero Widespread rage over rising fuel and bread prices, inflation, and cash shortages triggered Sudan’s daily protests. These demonstrations began on December 19 in the River Nile city of Atbara, located in central Sudan. They quickly spread to… Continue Reading
by Kaveh L. Afrasiabi “Nations are rallying to our side to confront Iran in the region like never before,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a major foreign policy speech in Cairo on January 10. Claiming that his administration… Continue Reading
by Emile Nakhleh Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, not surprisingly, skipped the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] annual summit, which was held in Saudi Arabia on December 9, 2019. Despite the Saudi king’s personal invitation to the Qatari ruler… Continue Reading
by Giorgio Cafiero Arguably, of all Arab states, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is least tolerant of political Islam and most determined to weaken its influence throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The rulers in Abu Dhabi, who… Continue Reading