Foreign Policy Blogs

Middle East & North Africa

Whose Foot Will Drop in Oman?

Whose Foot Will Drop in Oman?

From an impoverished land into a prosperous nation with military agreements with the U.S. and the UK, Oman’s progress may come crashing to a halt.

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Sunni Areas Post-ISIS: Occupation by Sunni Powers?

Sunni Areas Post-ISIS: Occupation by Sunni Powers?

Current governments of Syria, Iraq and Kurdistan should rule over their ethnic populations while Sunni areas should be occupied by foreign Sunni powers.

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Netanyahu’s Rendezvous with the Kremlin

Netanyahu’s Rendezvous with the Kremlin

The Israeli-Russian rapprochement is not a Netanyahu’s preference but rather a tribute to the new reality faced by Israel.

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The UN Should Get a Better Deal from Assad

The UN Should Get a Better Deal from Assad

The Syrian government has been exerting a great deal of influence on the actions of the UN aid agencies in Syria. It has leveraged foreign aid workers need for its permission to enter Syria into access to supplies for its supporters while denying vital food and medical aid to civilians trapped in areas outside its control.

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The United Nations’ Struggles in Syria

The United Nations’ Struggles in Syria

On June 9, the U.N. was finally able to get food to residents of Daraya, a small Damascus suburb, for the first time in almost four years.

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Saudi Arabia and the End of the Rentier State

Saudi Arabia and the End of the Rentier State

With a young, restless population and decreased oil revenues, Saudi Arabia needs to abandon its rentier economic system and build a more sustainable model.

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Partition of Syria and Iraq: Lessons from Europe

Partition of Syria and Iraq: Lessons from Europe

Dividing Syria and Iraq along ethno-religious lines is the only way towards further Arab integration, stability and democracy in the Middle East.

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With #AskNetanyahu, Bibi Asks for Trouble

With #AskNetanyahu, Bibi Asks for Trouble

Bibi Netanyahu invited the world to engage with him on Twitter using #AskNetanyahu. What happened next: exactly what you would have expected.

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The Future of Kurdistan: Not Always Aligned with U.S. Interests

The Future of Kurdistan: Not Always Aligned with U.S. Interests

The Kurds are often hailed as the West’s most reliable partner in the fight against the Islamic State. At the same time, they have taken advantage of the chaos in the region to get closer to achieving their dream of statehood.

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Palmyra and the Battle over History

Palmyra and the Battle over History

The ancient city of Palmyra has been the stage for mass executions, the destruction of cultural heritage, battles between ISIS and Syrian government forces, and now in an absurd turn of events, a concert put on by Russia’s Mariinsky Theater Orchestra.

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Fate of Migrants in Europe Remains Murky

Fate of Migrants in Europe Remains Murky

The current arrangement is not a long-term solution. More work is needed to develop a system to accommodate those fleeing violence in hopes of a better life.

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Turkey and the EU: Sleeping with the Enemy

Turkey and the EU: Sleeping with the Enemy

Ankara has manifested a habit of eagerly seeking concessions and funding from the EU, but being notably less keen on keeping its own side of the bargains.

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Iran’s Delicate Balancing Act

Iran’s Delicate Balancing Act

Simultaneously courting the West and expanding its influence beyond its borders could work in the short-term. But in the short-term only.

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Pinkwashing and the Tel Aviv Pride Parade

Pinkwashing and the Tel Aviv Pride Parade

In a bold statement, Israeli LGBTQ community leaders have threatened to cancel the highly popular Tel Aviv Pride Parade that is slated for June 3.

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Algeria: Bunkering Down in a Bad Neighborhood

Algeria: Bunkering Down in a Bad Neighborhood

From the outside, Algeria seems relatively stable, especially in contrast to Libya and Egypt. Behind the scenes, however, a succession crisis is underway

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