Foreign Policy Blogs

Tag Archives: Middle East

Humility as a Foundation for Country ‘Visions’

Humility as a Foundation for Country ‘Visions’

Decision makers in the Middle East love coming up with visions. They spend large sums of money on long-term strategic plans, with little regard for results.

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Can the Iran Freedom Rally be the Regime’s “Tipping Point”?

Can the Iran Freedom Rally be the Regime’s “Tipping Point”?

Thousands of Iranian opposition members and international supporters gathered in Paris in July for the National Council of Resistance of Iran conference.

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Netanyahu has joined Snapchat

Netanyahu has joined Snapchat

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, having mastered traditional media outlets, is quickly proving he is also quite adept at social media.

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The Rojava Model

The Rojava Model

Inflicting a series of defeats on ISIS, Kurds have emerged from obscurity to become a major force in the Syrian conflict.

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Russia is Pushing Israel and Egypt Closer to Each Other

Russia is Pushing Israel and Egypt Closer to Each Other

Russia’s new status as a pivotal nation in the Middle East’s security environment is pushing Israel and Egypt to rekindle their relations.

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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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The Times Profile That Roiled Washington

The Times Profile That Roiled Washington

A newspaper profile of the President’s foreign policy spokesman has created an uproar based on a distorted notion of the role of foreign policy messaging.

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Universal Value of Ramadan Ethics

Universal Value of Ramadan Ethics

Contrary to what ISIS, al-Shabaab, Boko Haram might preach, the core values of Islam enhanced in Ramadan are meant to be universal.

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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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Trump and Clinton: The View From Afar

Trump and Clinton: The View From Afar

Many in the Middle East are curious how the next American president will deal with the major unresolved issues in their tumultuous, unsettled region.

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Can Turkey Steer Away From Catastrophe?

Can Turkey Steer Away From Catastrophe?

In dealing with this immediate threat, it behooves the Turkish government to put politicking on the back-burner, separate the non-violent opposition from the violent, and mend fences with the former. Swallowing that bitter pill is necessary for terrorism to be brought “to its knees.”

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Should ISIS Fighters be Allowed to Return Home?

Should ISIS Fighters be Allowed to Return Home?

Since preventing terrorist acts is extremely difficult—why take any chances by allowing fighters to return?

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Saudi-Iranian ‘Cold War’ Uses Sectarianism As Tool

Saudi-Iranian ‘Cold War’ Uses Sectarianism As Tool

Following Saudi Arabia’s execution of the Shiite Cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, observers of the Middle East are pondering a multitude of eventualities, many of which point to a hot conflict between the two regional powers.

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Russia’s Mideast Overextension: Khrushchev & Putin

Russia’s Mideast Overextension: Khrushchev & Putin

Is Putin committing the same Cold War Soviet error of overextending into the Middle East in order to camouflage its internal weaknesses with external displays of strength?

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Algeria’s Role in Europe’s Migrant Crisis

Algeria’s Role in Europe’s Migrant Crisis

NATO’s cooperation with Algeria offers potential in combating international human trafficking networks. Reviving the ‘regional NATO’ plan for a joint military organization of Saharan states would allow governments to better disrupt the routes used to transport many migrants to the Mediterranean coast.

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