Middle East

All terrorist groups challenge state sovereignty and the international order. However, this challenge is usually of limited scope, with political objectives confined to such conventional goals as assuming power in a state or gaining independence. Their violence, however disruptive,...

The escalation of the conflict in Yemen, the debatable fate of negotiations to define and set limits upon Iran’s nuclear energy program, and the uneasiness among the Gulf states about both situations which has prompted President Obama to host...

Abstract Turkey’s recent history has placed it at odds with Europe and the United States, leading some to suggest that Ankara has become an unreliable ally. Such a view is short-sighted. Turkey remains geostrategically important for a variety of...

Abstract The fast-moving events of Syria and Iraq in 2014 demonstrated the enormous risk to U.S. security interests when America and its allies have too little intelligence presence or operational agility in an area rife with insurgency and terrorist...

The bombing of two mosques in Sanaa, which killed close to 140 people and injured 350, represents another stage in Yemen’s spiralling violence. But the significance of the bombing, which was claimed by Islamic State (IS) militants, goes beyond...

Israelis who handed Benjamin Netanyahu a smashing electoral success had a message for the pollsters and pundits who predicted a Labor victory: “gotcha again.” Notorious for its propensity to lie to pollsters, even in exit polls, the Israeli electorate...

CASABLANCA, Morocco – Seen from the Arab world, the United States’ reluctance to come to the aid of its Middle East allies is baffling and frightening. The lack of effective engagement seems especially murky when America’s Arab allies present nonviolent...

The stunning success of Egypt’s three-day economic conference in Sharm al-Sheikh could not have come at a better time, for the weeks prior had been difficult for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. At an international level there is a disjunction,...

Reports emerged in the American media Thursday that President Obama may propose a resolution to the UN Security Council calling for the lifting of international sanctions on Iran, if an agreement is reached by the “P5+1” negotiating team over...

Since 9/11, Washington has considered al Qaeda the greatest threat to the United States, one that must be eliminated regardless of cost or time. After Washington killed Osama bin Laden in 2011, it made Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda’s new...