Photo By: Getty Images By: Hamad Abbas, Columnist In recent years, China has strategically used its lending practices for coercive influence in the Indo-Pacific. The United States should approach countering Chinese debt-trap diplomacy through encouraging the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to improve its lending practices. For instance, China has used loans to coerce its neighbors … Continue reading Rethinking the IMF to Counterbalance Chinese Debt Traps
Author: Hamad Abbas
To Counter Iran, the U.S. Will Need Turkish Support
President Erdogan and President Trump. Photo Credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images By: Hamad Abbas, Columnist In light of the continued failure of US traditional regional partners to counter Iranian expansion in the Middle East, the United States should cooperate with Turkey in situations in which thwarting Iran benefits both parties; although the U.S. will also need resolve … Continue reading To Counter Iran, the U.S. Will Need Turkish Support
Abyei: A Fleeting Opportunity
UN Peacekeeping in Abyei. Photo Credit: United Nations By: Hamad Abbas, Columnist To prevent another deadly conflict and protect foreign policy interests, the United States should exert pressure on Sudan and South Sudan to resolve the territorial dispute of Abyei peacefully. Time is of the essence as the United Nations recently announced its plans to … Continue reading Abyei: A Fleeting Opportunity
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Should Pursue a Softer Diplomacy
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Photo Credit: Getty Images By: Hamad Abbas, Columnist Since the 2011 Arab Spring, Saudi Arabia has wrestled with the question of how to counter its rival Iran’s increasingly revisionist exploitation of weaker regimes across the Middle East. In his role as defense minister, crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s … Continue reading Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Should Pursue a Softer Diplomacy