Saudi Pursuit of Soft Power Through Soccer: Saudi Arabia aims to match what UAE and Qatar have achieved

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman attends the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Photo Credit: TASS via Getty Images The January announcement of Saudi normalization of relations with Qatar will likely help Saudi Arabia’s efforts to acquire an elite soccer team, which would allow Riyadh to enhance its tarnished global image.[i] Saudi Arabia’s neighbors, the UAE … Continue reading Saudi Pursuit of Soft Power Through Soccer: Saudi Arabia aims to match what UAE and Qatar have achieved

Turkey’s New Joint Operational Concepts Foreshadow the Future of Armed Conflict

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stands in Front of a Bayraktar TB-2 Drone. Photo Credit: AA Following the July 15, 2016 coup attempt and subsequent violent purges, Turkish Armed Forces launched major military operations in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Libya and continued to expand basing across North Africa.[i] These operations exhibited characteristics indicative of the … Continue reading Turkey’s New Joint Operational Concepts Foreshadow the Future of Armed Conflict

There is No Society: Islamic Action and Activism under the Thumb of the Saudi State

Saudi youths demonstrate a stunt known as "sidewall skiing" (driving on two wheels) in the northern city of Hail, in Saudi Arabia. Photo Credit: Reuters Graveyard of Clerics: Everyday Activism in Saudi Arabia (2020)by Pascal MenoretStanford University Press, 250 pp., $24.00 Saudi Arabia is a country of extremes: extreme heat, extreme wealth, and as Pascal … Continue reading There is No Society: Islamic Action and Activism under the Thumb of the Saudi State

Why Israel-Sudan Normalization is Unlikely to Last

Sudan has become just the third Arab country to normalize ties with Israel since 1994. Will normalization last? Photo Credit: Anthony Beck/Pexels Just over a month after it was announced, the normalization deal between Israel and Sudan has come under fire.  Sudan’s representatives said they would exit the accords if the U.S. cannot guarantee Sudan’s … Continue reading Why Israel-Sudan Normalization is Unlikely to Last

Arms for Oil: How North Korea and Iran Facilitate Each Other’s Security Strategies

North Korea launches a short-range missile, July 26, 2019. Photo Credit: BBC  The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) have established a relationship that serves both of their security strategies. Their cooperation is a functional means to withstand their mutual economic isolation as well as a threatening move against their … Continue reading Arms for Oil: How North Korea and Iran Facilitate Each Other’s Security Strategies

The Abraham Accords: A Peace Deal in Name Only

Photo Credit: Bing.com President Trump’s acclaimed ‘peace deal’ in the Middle East may be historic, but only time will tell if it will bring any semblance of peace to the region. On Tuesday, September 15, President Trump sat with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani, and Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin … Continue reading The Abraham Accords: A Peace Deal in Name Only

This Time is Different: Can Iraq Rein in the PMF?

Parade of Kata'ib Hizballah fighters. Photo Credit: Geopolitics News As the U.S. threatens to close its embassy in Baghdad, questions loom over the long-term status of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The PMF possess enough influence and firepower to prevent meaningful action by the Iraqi state to undermine them. Their independence from the official security … Continue reading This Time is Different: Can Iraq Rein in the PMF?

Reclaiming Security: The Time Has Come for a Progressive Israeli Security Agenda

Demonstration against Israeli Government in Jerusalem, July 25 2020. Photo Credit: Gershon Diner, Mehazkim NGO public domain stockpile. Introduction The past year has been one of an almost unprecedented turmoil for Israeli politics. The small state had gone through three consecutive elections prior to the emergence of the coronavirus crisis. The latter eventually led to the … Continue reading Reclaiming Security: The Time Has Come for a Progressive Israeli Security Agenda

The Future Direction of Hezbollah

Hezbollah military parade in Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, late 2014. Photo Credit: Al Jazeera/Getty. In the past year, Hezbollah has come to face a paradigm shift in the Middle East. As economic turmoil raises domestic tensions and regional instability continues to threaten Lebanon, the group must continue to meet its fundamental policy needs. Key determinants of Hezbollah’s … Continue reading The Future Direction of Hezbollah

The Russo-Turkish Alliance: With Friends Like These…

Putin and Erdogan inspect Turkish troops in Ankara. Photo Credit: The Kremlin. In the Erdogan-Putin era of great power chauvinism, geopolitical ambitions run rampant. The ambiguous Russo-Turkish alliance, however, sits on shaky ground. Moscow and Ankara were rivals for years in the Syrian conflict, openly providing support to opposing sides. But the countries are now … Continue reading The Russo-Turkish Alliance: With Friends Like These…