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

Saudi Arabia’s Sudanese Mercenaries in Yemen

Sudanese soldiers are seen as the second part of the Sudan Army forces arrive in the city to support Saudi-led coalition forces in Aden, Yemen on November 09, 2015. Photo Credit: Getty Images By: Yuri Neves, Columnist A December 2018 report by the New York Times has revealed that Saudi Arabia is utilizing Sudanese child … Continue reading Saudi Arabia’s Sudanese Mercenaries in Yemen

Between a Rock and a Hardline Place: The Conundrum of Providing Humanitarian Aid to HTS-Controlled Idlib

UN aid convoy heads to Idlib province in October, 2018. Photo Credit: Andolu Agency By: Jodi Brignola, Columnist Humanitarian action is grounded in the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.[i] In theory, these principles seek to protect all civilians outside of a political framework. In practice, however, divorcing humanitarian aid from the geopolitical and … Continue reading Between a Rock and a Hardline Place: The Conundrum of Providing Humanitarian Aid to HTS-Controlled Idlib

Iran’s Security Strategy, Forty Years after the Islamic Revolution

Students wave Iranian national flags during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) Square, Iran, February 10, 2009. Photo Credit: Reuters/Raheb Homavandi By: Emily Burchfield, Columnist This week marks the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, which witnessed the overthrow of pro-Western Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s … Continue reading Iran’s Security Strategy, Forty Years after the Islamic Revolution

The Nonpolar Order; Lessons from Syria

A man stands atop a building looking at the destroyed Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, 2015. Photo Credit: Bulent Kilic/APF/Getty Images. By: Krystel Von Kumberg, Columnist Richard Haass’ theorem of nonpolarity can critically explain the complex dynamics that have brought-about the dozens of actors exercising different levels of power in Syria, … Continue reading The Nonpolar Order; Lessons from Syria

To Defend its Borders, Israel Should Continue Carrying Out Airstrikes in Syria

Israeli aircraft. Photo Credit: Reuters By: Jordan Abu-Sirriya, Columnist Iran’s military and political presence in Syria has steadily increased over the last three years, helping to stabilize the al-Assad regime and also strengthening the Iranian-Syrian relationship. According to the Israeli government, Iran’s attempts to create a paramilitary structure in Syria mirror Iran’s backing of Shia … Continue reading To Defend its Borders, Israel Should Continue Carrying Out Airstrikes in Syria

REPORT: The Politics of Economic Diversification in Oil-Dependent Autocracies

Dr. Marie Alienor van den Bosch. Photo Credit: Mercatus Center By: Simon Machalek, Reporter On November 26th, Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) hosted a talk by Dr. Marie Alienor van den Bosch, the Center’s Qatar Post-Doctoral Fellow. She also received her PhD in Politics from Princeton University and her MA from CCAS. The … Continue reading REPORT: The Politics of Economic Diversification in Oil-Dependent Autocracies

MEK: The Iranian Cult that has Washington’s Ear

Hundreds rallied near the White House in 2011 for the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, known as M.E.K. Photo Credit: Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press By: Yuri Neves, Columnist The People’s Mujahedeen of Iran, also known as the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) is a controversial Iranian opposition group with a disturbing past. In the past, the group was labeled a terrorist organization … Continue reading MEK: The Iranian Cult that has Washington’s Ear

The Red Sea Insurgency: The Asymmetrical Houthi Threat to the Strategic Waterway

The Houthis’ ongoing asymmetric maritime insurgent tactics threaten security in the southern Red Sea, allowing the Houthis and their Iranian backers to challenge their adversaries in the strategically vital waterway. Photo Credit: AFP By Kevin Truitte, Columnist The war in Yemen approaches its fourth year with little major movement towards a peaceful resolution. Since early 2015, … Continue reading The Red Sea Insurgency: The Asymmetrical Houthi Threat to the Strategic Waterway

ISIS’s Use of Social Media Still Poses a Threat to Stability in the Middle East and Africa

Photo Credit: Version Daily By Antonia Ward, Columnist ISIS’s strategic use of social media demonstrates the resourcefulness of the terrorist-cum-insurgent organization, which mobilized an estimated 40,000 foreign nationals from 110 countries to join the group.[i] Increasing internet access in both Africa and the Middle East means that ISIS also has a new pool of potential supporters who, … Continue reading ISIS’s Use of Social Media Still Poses a Threat to Stability in the Middle East and Africa