By: Samira Pakmehr, Columnist Photo Credit: Getty Images The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) found itself under immense pressure last week to increase oil production as crude oil prices jumped to $80 per barrel. Donald Trump’s tweets and recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly session in New York demand an output boost … Continue reading Oil and Politics: The Effect of U.S. Sanctions Against Iran on OPEC’s Future
Category: Middle East & North Africa
There is No Silver Bullet: The Case for Postponing Libyan Elections
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the rival Libyan leaders at Elysee Palace last May. [Etienne Laurent/EPA-EFE] By: Alexander Yacoubian, Columnist The past month’s escalation of violence in Tripoli indicates that Libya lacks the necessary stability and political infrastructure to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December. Leaders of Libya’s rival factions agreed … Continue reading There is No Silver Bullet: The Case for Postponing Libyan Elections
25th Anniversary of the Oslo Accords: Further Away from Peace than Ever?
The signing of the Oslo Accords in Washington, DC, Sept. 13, 1993. Photo credit: The White House Archives By: Benjamin Aziza, Columnist This September marks the 25th anniversary of the Oslo Accords, the agreement that is often referred to as the closest that Israelis and Palestinians ever came to long lasting peace. However, the … Continue reading 25th Anniversary of the Oslo Accords: Further Away from Peace than Ever?
Why We Should Measure the Economic Impact of Terrorism in the Middle East
By: Antonia Ward, Columnist Photo credit: Kobani, Syria. Getty Images RAND Europe and the European Parliament released a report in May on the cost of terrorism in the EU. Examining far more than direct costs, such as loss of life or damage to persons and infrastructure, the study also measured the indirect psychological impact on … Continue reading Why We Should Measure the Economic Impact of Terrorism in the Middle East
The PKK Comeback: How the Kurdistan Workers Party Triumphed in a Time of Turmoil
By: Kevin Truitte, Columnist Photo by: Safin Hamed/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has seen a resurgence across the Middle East in recent years. Buoyed by a renewed Kurdish national identity and capitalizing on regional instability, the U.S.-designated terrorist organization and its affiliates in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran have expanded … Continue reading The PKK Comeback: How the Kurdistan Workers Party Triumphed in a Time of Turmoil
China’s Increasing Engagement in Syrian Conflict
By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist Photo credit: AFP Introduction While China has long touted its commitment to “noninterference” and largely stayed out of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, recent developments such as the Belt and Road Initiative and China’s diplomatic support of one side in ongoing conflicts suggest that China may be rethinking this … Continue reading China’s Increasing Engagement in Syrian Conflict
The Clashing Narratives of Libya’s Conflict
By: Kevin Truitte, Columnist Photo credit: Getty Images There’s an old adage that states, “One person's terrorist is another’s freedom fighter.” In the fractured landscape of today’s Libya, every warring faction—from former Ghaddafists to federalists, tribal militias to Salafi-jihadists—believes it is in the right. These groups build messaging campaigns, manipulate reporting on events, and empower … Continue reading The Clashing Narratives of Libya’s Conflict
Strategic Divergence: A Problem with Proxy Warfare
A U.S. soldier speaking with a fighter from the Kurdish YPG in 2017 in northeastern Syria. (Photo: Delil Souleiman, AFP/Getty Images) By Kevin Truitte, Columnist Photo by: Getty Images The prevalence of inter-state war has declined since the end of the Second World War.[i] The Cold War and introduction of nuclear weapons witnessed the employment of … Continue reading Strategic Divergence: A Problem with Proxy Warfare
Power Projection in a Hostile Air Defense Environment: Lessons Learned from Syria
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford, UK Defence Attaché Air Vice Marshal Gavin Parker and French Defence Attaché Brigadier General Jean-Pierre Montague discuss the military response to the suspected chemical-weapons attack in Syria. By Katie Earle, Columnist Photo By: AP Last weekend, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France … Continue reading Power Projection in a Hostile Air Defense Environment: Lessons Learned from Syria
The Implications of Turkey’s Anti-American Messaging
A Turkish protester holds a sign with a photo of US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone during a protest held by leftist Workers’ Party outside the US Embassy in Ankara on Dec. 23, 2013. (Photo: AP) By: Kevin Truitte, Columnist Photo by: AP Over the past decade, the Turkish government has slowly consolidated its power; media outlets … Continue reading The Implications of Turkey’s Anti-American Messaging