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What Is the Kafala System?The kafala system regulates the lives of tens of millions of migrant laborers in the Middle East, but growing outrage over human rights abuses, racism, and gender discrimination has fueled calls for reform.
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Financing Boko HaramThere has long been speculation about how Boko Haram and other terrorist organizations are funded. Some funding clearly comes [PDF] from criminal activity, with kidnapping particularly lucrative, and…
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Young Professionals Briefing: U.S. Policy in the Middle East: Presidential Priorities and What to ExpectPanelists discuss recent events in the Middle East and how those events may affect U.S. Middle East policy in the coming year, including normalized relations between Israel and two Gulf nations; Lebanon and Libya devolving into failed states; ongoing conflict in Yemen and Syria; continued proxy tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran; and turbulence in energy markets.
Experts in this Region
Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies and Director of the International Affairs Fellowship for Tenured International Relations Scholars
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A Conversation With Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh of the Palestinian AuthorityPrime Minister Shtayyeh discusses the Palestinian Authority’s relations with the United States, its security and economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the broader Middle East peace process.
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America Is Drifting Toward an Iraqi FutureOnce a country loses its sense of national identity, a national unraveling is often not far behind.
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Women This Week: Digital Damage or Defense?Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers November 2 to November 9.
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What Is U.S. Policy on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?The United States has long tried to negotiate a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but several factors, including deep divisions between and within the parties and declining U.S. interest in carrying out its traditional honest-broker role, hurt the chances of a peace deal.
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Middle Eastern Leaders Are Getting While the Getting’s GoodSensing Trump is on the way out, Israel, the UAE, and Turkey are trying to squeeze as much out of the United States as they can now.
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Why the Middle East’s Strongmen Are Rooting for TrumpOn substance and style, authoritarians see an ally in the White House—and hope to keep him there.
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How Erdogan Muscled Turkey to the Center of the World StageIn the last decade, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has shaped Turkey into a revisionist power that challenges not just its neighbors, but also allies such as France and the United States.
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Lessons From History Series: The Life and Legacy of Yitzhak Rabin—25 Years LaterFormer Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated on November 4, 1995, only two years after he shook hands with Yasser Arafat on the White House South Lawn following the signing of the Oslo Accords. Panelists discuss his legacy, achievements, and the ramifications of his assassination on the Middle East peace process twenty-five years later. The Lessons From History Series uses historical analysis as a critical tool for understanding modern foreign policy challenges by hearing from practitioners who played an important role in a consequential historical event or from experts and historians. This series is made possible through the generous support of David M. Rubenstein.
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Trump's Dangerous Rhetoric Toward Ethiopia is Indicative of a Larger ProblemLast week President Trump invited reporters to listen in on a call intended to celebrate the normalization of relations between Sudan and Israel, a diplomatic achievement that comes with more than a …
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Trump’s Middle East Legacy Is FailureThe president has had a handful of successes—but never anything approaching a strategy.
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Cyber Week in Review: October 23, 2020Iran and Russia target upcoming U.S. elections; DOJ files antitrust lawsuit against Google; DOJ indicts six Russian GRU officers for involvement in cyberattacks; Sweden bans Huawei and ZTE from 5G networks; and the EU sanctions APT28 for attacks on German parliament.
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Despite Ceasefire Agreement, Turkey Implicated In More Than Eight Hundred ViolationsAmy Austin Holmes is a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. One year ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prom…