In The News

China Pivots to the Middle East and Iran

Debalina Ghoshal July 7, 2016
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action implemented in January ends Iran’s nuclear-weapons activities and encourages cooperation on civilian nuclear programs and investment. Though six countries signed the agreement with Iran, China is emerging as a principal beneficiary. “The West struggles to improve relations with Iran, a major market with 77 million people, as many hesitate to risk violating...

Week of Terror Underscores a “Desperate” Islamic State

Jessica Durando and Jim Michaels July 4, 2016
Surprise attackers willing to sacrifice their own lives are an ongoing and dangerous threat to major cities.The Islamic State is linked to attacks on the airport in Istanbul that killed 44, a restaurant in Dhaka with 22 deaths and a Baghdad shopping area with more than 200 dead. Analysts suggest that the terrorist group, while losing territory in Syria and Iraq, is shifting strategy toward...

An Attack on Turkey's Airport and Its Ambitions

June 29, 2016
Coordinated suicide bombings at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport killed 41 and injured more than 200. Airports, with large crowds and lots of hefty luggage, make easy targets and are symbolic, too, representing globalization and world connections through commerce and tourism. Analysis from Stratfor points out that Turkey confronts multiple threats, including Kurdish militants, though the Islamic...

Migrants Feared Dead in Mediterranean Sinkings

Patrick Kingsley June 2, 2016
More than 13,000 people crossed the Mediterranean, leaving Libya for Italy during the third week of May. At least 800 have died with the sinking of three vessels, reports the UN refugee agency. “The full details of the disasters emerged slowly because of the chaotic nature of the situation,” reports Patrick Kingsley for the Guardian. “The disasters show that despite attempts to crackdown on...

Turkey No Longer a Democratic Model for the Middle East

Mohammed Ayoob May 31, 2016
Turkey was expected to offer a democratic model for other Muslim nations in the Middle East. Instead, the country under President Recep Erdoğan is displaying familiar authoritarian tendencies, with the Kurdish minority as a special target. “The parliament’s May 20 decision to approve an amendment to the constitution to strip a select group of MPs, many from the predominantly Kurdish HDP, of...

An Alternative to Boycotts or Divestment for Israel

Ian Shapiro and Nicholas Strong May 26, 2016
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault invited international leaders to Paris on May 30 to make plans for reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Peace and economic security go hand in hand. Israel is thriving despite boycotts by some European countries while the economic outlook is dismal for Gaza and the West Bank. “There is little evidence that boycotting Israel will have a...

Can Assad Keep Crossing the “Red Line”?

David Ignatius May 17, 2016
Major international powers have intervened in Syria’s civil war with the hopes of ending atrocities, extremism and a flow of refugees. But countries disagree about a role for Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. Unconfirmed reports allege that Syria did not eliminate all its stockpiles of chemical weapons, as agreed in 2013, and Assad’s troops have since used nerve gas against Islamic State fighters. “...