In The News

Turkey Launches Heaviest Air Strikes Yet on Kurdish Group

Humeyra Pamuk and Nick Tattersall July 29, 2015
With support from NATO, Turkey announced plans to hit the Islamic State terrorists hard in northern Iraq through reports suggest the nation is also attacking shelters, depots and holdings of Kurds – one of the few groups willing to supply ground troops to the battle and showing some success. Turkey also refuses to provide air cover to Kurdish fighters in Syria. By targeting Kurds, Turkey could...

Money Trumps Fear: Reactions to Nuclear Accord With Iran

Jamsheed K. Choksy and Carol E.B. Choksy July 22, 2015
Iran has the world’ fourth-largest oil reserves and second-largest gas reserves. Once sanctions are lifted, the population of 77 million will provide a large, eager market. The economy, with a strong manufacturing sector and educated workforce, is diversified, explain Jamsheed Choksy and Carol Choksy in the Conversation, and as a result, “potential economic gains are prevailing over military,...

Backed by Big Powers, a Successful Iran Deal Could Rescue NPT

Richard Weitz July 16, 2015
The leading impact of the July 14 Iran nuclear deal may be how it affects the overall pace and extent of nuclear-weapons proliferation. To succeed in resolving the Iranian nuclear deal and strengthening barriers against the further spread of nuclear weapons, China, Russia and the United States must cooperate despite their many other differences. “The agreement to freeze Iran’s nuclear-weapons...

Iran Nuclear Deal Is Reached With World

David E. Sanger and Michael R. Gordon July 15, 2015
Six nations brokered a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear ability for 10 years in exchange for an end to debilitating sanctions. The accord could mark the start of a new relationship between the United States and Iran, if the latter cooperates on inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency. After 20 months of negotiations, Iran agreed to a 98 percent reduction in its nuclear-fuel...

Power Transitions in Saudi Arabia Spell Changes in the Middle East

Bruce Riedel July 2, 2015
Saudi Arabia has long valued continuity, reducing uncertainty by planning leadership transitions years in advance, preparing individuals for their future roles. But King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, crowned this year, has made many changes, including removing his predecessor’s choice for crown prince and naming his son as minister for defense as the country wages war against rebels in neighboring Yemen...

MERS’s Best Friend: Ignorance

Helen Branswell June 29, 2015
South Korea has reported 175 cases of infection of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. “Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (MERS‐CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012,” reports the World Health Organization. Writing for Asia Sentinel, Helen Branswell describes how an Egyptian virologist first identified the disease...

Challenge of “Recent-ism” in the Middle East

Alexander Evans June 25, 2015
Governments can get caught up in sweeping generalizations about the brutal extremists rampaging through Iraq, Syria and Libya based on the most recent news. ISIL, ISIS, the Islamic State – analysts in and out of governments quarrel over the terrorist group’s name and translation – have slaughtered thousands and may control up to half of Syria and a third of Iraq. The extremists’ hold over any...