Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and de facto leader of the UAE By Ethan Kessler Last week, in a small ceremony in the Oval Office, Israel signed a treaty with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), normalizing relations between the two Middle Eastern powers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also … Continue reading What Does the UAE-Israel Treaty Mean for the Middle East?
Destroyed Grain Silo at Beirut Port. By Alison O'Neil Video footage of a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, shocked the international community Tuesday. According to the New York Times, the blast - attributed to a large deposit of ammonium nitrate and set off by a warehouse fire – injured 5,000 and killed, so far, 135, … Continue reading U.S. Aid and Restraint Amidst Lebanon’s Crisis
By Ethan Kessler Right now, America’s Middle East policy is significantly detached from the American national interest. An honest review of America’s interests in the Middle East reveals that they do not require today’s force posture. A bare-bones force posture and military restraint should fully substitute for the sweeping military presence currently in place. America’s … Continue reading Overcoming Myopic Militarism: A Case for Restraint
By Alison O'Neil Oil on the Brain: Reconsidering the Carter Doctrine Middle Eastern affairs have dictated major aspects of American foreign policy for decades, catalyzing wars and covert action as well as some of the United States’ strongest alliances. Throughout the history of American involvement, one policy objective has stood out from the others: the … Continue reading Drawing Down: The Case for a Reduced But Reliable Middle Eastern Military Presence
Yugoslavian Army General Headquarters building damaged during NATO bombing. Source: Not Home at Wikimedia By Coleman Hopkins President Trump’s recently expressed desire to withdraw US forces from Syria has set off neoconservative and progressive critics who charge that such an action would put the security of America’s regional allies at risk, and would even advance … Continue reading Syria, Yugoslavia, and A Lesson for America
Thwaites Glacier. Image credit: NASA By Natalie Wu With the conclusion of the Iraq War and the winding down of the War in Afghanistan, there has been a new consensus in Washington D.C. that "great power competition” is replacing terrorism as the primary threat to U.S. national security. This viewpoint is most clearly articulated … Continue reading An (In)Visible Enemy: Climate Change
Image: Natalie Wu By Matthew Petti As the fight against ISIS winds down, Syria’s minorities once again have to choose sides in the struggle for their country’s future. Syriac Christians, also known as Assyrians or Chaldeans, are one of the smallest ethnic and religious groups in Syria. But they have an important role to play … Continue reading Exclusive: Syrian Christian leader on the US intervention, Kurdish-Christian relations, Turkish plans for Syria
Image: Natalie Wu By Matthew Petti An interventionist foreign policy is supposed to protect “American interests” and spread “American values.” But after the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, it’s not quite clear what those words mean. It’s been two weeks since Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. He hasn’t been … Continue reading Jamal Khashoggi, and why U.S. foreign policy is hurting us at home
Image: Natalie Wu By Caroline Caywood Since the arrival of the earliest settlers, America has adopted the ideal of a “city upon a hill” which is looked to as a shining example of justice, liberty, and peace. Over the past few centuries, this has been employed as a tenant of American Exceptionalism, westward expansion, and … Continue reading Separate Peace: How Democratic Peace Theory Undermines American Interests Abroad
Image: Natalie Wu By Matthew Petti With much fanfare, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the creation of an "Iran Action Group" on August 16, 2019. Pompeo claimed that the group's goal is to "change the Iranian regime's behavior," citing a litany of "destabilizing behavior" but stopping short of specific demands. Commentators were quick to … Continue reading The 1953 coup still matters in Iran—here’s why
