The Israeli prime minister has taken pains to accommodate the U.S. president, overlooking some potentially troublesome developments, but many questions remain on how the parties will convert a graceful reception into tangible progress. On May 22, President Donald Trump will arrive in Israel for the second leg of his overseas trip, following his stay in… Keep reading →
Erdogan may be willing to give President Trump a free hand in Raqqa, but only if Washington supports Turkish action against the PKK in Sinjar and continues the conversation on Fethullah Gulen. On May 16, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with President Trump in the White House to discuss a variety of interconnected… Keep reading →
The regime’s latest atrocity was spurred by clear military motivations, and the situation will likely worsen as the army begins a wider ground campaign against rebel strongholds in Idlib province. In claiming that the Syrian army was not responsible for the April 4 chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun, Russia has argued that the Assad regime… Keep reading →
Assad’s track record indicates that he will likely continue challenging the chemical redline, and that additional strikes and other pressures may be necessary to deter him from doing so. In the early morning hours of April 7, the United States launched fifty-nine Tomahawk cruise missiles from two destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean against al-Shayrat Air… Keep reading →
To help Washington in the war against the Islamic State, Cairo must first help itself, in part by adopting a modern COIN approach in Sinai and refocusing its military spending toward that end. Seven years have passed since an Egyptian head of state visited the White House, but the April 3 Oval Office meeting between… Keep reading →
Clarifying the Central Bank’s authority, resuming the payment of public salaries nationwide, and addressing currency shortages could help the Hadi government avert a looming famine. Following a visit to Yemen earlier this month, the head of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) declared that it was “a race against time” to avoid famine in… Keep reading →
Talks this week with the Saudi deputy crown prince are expected to cover current issues including Iran, “radical Islamic terrorism,” Syria, and Yemen, as well as perspectives on the longer-term future of the Middle East. The visit by thirty-one-year-old Prince Muhammad bin Salman, a son of King Salman, who turns eighty-one this year and is… Keep reading →
At a time when Russia is firmly in the Syrian driver’s seat and Assad shows no sign of going away, brokering a deal to establish a humanitarian buffer area would be one way to address Washington and Amman’s pressing concerns about ongoing refugee flows. In recent weeks, fighting has intensified in southern Syria as Russian… Keep reading →
2016 saw the international community finally reach agreement for collective action on climate change with the rapid ratification and entry into force of the Paris Agreement.
On Tuesday evening, President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress to outline the path forward for his 2017 policy agenda.
