As prices drop to around $80 per barrel, more attention is being focused on the mindset of Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter. The 20 percent decline in oil prices over the past three months has been attributed to a wide range of factors, including declining growth in China, poor growth in Europe, and… Keep reading →
Ankara’s security and political concerns may drive it to establish buffer zones unilaterally, while Washington’s hesitance could cost it a coalition. Since the armed phase of the rebellion against Bashar al-Assad began in summer 2011, Turkey has been intent on setting up safe havens and accompanying no-fly zones in northern Syria to protect areas held… Keep reading →
Washington should keep pressuring Baghdad to make early, ungrudging goodwill gestures toward the Kurds instead of reverting to hardball negotiations and broken promises. A vital first step in defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is the consolidation of a base of operations in Iraqi Kurdistan, which is ideally positioned as a launch… Keep reading →
At present, Iran is unlikely to accept more limitations on its nuclear activities, but that doesn’t mean Washington has to settle for a watered-down deal that further damages U.S. strategic interests. The Obama administration appears headed toward a nuclear agreement that will do little more than memorialize the limited Iranian concessions made in last year’s… Keep reading →
The Bahraini government’s legal move against the main opposition group escalates its differences with Washington but could also provide an opportunity for diplomacy. On July 20, Bahrain’s Justice Ministry submitted a legal request that, if accepted by a local court, will bar the country’s main Shiite opposition group, al-Wefaq, from operating for the next three… Keep reading →
Such a program should strengthen the moderate opposition militarily and enhance its political and informational capabilities, while disrupting Salafi-jihadist recruitment. The Obama administration’s decision in June to ask Congress for $500 million to train and equip vetted elements of the Syrian armed opposition signals a potential turning point in U.S. policy in the Middle East.… Keep reading →
Washington should look for small changes in Kuwait and Qatar’s political and security calculus that could provide opportunities to support counter-terrorist financing measures there. On April 30, the U.S. State Department noted that private donations from Persian Gulf countries were “a major source of funding for Sunni terrorist groups, particularly…in Syria,” calling the problem one… Keep reading →
The Assembly of Experts may soon have a new leader, but hints of a name have yet to emerge. Last week, Muhammad Reza Mahdavi Kani, who heads Iran’s Assembly of Experts, suffered a stroke and fell into a coma from which doctors do not expect him to recover. Rumors around Tehran even suggest that the… Keep reading →
Woodside’s decision shows how Israel will need to cement its foreign partnerships, investments, and export routes in order to take full advantage of its growing gas surplus. On May 20, Woodside Petroleum, Australia’s second biggest oil and natural gas producer, announced that it was ending its longstanding bid to acquire a stake in Israel’s Leviathan… Keep reading →
Piping Israeli gas to liquefaction plants in Egypt is the most commercially logical option but remains politically risky. The announcement of a letter of intent between the partners in Israel’s giant Tamar natural gas field and the Spanish owners of a liquefied natural gas plant on Egypt’s Nile Delta coast is a major breakthrough, one… Keep reading →
