Reading Palestinian Responses to Trump’s Jerusalem Declaration

The PA and Hamas are hopeful that unorganized Palestinian youth will mobilize against President Trump’s declaration acknowledging that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. A groundswell from the streets would preclude the necessity for the two organizations to actively take the lead. However, the readers of al-Quds, the Palestinian silent majority, are loath to sacrifice their sons on behalf of the warring factions.

The Chaotic Arab World Has Nothing to Offer Israel

Israel should not do the bidding of the divided and bankrupt Arab world and strive to contain Tehran’s hegemonic ambitions at an exorbitant human and material cost. Nor should it trust its Arab neighbors to offer genuine peace once the Iranian threat is eliminated.

Qatari vs. Saudi Wahhabism and the Perils of Top-Down Change

Qatar and Saudi Arabia share a Wahhabi tradition, yet Qatar’s secular social character is more similar to that of Turkey. Despite their current antagonism, the leaders of the two countries share a forward-looking, less socially conservative vision. But a government-engineered modernizing process will be ineffective if it is not accompanied by political change.

The “Arab Spring” and the New Regional Chessboard

The "Arab Spring" phenomenon has created new strategic conundrums in the Middle East, as well as new opportunities for diplomatic ties and cooperative schemes. The volatility it has generated is likely to increase, with both positive and negative results.

Easter in Winter: The “Arab Spring” Seven Years Later

The time has come to stop peddling misleading and empty political metaphors and to refrain from predicating alternative futures on facile inferences that serve only to add confusion to ambiguity.

Moving Westward: The Chinese Rebuilding of Syria

As the Syrian civil war enters its final stages, China appears determined to take on a central role in Syria’s reconstruction. One factor motivating China’s involvement is the presence of a large number of Uighur jihadists among the anti-government forces. Another is the "One Belt-One Road" initiative – a planned attempt to establish and control a modern day Silk Road connecting China, the Middle East, and Europe. The increasingly active role China is playing in Syria might mark a shift in the geostrategic reality of the region.

Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation: Resistance as an Expression of Faith

There is an expectation that the reconciliation trend between Fatah and Hamas will lead to the disarmament of the resistance, but the idea of resistance will remain whether it is armed or not.

Tackling Corruption: Why Saudi Prince Muhammad’s Approach Raises Questions

Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s recent moves against the Saudi elite look more like a power and asset grab than a credible effort to eradicate corruption. He would be well advised to focus more on structural and institutional change.

Keeping Our Cool with Saudi Arabia

In view of Saudi Arabia’s deep concern over Iran’s ascendancy, Israel is presented with a unique opportunity to dictate terms of engagement to the kingdom. It is unwise for Israel to tip its hand by displaying fawning enthusiasm over the slightest gesture by the Saudis.

Tensions Between the Israeli Government and Non-Orthodox American Jews Are Exaggerated

Warnings by American non-Orthodox Jewish figures and other observers about a strategic national security threat rooted in a breakdown in relations between Israel and Americans Jews is exaggerated and erroneous. The unbreakable connection of non-Orthodox American Jews and the Jewish state continues because of deep feelings that minor squabbles over the Western Wall and other domestic Israeli issues cannot hinder. In the long term, due to demographics, the growth and power of Orthodox American Jews will eclipse the shrinking importance of the non-Orthodox progressive organizations.

Perspectives Papers