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Perspectives Papers

Perspectives Papers provide analysis from BESA Center research associates and other outside experts on the most important issues pertaining to Israel and the Middle East.

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An Arrest in the US Shows the Islamic Republic’s Influence in the West

The FBI recently arrested an Iranian academic for failing to register as a foreign agent in accordance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Kaveh Afrasiabi was arrested in Massachusetts and is believed to have received more than $250,000 from the Iranian regime to disseminate its propaganda in the guise of objective analysis. Iranian agent-scholars are easy to recognize: they always oppose the overthrow of the regime and they oppose any form of sanctions. They criticize the regime on occasion as a means of concealing their role as agents.

Donald Trump’s Revolutionary Foreign Policy

Former US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy legacy was, on the whole, a major success. From Asia to Europe and through the Middle East, he managed to achieve many notable “firsts.” He left behind peace deals and initiatives while eliminating terrorists and confronting strategic threats in an unprecedented and unorthodox manner.

The UAE’s School of Government Can Help the Arab World Live Up to Its Potential

Since its establishment in 2005, the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG), formerly known as the Dubai School of Government, has emerged as a leading school of public policy in the United Arab Emirates. The quality of its researchers and resources, as well as its partnership with Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, make it a premier Arab institution in the sphere of governance. The MBRSG can play a significant role in steering broader developments in the Middle East and the Arab world.

Islamism Is Stunting Turkish Academic Achievement

The success stories of Turkish Nobel laureate Aziz Sancar and the Turkish couple who developed a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus demonstrate that Turks are capable of spectacular achievements—provided they conduct their academic careers in the free world, not in a country strangled by an increasingly Islamist regime.

Joe Biden’s Engagement in Belarus

Unlike his predecessor Donald Trump, President Joe Biden is taking an active interest in Belarus, a small country on the periphery of Russia, and suggesting a more hawkish policy toward Russia. It’s worth looking into the possible reasons for his interest and the possible pitfalls.

Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy: A Preliminary Assessment

The Biden administration’s foreign policy is rapidly coming into view. Despite rhetoric designed to mollify Middle Eastern allies, the trajectory of decisions clearly favors a return to the Obama policy of elevating Iran at the expense of Israel and Sunni states. More broadly, key moves weaken the US stance against China while ensuring domestic turmoil. American allies will have to adjust to a period of American weakness and possibly even betrayal.

China’s Steps in a Globalized Environment

During his term as US president, Donald Trump employed an economic and foreign policy that challenged globalization in an attempt to stem the rise of China—but that did not prevent Beijing from taking its own steps toward multilateralism, free trade, and economic liberalization. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Sino-European Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) are indicative of this. President Biden will govern in a world in which Cold War frameworks do not apply. When looking for partnerships with allies to restrain China’s influence, he will encounter Beijing’s deep engagement in a globalized international environment.

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