Biden’s Proposed Middle East Policy Would End Any Prospect for Saudi-Israeli Normalization

It is Washington’s strong support for Saudi Arabia’s security needs, clear stance against Iran’s pursuit of regional hegemony, support for Saudi actions in Yemen, and willingness to set aside its criticism of Riyadh’s domestic policies that have allowed for even the possibility of a formal shift in the kingdom’s stance on Israel. But Joe Biden has made clear that if elected, he intends to reverse all those policies. Such changes, along with his preemptive rejection of Israel’s extension of sovereignty to any new territory, would undermine any prospect that exists for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Israel Versus Anyone: A Military Net Assessment of the Middle East

This assessment of Israel's military capability relative to the threats it faces is based on historically proven combat data, which in turn reflects the impact of human and technical quality on military combat effectiveness. This study also reflects a unique understanding of the significant variation in the efficiency of alternate national defense systems and the realistic impact of time on the generation of regional military power.

Facing a Pandemic of Crises, Few Middle Eastern Leaders Step Up

The Middle East is at a crossroads. The coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout confront regional leaders with a stark choice: dial down tensions to open the door toward cooperation in tackling existential challenges, or risk ever more aggravated political and economic threats enhanced by a potential wave of social protest.

Religious and Cultural Obstacles to China’s BRI in the Middle East

The successful implementation of China’s BRI strategy will largely depend on its ability to overcome the Middle East’s weighty political, economic, religious, cultural, and security problems.

Coronavirus, China, and the Middle East

The Middle East was already plagued by war, famine, and wholesale death in the form of multiple civil wars when the outbreak of Covid-19, a novel coronavirus, added pestilence to the mix. The pandemic offers a unique prism through which to assess the way China interacts with Middle Eastern states in time of crisis.

Coronavirus and the Middle East

The coronavirus crisis has exposed Arab and Islamic notions of fraternity, mutual commitment, and solidarity as hollow rhetorical slogans. Each country in the region is focused entirely on its own efforts to survive economically, socially, and politically as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc.

Middle Eastern Jewry as a Bridge Between Israel and the Arab World

The drama series Um Haroun (Aaron’s Mother), which tells the story of a Jewish family in Kuwait during the 1940s, suggests that Middle Eastern Jewry could serve as a bridge for coexistence and understanding between Israel and its neighbors. Unfortunately, the series has mainly sparked vituperation in the Arab world.

Coronavirus in the Middle East: Unlearned Lessons and Missed Opportunities

There is little indication that Middle Eastern rulers are learning any lessons from the devastating coronavirus. Nor is there any suggestion that they are willing to see the pandemic as an opportunity to negotiate new social contracts at a time when the virus has temporarily taken the wind out of the sails of mass anti-government protests.

China’s New Silk Road Strategy and the Middle East

In recent years, the People’s Republic of China has significantly increased its economic and diplomatic engagement with the Middle East. Most of Beijing’s investment in the region focuses on energy, infrastructure construction, nuclear power, new energy sources, agriculture, and finance. These investments serve not only China’s interests but also those of Middle Eastern countries hoping to boost their economies as a means of strengthening social stability.

Trump’s Realpolitik Approach to Middle East Peace

The Trump administration’s approach to the issue of peace in the Middle East differs from that of previous US administrations in that it is based on facts on the ground as they have evolved over time. The US peace team appears to have jettisoned both the historical “blame game” and the contradictory narratives of the Palestinians and the Israelis, which have combined to frustrate all prior peace initiatives.

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