Middle East - International Studies of Strategic and Geopolitics

Iraq’s new geopolitics and the importance of regional engagement: A view from Brussels

16Mar

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Middle East, Regions

Iraq’s new geopolitics and the importance of regional engagement: A view from Brussels

By *Domènec Ruiz Devesa, Emiliano Alessandri Following the shock of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States’ invasion of Iraq in March 2003 marked one of the opening salvos of what has so far turned out to be a conflict-ridden 21st century. Whereas the 1990-1991 Gulf War was heralded by then-President George H. W. Bush as the founding moment of a “New World Order,” as Washington successfully mobilized a vast United Nations-mandated coalition to repel Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the second Gulf War epitomized the emerging instability in the international system caused by the excesses of America’s “unipolar moment,” the retreat of multilateralism, a Global South increasingly critical of Western-led initiatives, and the rise of non-state actors and terrorist networks. Although the high...

The Quiet War between Israel and Iran Iran’s Hegemonic Drive

24Feb

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Middle East

The Quiet War between Israel and Iran Iran’s Hegemonic Drive

by Jonathan Schanzer Middle East Quarterly A major war has been underway for a decade in the Middle East though it infrequently makes headlines. Month after month, week after week, and night after night, the Israelis have operated across the region against the Islamic Republic of Iran in what the Israeli government calls "the-war-between-wars" (or "the-campaign-between-wars").[1] The genesis of this war is clear. Since the early 1980s, Tehran has financed, armed, and trained terrorist proxies to target Israel. This includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, and more recently, Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq. Historically, Israel has battled many of these proxies in short but painful border wars. Tehran never paid a price. The Islamist regime preferred ...

Netanyahu discusses with US security advisor ‘normalizing ties’ with Saudi Arabia

19Jan

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Middle East

Netanyahu discusses with US security advisor ‘normalizing ties’ with Saudi Arabia

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed normalizing ties with Saudi Arabia in talks with visiting White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Thursday, his office said. Netanyahu, who returned to power last month with the formation of a new government, was also at the helm in 2020 when Israel established ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco as part of the Abraham Accords. The Israeli premier has repeatedly expressed his desire to see Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, join the list. In their talks, Netanyahu and Sullivan discussed “measures to deepen the Abraham Accords and expand the cycle of peace, with an emphasis on a breakthrough with Saudi,” the Israeli leader's office said in a statement. They also discussed joint efforts to curb Ira...

In Power With Netanyahu, Ultra-Orthodox Parties Chart Israel’s Future

9Jan

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Middle East

In Power With Netanyahu, Ultra-Orthodox Parties Chart Israel’s Future

By Isabel Kershner * JERUSALEM — To preserve his new government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is making significant concessions to far-right political parties on Palestinian issues, judicial independence and police powers, but also less noticed moves on behalf of another key member of his coalition: parties that represent the fast-growing ultra-Orthodox public. Members of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community have long enjoyed benefits unavailable to many other Israeli citizens: exemption from army service for Torah students, government stipends for those choosing full-time religious study over work and separate schools that receive state funds even though their curriculums barely teach government-mandated subjects. Those benefits have fueled resentment among large segmen...

Biden improves US-Saudi cooperation to confront Iran, say officials

7Jan

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Middle East, Americas

Biden improves US-Saudi cooperation to confront Iran, say officials

US officials have detected improved cooperation between the US and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, three months after relations reached a historic low between the two countries. The Wall Street Journal quoted officials in the administration of US President Joe Biden stating: "The Biden administration has dropped threats to retaliate against Saudi Arabia for an oil-production cut last year and is moving to step up security coordination to counter Iran in 2023." The officials said that officers from both countries are: "Pressing ahead with new military and intelligence projects and sensitive efforts to contain Iran amid stalled efforts to revive the international nuclear deal with Tehran." In December, the Biden administration and Saudi officials worked to overturn a bill in Congress that w...

Netanyahu has his sights set on peace with Saudi Arabia – but is it feasible?

27Dec

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Middle East

Netanyahu has his sights set on peace with Saudi Arabia – but is it feasible?

While peace with Riyadh is a top priority for the incoming government, there are many significant barriers in the way, despite the common interests the two nations share with regard to Iran, experts say. Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that he hopes to bring about "a full, formal peace" with Saudi Arabia, as Israel has done with other Gulf states. However, analysts say there are several significant obstacles to achieving full normalization with the Saudis. According to Eytan Gilboa, professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University and senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), the chances of peace between Jerusalem and Riyadh are "low." For starters, noted Gilboa, the Saudis have been consistent in their call for Palestinia...

A New Strategic Landscape in the Middle East

27Dec

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Middle East

A New Strategic Landscape in the Middle East

By Dan Schueftan * Despite what most Western readers have long been conditioned to assume, the Middle East and Arab-Israeli relations are a source of good news these days. The region is still violent and unstable; the conflict between the Jewish state and its radical enemies, Palestinians and others, is far from over; the threat of the Iranian revolutionary regime may be greater than ever. However, a new strategic alignment that has lately been emerging promises a better chance than ever before in modern history for regional states to isolate and stand up to the radicals who continue to threaten the existing order. The old structure of the Arab-Israel conflict that defined the Middle East for generations—during and shortly after the Cold War—is now being replaced by a strengthen...