Essays

With a modern diplomatic history going back to Gandhi and Nehru, India views its role in the Middle East as a supporter of multiple powers. But how long can India’s commitment to a multipolar Middle East continue?

Russia’s Sharp Turns

By Dmitry Shlapentokh

Fall 2018

To get involved in Syria, Russia had to turn to Iran as an unexpected ally, yet as the conflict develops, it is ready to accommodate any and all players to strengthen its foothold in the region

Patrons of Peace and Conflict

By Nanjala Nyabola

Fall 2018

In Northeast Africa today, Middle Eastern states vie for influence, and African governments accede—with conditions

Building Fortress Europe

By Parastou Hassouri

Summer 2018

There is hypocrisy in Europe’s migration policies, which give lip service to human rights, but actually push back those seeking access to better lives.

Migration Myths and the Global South

By Ibrahim Awad and Usha Natarajan

Summer 2018

The discourse currently dominating international migration privileges a Northern agenda and obfuscates the real causes and consequences of why people move. A greater focus on the Global South is essential.

In a Storm Not of their Making

By Omer Karasapan

Summer 2018

The arrival of mass numbers of Syrian refugees in Europe has ignited a “perfect storm” for the surge of xenophobia and populist politics among Europeans. Its cause, however, originates in the West and not with the Syrians themselves.

A Horrible Game Changer

By Ghaith Al-Omari

Summer 2018

The Trump administration’s decision to cut aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East or UNRWA may highlight a need for institutional reform. Nonetheless, the humanitarian crisis and political unrest resulting from such a decision far outweigh any benefits.

A Compact for Syrian Refugee Women?

By Bethan Staton

Summer 2018

When the “Jordan Compact” was inked between European governments and Jordan in 2016, it was presented as a transformative experiment in employing and empowering Syrian refugees. Two years later, the Compact has failed to help Syrians and address the realities of working refugee women.

From Africa to Israel to Nowhere

By Mike Wagenheim

Summer 2018

Thousands of undocumented Africans in Israel present the Jewish-majority state with an existential question: how open is Israel—originally a safe haven for displaced Jews—to newly-arrived non-Jewish migrants?

Empowering Yemen’s Displaced Women

By Ghaidaa Motahar

Summer 2018

Since 2004, internal displacement in Yemen has hit women the hardest. Rather than narrowly focus on life-saving assistance, humanitarian organizations must develop policies with women’s strategic and long-term needs in mind.

Erdoğan’s Achilles Heel

By Gönül Tol

Summer 2018

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s policy toward Syrian refugees could become his downfall as anti-refugee sentiment in Turkey grows, especially if the economy weakens.

Loose Ends of a Deal

By Pınar Dost

Summer 2018

Turkey and the European Union signed a “Refugee Deal” to curb migration into Europe. But unfulfilled provisions of the deal are leading to problematic EU–Turkey relations.

Educated, But Will She Work?

By Ghada Barsoum

Spring 2018

Social and economic transformations are further integrating Arab women into the workforce. Yet economic and cultural norms continue to hinder their empowerment.

Iranian Women, Work, and the Gender Regime

By Valentine M. Moghadam

Spring 2018

Iranian women advance their political agency even as their government imposes a neo-patriarchal economic and political system in the Islamic Republic.

The Long Struggle for Women’s Rights

By Odharnait Ansbro

Spring 2018

Following the Arab Spring, the fight for women’s sexual and social rights will be won in the Middle East and North Africa through progressive evolution, not revolution.

Are Egyptian Women Empowered?

By Laila El Baradei

Spring 2018

Seven years after the Egyptian uprising, what have Egyptian women achieved and what challenges have they faced? A lot still needs to be done before they gain more political and social power.

The Middle East According to Egypt

By Mohamed Kamal

Spring 2018

The Egyptian government is charting a role for itself as new and critical developments unfold in the region.

Egypt’s Shifting Foreign Policy Priorities

By Alaa Elhadidi

Spring 2018

How are Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s foreign policy priorities expected to change after his reelection?

The Truth about the Muslim Brotherhood

By Abdel Monem Said Aly

Spring 2018

For the better part of two decades, a debate has raged in American research and policy circles about whether the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is a moderate political force. A study of the Brotherhood’s political Islam and its linkage to present-day terrorism.

Sixty Years of Egyptian Politics: What Has Changed?

By Dina Shehata

Spring 2018

The Egyptian state has undergone three major regime transitions since Gamal Abdel Nasser’s rule, with the current regime reversing much of the policies put in place by the first.