Is China Becoming a Political Player in the Middle East?

November 22, 2024 / Essays

China saw Israel’s war in Gaza as an opportunity to gain traction in the Middle East at the expense of the United States, but is it ready to become a serious political actor in the region?

China Tests the Water in Palestinian Diplomacy

Summer 2024 / Essays

While the ramifications of the recent unity agreement signed in Beijing by multiple Palestinian factions remain to be seen, it is evident that China has stepped up as a leader in the region

Analysis: Can BRICS+ Provide a Counterweight to the West?

August 31, 2023 / Essays

With the admission of six new countries, BRICS increases its economic power and global clout, possibly establishing its place as a challenger to the G7.

The Changing Middle East Regional Order

Winter 2022 / Essays

A history of the Arab state system starting from the second half of the twentieth century to the present

The Rise of the United Arab Emirates

Spring 2021 / Essays

By harnessing national confidence, proactively dealing with regional security concerns and exercising geopolitical cooperation, the UAE is positioning itself as a regional powerhouse.

Iran and the GCC: Prospects for a Grand Reconciliation

Spring 2021 / Essays

To realize shared priorities and fulfill the Persian Gulf’s potential as a global cornerstone for energy and trade, hardline Gulf states must acquiesce to waning U.S. hegemony and pursue reconciliation with Iran.

Africa and the United States: Reengaging with Africa’s Prosperity in Mind

Winter 2021 / Essays

With China as a dominant foreign power in Africa, the only option left for United States to engage with the continent is to follow its priorities: namely, prioritizing African youth.

Messages to America

Winter 2021 / Essays

I look forward to a more positive U.S. posture in the world arena, however I also call on the international community to take initiatives toward reforming the international system. The matter isn’t an American issue or responsibility alone and should not be. It affects us all.

Receding Multilateralism and the Role of the Dollar in a COVID-19 World

Fall 2020 / Q & A

The shock of COVID-19 has plunged the world into an economic crisis, demonstrated the fragility of economic relations and supply chains, and led to a reevaluation of several concepts taken for granted.

Political Narratives in the Middle East and North Africa: Conceptions of Order and Perceptions of Instability

Fall 2020 / Essays

The volume edited by Wolfgang Mühlberger and Toni Alaranta highlights the importance of political narratives in making sense of the complexities of the MENA countries.

The Disrupting Stabilizer

Summer 2020 / Essays

How Russia’s military, diplomatic, and economic roles in the Mediterranean have developed in recent years

COVID-19: America, China and the Conspiracy War

July 5, 2020 / COVID-19: Global Crisis

The two rival powers have been at loggerheads about the spread of the novel coronavirus, but maybe it’s time they cooperate for the greater good.

Life Under Lockdown on a Small Island: a Personal Perspective

July 2, 2020 / COVID-19: Global Crisis

One small state’s ability to weather the coronavirus storm by remaining transparent and drawing upon the population’s sense of community.

Re-Engineering Regional Security

June 21, 2020 / Midan

In the last half-century, Egypt has had to negotiate its way through the Arab–Israeli peace process, regional nuclear proliferation, and domestic political transition. What has it taught us?

Building a More Multilateral World Order

June 11, 2020 / Midan

As COVID-19 amplifies isolationist trends in the West, Asian voices call for increased international cooperation.

Will China’s E-commerce Reshape a Reopening World?

June 10, 2020 / COVID-19: Global Crisis

China’s advances in digital-buying make the nation a harbinger of how a post-lockdown global economy could look.

Are We Seeing a COVID-Created New World Order Emerge?

May 8, 2020 / Midan

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has highlighted stark deficiencies in the post-World War II international system, and forces us to choose between the status quo and a new world order.

South Africa latest to apply for COVID-19 aid from New Development Bank

April 30, 2020 / Essays

This will mostly be used to fund medical equipment such as surgical masks, respirators, and testing supplies.

The Geo-economic Fallout of COVID-19 for the Middle East

April 23, 2020 / Essays

The COVID-19 coronavirus will cause long-term consequences for the Middle East; a combination of chaos in oil markets and contraction of gross domestic product will present challenges for years to come.

Getting Back on Keel

Spring 2019 / Q & A

Egypt’s first Fulbright specialist from the United States since 2013 Thomas De Luca critiques the past and the future of national exceptionalism, political polarization, and erosion of democratic values both at home and abroad

Rule of the Rigid Compromiser

Spring 2019 / Essays

President Xi Jinping’s populist leadership of China, six years on, has been a lesson in the art of mixing strict policies with flexibility—alongside the ultimate goal of growing his own power and that of China

What China Wants in Outer Space

April 23, 2019 / Global Forum

On the final frontier, Beijing is bringing its A game. Can other Asian powers such as India compete?

Russia’s Eye on Syrian Reconstruction

March 7, 2019 / Tahrir Forum

Russia is primed to benefit economically from an influx of foreign investment in Syria, but an emerging rivalry with China and Iran for contracts could erode its long-term leverage.

Pains and Dreams on the Silk Road

October 19, 2018 / Global Forum

Chinese activity in the Middle East has been a lesson in non-involvement and support for local economic projects; yet, as the Belt and Road Initiative kicks off, China’s role in the MENA region will inevitably change.

Trump’s Dangerous Gamble

May 13, 2018 / Tahrir Forum

The consequences of Trump’s short-sighted decision on the Iran Nuclear Pact and an analysis of the JCPOA’s pros and cons.

Speed Bumps on the Silk Road

Summer 2017 / Essays

China has unveiled a “win-win” policy paper to guide its approach to the Middle East. Its $1 trillion One Belt One Road infrastructure initiative will extend all the way to North Africa. But can trade buy Beijing political clout in the region?

Uncharted Waters

Winter 2017 / Essays

Judging from his campaign rhetoric, Donald Trump aims to radically alter American foreign policy, but broad political and social forces constrain any American president’s foreign policy agenda.

The Globalization of Clean Energy Technology

Winter 2015 / Book Reviews

Probing the global implications of China’s clean energy technologies.

Unhappy Neighbors

Winter 2013 / Essays

China is aggressively enforcing a self-declared zone of sovereignty in wide areas of the South China Sea. Its takeover of disputed islands and arrests of fisherman have triggered growing diplomatic and legal challenges to Beijing. Without a Code of Conduct for the contested waters, the region may become a new global flashpoint.