Is China Becoming a Political Player in the Middle East?

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?

Posting Our Way to the Presidency

By Sydney Wise /

American presidential campaigns have increasingly turned to social media to reach Gen Z voters. How well can they speak the youth’s language?

A Reading on the Future of Hamas

By Omar Shaban / Summer 2024

The aftermath of October 7, and assassination of senior commanders, has forced an existential rethink within Hamas

The Court Rules: Occupation Illegal

By Abigail Flynn /

What does the advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice tell us and why is it important?

Is Israel’s Star Fading in Latin America?

By Jodor Jalit / Summer 2024

The Latin American response to Israel’s war on Gaza could help strengthen the rich but neglected cultural ties with Arab states

Don’t Forget About the Red Sea

By Burak Şakir Şeker / Summer 2024

A widening of Israel’s War on Gaza could threaten the vital Red Sea waterway and lead to a global economic crisis

China Tests the Water in Palestinian Diplomacy

By Ramzy Baroud / Summer 2024

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

The Olympics: Arenas of Contention

By Jung Woo Lee / Summer 2024

Political tensions simmered under the facade of international communion at the Paris 2024 Games as countries competed both on and off the stage

Less Than a State

By Sean Lee / Summer 2024

Without a new framework that ensures true sovereignty and security for a future Palestinian state, the two-state solution will remain a farce

Iran’s Election: Reality Versus the Dominant Narrative

By Massoud Hedeshi /

The primary discourse on Iran’s politics obscures its nuanced reality through binary and inaccurate labels of “moderate” and “hardliner”; examining this framework reveals a deep Western insecurity about Iran’s and the Global South’s rising power

War on Palestine Underscores the Supremacy of Geopolitics

By Omar Auf / Spring 2024

Why do states ignore violations of international law in Gaza?

Showing Palestine Refugees that Americans Care

By Omar Auf / Spring 2024

The Cairo Review asks the UNRWA USA National Committee questions about its purpose, processes, and operations amid the existential crisis UNRWA is facing.

Time to Renew an Old Promise? A Brief History of Global South Solidarity with Palestine

By Bidisha Biswas / Spring 2024

Anti-colonial and post-colonial politics have shaped global understandings of the Israel-Palestine conflict for decades, beyond the narrow vision of many Western countries

Navigating the Politics of Humanitarian Aid in Gaza

By Shatha Abdulsamad / Spring 2024

Despite Israeli efforts to destroy it, UNRWA remains an embodiment of international responsibility for the question of Palestinian refugees, and a reminder of their inalienable right of return.

Hegemonic Reasoning Fueled the Russia-Ukraine War

By F. Andrew Wolf Jr. /

With the Cold War at an end for over 30 years, how is it that the US still perceives Russia as a threat?

Hope in a New Generation—Mark Deets on Senegal’s New President: CR Amplified ep. 1

By Omar Auf /

Last month, 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal was sworn in as the youngest president on the African continent following a dramatic election win. Diomaye, a former tax inspector who never held public office, was elected directly from the first round, the first of any opposition candidate in Senegal’s history. Diomaye’s election follows over a month of protests and at least three deaths as a result of the former President, Mackey Sall postponing the elections. Sall had served as incumbent president for 12 years before this election. » Read more about: Hope in a New Generation—Mark Deets on Senegal’s New President: CR Amplified ep. 1 »

A World that Ended Apartheid can do the Same for Israel’s Occupation

By Abderahman Salaheldin /

Ending the Israeli occupation and forging a Palestinian state requires a unified effort that parallels the process which ended racial segregation in South Africa.

Genocide on the Docket at the Hague

By Omar Auf / Winter 2024

International law is a tool for both oppression and emancipation, says AUC law professor Thomas Skouteris in this Q&A as he breaks down the intricacies of the ICJ’s January 26 order for provisional measures in South Africa v. Israel, and elucidates the present and future of international law.

Hamas, ISIL, and Israel: An Exercise in Comparison

By Ayman Zaineldine / Winter 2024

One of Israel’s main responses to the October 7 attacks was to declare that “Hamas is ISIL,” and that the world should thus unite in support for Israel to eliminate it. But others are not sure, and ask whether Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, and its practices as an occupying power, is even more worthy of global sanction

Security and Peace After the War in Gaza

By Ibrahim Awad / Winter 2024

Is the two-state solution feasible? In order to pursue such a policy, the international community must be able to overcome three main points of contention: Israeli occupation, the creation of a Palestinian state, and the role of Hamas

Is There Hope for Gaza Under International Law?

By Abigail Flynn / Winter 2024

Why has international law failed to hold Israel responsible for its destruction of Gaza? It was built to enable the colonizer, not to protect the colonized, explains legal expert Jason Beckett.

From Gaza to Regional War? – with Abdalhadi Alijla

By Nadeen Shaker /

What is the next step in the Gaza War now that an Israeli drone has killed a Hamas leader in Beirut? A spillover in Lebanon? The entire region? Europe? The United States has a role to play in preventing the war from escalating, but what if it does not intervene? Today’s episode is with Abdalhadi Alijla, Palestinian political scientist and rebel governance expert, who tells us more about the worst-case scenarios of the war on Gaza, and how the war’s objectives are slightly shifting.

Gaza Conflict Cascading Effects: The Rafah Question

By Maryam El-Prince /

Egypt has described the latest suggestions by members of the Israeli Knesset for a “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians across the world as a “full-fledged war crime”. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry lambasted the idea—endorsed by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich—and said that Israel’s “deliberate targeting” of civilians is tantamount to a forced evacuation.
The idea that Palestinians should find somewhere else to call home has resurfaced as Israel’s bombing of Gaza enters its sixth week, » Read more about: Gaza Conflict Cascading Effects: The Rafah Question »

Ringside Seat to Real-Time Radicalization

By Lawrence Pintak / November 8, 2023

Research on radicalization finds that exposure to violence leads to further violence. Israel’s military campaign has made Gaza a “living Hell.”

Biden Aims to Contain Violence in Israel/Palestine. His Policy May Be Stoking It Instead

By Shibley Telhami / October 26, 2023

Biden’s recent attempts at deescalation do not challenge or overturn decades of America enabling Israel’s violent occupation of Palestine. Instead, Biden has continued to systematically dismantle any non-violent avenues for Palestinian resistance while strengthening the militant Israeli far right.

Miscalculations and Legacies: A Look Back at the 1973 War Half a Century On

By David Makovsky / Fall 2023

Historians continue to debate “what if” scenarios about the pivotal conflict which reshaped the Middle East

Shifting Tides: Egypt’s Unexpected Path After the 1973 War

By Ali E. Hillal Dessouki / Fall 2023

What prompted Egypt to move from a socialist state to a capitalist one, from Israel’s adversary to its reluctant diplomatic partner, from being a country with a strong national identity to a deeply divided one? The answer is war

October 6, 1973: The War for Peace

By Firas Al-Atraqchi and Karim Haggag / Fall 2023

Over the years, we have dedicated the pages of the Cairo Review to commemorate historic milestones that have altered the course of events globally and regionally. Few such milestones can compare to the momentous and transformative impact of the 1973 October War on Middle East regional politics, as a major turning point in the Cold War, and as a defining case study in the diplomacy of war and peace.
This month marks fifty years since Egyptian troops broke through the Bar-Lev defensive line on the east banks of the Suez Canal. » Read more about: October 6, 1973: The War for Peace »

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

By Helmo Preuss /

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.

From Cold War to Regional Reconciliation: The New Pragmatism in the Middle East

By Albadr Alshateri /

The new pragmatism in the Middle East is leading to a regional reconciliation process that, though some critics doubt it, is showing signs that it can sustain itself in the near future.

The Saudi Gambit in Washington

By Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy /

Saudi Arabia is in a position to become a major international player but to sustain such a role it needs to consolidate its leadership in the Middle East.
The Arab Summit, which concluded in Jeddah last weekend, may well have just confirmed the Kingdom’s leadership of the Arab World. But now Riyadh needs to transform that into a regional leadership role.
Such a regional undertaking requires—in addition to taking the lead on the political settlement of the various crises that have plagued the region—the sagacious management of its relationships with both the United States and Israel. » Read more about: The Saudi Gambit in Washington »

The Strategic Calculus behind the Saudi-Iranian Agreement

By Abdolrasool Divsallar and Hesham Alghannam /

Reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia creates opportunities for cooperation and poses security challenges stemming from opposing objectives, and foreign and domestic spoilers.

Iran-Saudi Arabia: A Regional Transformation?

By Ana Davis and Omar Auf /

The expected resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran has the potential to reshape the dynamics of the Middle East by bringing an end to proxy wars and creating opportunity for regional stability.

Fear and Power: Christian Nationalism in America

By Leslie Cohen /

What draws people to the movement, its threat to democracy, and what the far right gains in its association with faith.

The Hundred Years’ War

By Daoud Kuttab / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

Rashid Khalidi’s First-Row Seat at the Decades-Old War on Palestine

Ukraine’s Economic Shocks in Egypt

By Omar Auf / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

Political economist Amr Adly discusses the state of the Egyptian economy and others around the world, describing current vulnerabilities and emphasizing the need for climate justice

Navigating R2P Between Norm and Practice

By Omar Auf / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

The idea that states are responsible for the protection of their own people is a powerful normative and transformative one, but is far from complete or conclusive

Democratizing International Relations

By Antonio Patriota / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali deserves to be remembered for his defense of the application of democratic principles to the international order. Today, the multipolarity of the contemporary world can help further Botrous-Ghali’s vision

Strategic Survival in Syria

By Omar Abu Layla / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

How Russia and Iran maintain their grip in Syria under the shadows of the Ukraine war

The West’s Stigma, and Why it Loses Global Support By its Own Actions

By Ayman Zaineldine / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

The Ukraine war has exposed, yet again, the deep skepticism of Western intentions across the Global South, undermining efforts to strengthen the rules-based liberal global order. But this is not inevitable as it is a result of policies the West has been pursuing for a long time, which it now must change if it wants to fix its credibility

OPEC+ versus the United States and World Democracies

By Giacomo Luciani / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

The OPEC+ decision to cut oil production opens the door to further politicization of the global oil industry, particularly between the United States and Saudi Arabia

Russia, Ukraine, and U.S. Policy in the Middle East

By Daniel C. Kurtzer / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has influenced U.S. policy in the Middle East, the future of which depends on the outcome of the war, as well as Washington’s commitment to the region

The Ukraine War: The View from Iran

By Hamidreza Azizi / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

Why has Iran chosen to clandestinely have closer ties with Russia in the Ukraine War?

Imperatives of Contemporary World Order(s)

By Nabil Fahmy /

Establishing a new world order requires a global effort rooted in the idea of “social consciousness”

Building a Seaport in Gaza: Prospects, Challenges, and Opportunities

By Omar Shaban / Summer 2022

A seaport in Gaza would not only be an important economic and developmental leap forward for Palestine, but also an expression of its unity and sovereignty. To achieve this, there are multiple options available, each with its own unique set of challenges and opportunitie.

From Borno to Aswan: Where Development, Climate and Conflict are Interlinked

By Omar Auf / August 23, 2022

The Aswan Forum, hosted on June 21-22 in Cairo, discussed topics related to African peace and development, including climate change, confronting terrorism, regional security, youth and women empowerment, and more.

Working Towards Sustainable Peace and Development Through Cooperation: An Interview with Ahmed Abdel-Latif

By Omar Auf /

The Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding is a unique Egyptian organization with a mandate for peace through capacity building, convening and research. Director-General Ahmed Abdel-Latif leads the center through its many activities, including serving as the Aswan Forum’s Secretariat.

The Changing Middle East Regional Order

By Paul Salem / Winter 2022

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

Managing Crises, the Least-Bad Option

By Joost Hiltermann / Winter 2022

Conflict management in the MENA region has little chance of succeeding as conflicts increasingly intersect and tensions driven by larger, regional triggers become even more unpredictable

Arab Nationalism, Regionalism, and Regional Integration

By Ibrahim Awad / Winter 2022

In the third decade of the 21st century, regionalism and regional integration in the Arab region stood in contrast with experiences in other regions of the world. Rather than facilitate integration, Arab nationalism seems to have in fact obstructed it