Iran

Fall 2022 Polling

Israeli and Arab foreign ministers, along with U.S. Secretary of State Blinken, at the Negev Summit - source: Reuters
Forty Percent of Saudis and Emiratis Still Accept Israeli Contacts, Even Under Netanyahu
Approval for contacts with Israelis remained steady through 2022, even as hesitancy on Abraham Accords continued.
Jan 19, 2023
  • David Pollock

Summer 2022 Polling

Iraq

Variables the United States Should Consider on Dollar Smuggling in Iraq
U.S. pressure on Iraq to prevent dollar smuggling and dinar laundering can protect Iraq’s sovereignty and weaken Iran. But if executed without deliberation, this pressure could allow Russia and China to enhance their positions in the Middle East.
Feb 15, 2023
  • Frzand Sherko
What Do Iran’s Protests Mean for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region?
Internal instability in Iran may cause significant religious, economic, and political repercussions across the border in Iraq.
Jan 17, 2023
  • Zubir R. Ahmed
  • Nawzad Shukri
PUK and KDP: A New Era of Conflict
As divisions between the PUK and KDP grow, the Kurdistan region stands to lose its economic and political stability.
Dec 21, 2022
  • Nawras Jaff
Activist Haidar al-Zaidi’s Prison Sentence and Growing Pressures on Iraqi Activists
Despite claiming to defend free speech, the Iraqi government is increasingly targeting critics and protestors with arrests and lengthy jail sentences.
Dec 16, 2022
  • Azhar Al-Rubaie

Syria

The Future of al-Jawlani’s Pragmatism in Idlib and Afrin
Despite years of overhauling HTS’s global reputation, al-Jawlani’s strategy in northwest Syria has long been driven by opportunism instead of ideology.
Nov 8, 2022
  • Yilmaz Saeed
Daesh’s Forgotten Massacre in Deir al-Zour
Justice for the victims of the al-Shaitat massacre is only just starting to emerge, and the international community must do its part.
Oct 24, 2022
  • Omar Abu Layla
Shifting Lines and IDPs: Azaz, Afrin, and the HTS Incursion
HTS is on the move through northern Syria, leaving locals in Afrin and Azaz even more vulnerable.
Oct 19, 2022
  • Rena Netjes
Insight into As-Suwayda’s Position in the Syrian Situation
As-Suwayda has been unstable since the onset of the Syrian revolution. The increasingly fractured political leadership in this majority-Druze region reflects how Syria’s ongoing conflict has warped and splintered local governance.
Oct 12, 2022
  • Ishtar Al Shami
Muscat
A Stabilizing Factor: Oman’s Quiet Influence amid Mounting Uncertainty in the Gulf
Based on its sound reputation as a conflict mediator and talks facilitator, Oman is well-positioned to tone down flaring rivalries in the Gulf and prevent tensions from spiraling out of control.
Dec 22, 2022
  • Leonardo Jacopo Maria Mazzucco

U.S. Middle East Policy

Turkey