خلق الحوار. التأثير على السياسة.
Generating Dialogue. Impacting Policy.
Amidst American and Israeli press reports—and official Saudi denials—of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Sunday meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Neom, Saudi Arabia, a reliable new public opinion poll commissioned by the Washington Institute shows that the Saudi public is divided but increasingly open to contacts with Israel.
Fikra Forum
In the case of renewed negotiations between Iran and the international community, Israel will have to choose whether it wants to dig in its heels and condemn the talks, or be a constructive player in the formation of a new agreement, hopefully ensuring that at least some of its concerns are addressed.
Fikra Forum
Eldad Shavit and Yoel Guzansky
The election of Joe Biden as president of the United States requires Israel to reexamine its policies and modes of engagement with his new administration. With a new administration, the two countries will need to relearn how to work together.
Turkey has become blatant in its willingness to use the Syrian refugee population, along with the fact that it controls the corridor between Syria and Europe, as a means of pressuring the international community when needed.
Fikra Forum
Successive Iraqi governments after the U.S. invasion and the fall of Saddam have proved unsuccessful in managing the country’s economic and security issues, advancing living conditions for Iraqi people, or improving public services. Rather, year after year, corruption in the Iraqi system has increased poverty and unemployment while syphoning of billions of dollars of public money into the pockets of government officials and special interests, with Iraq now listed as the twentieth most corrupt country in the world.
Fikra Forum
While it is too early to pass judgment on the Biden administration’s foreign policy, it is clear that there will likely not be any significant changes in the three major policy issues in the Middle East: fighting terrorism, Israel’s security, and the Iranian question. As for Saudi Arabia, it seems that we will see a mix of political realism, democratic principles, and human rights promotion in dealing with this matter.
