Articles

Welcome to the Post-Virus World

2020-04-01

Just two months ago, most people believed that random mass death no longer stalked the Earth. Reconciling ourselves with the reality that it does clarifies much, including how to....

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Post-uprising Iraq: New Players and New Realities

2020-03-29

The past several days have witnessed a great deal of political movement in Iraq as a result of the countrys remarkable current situation. As usual, the actions of Iraq

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Flattening the COVID-19 Curve in Developing Countries

2020-03-25

The more contained you want the novel coronavirus to be, the more you will need to lock down your country – and the more fiscal space you will require to mitigate the deeper recession that will result.

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Iraq has a new prime minister. What next?

2020-03-23

Iraq has a new prime minister-designate, almost three weeks after the previous nominee — Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi — failed to secure parliamentary approval for his cabinet.

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Politics and the Pandemic

2020-03-20

In an interview, Amir Afkhami explains what Covid-19 may mean for Iran, and the world.

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Listening to the Pandemic

2020-03-20

The COVID-19 crisis is an opportunity to call some of the political mistakes of recent years by their name and adjust our trajectory according to the compass of reality.

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Holistic Thinking for Global Threats

2020-03-18

Although there is a general consensus about the biggest threats facing humanity and the planet, the complex links between individual risk categories have so far received too little attention. Any realistic strategy to move toward a more sustainable future

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Coronavirus Plagues America

2020-03-17

For the first time in living history, the headlines after a major presidential primary night weren’t focused on the election.

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The Pandemic Stress Test

2020-03-17

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the underlying weaknesses in national economies, health systems, and even political ideologies.

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How the U.S. Can Stop the Surge of Deadly Rocket Attacks in Iraq

2020-03-16

Congress and the Trump administration should privately agree to some ground rules for timing deterrent strikes on truly high-value targets, while quietly deploying more force-protection assets like Patriot missiles.

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What Have the Reactions to the Coronavirus Outbreak in the Middle East Shown?

2020-03-14

A regular survey of experts on matters relating to Middle Eastern and North African politics and security.

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Coronavirus: The psychology of panic buying

2020-03-12

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, people are flocking to supermarkets worldwide – but are they simply preparing, or irrationally panicking?

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Making Sense of the Saudi Rumors: A Guide to Royal Family Politics

2020-03-12

Reports of royal arrests, a possible coup plot, and a brewing oil price war suggest that the kingdom is facing another period of considerable political tension.

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As Coronavirus Spreads, Iranian Doctors Fear the Worst

2020-03-11

Irans political and economic isolation has not stopped COVID-19—but sanctions are threatening to turn an outbreak into a catastrophe.

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An Action Plan for Work-Family Balance

2020-03-09

Finding the right balance for your personal and professional life requires conscious planning, ample reflection and proper communication.

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The Virus of Fear

2020-03-09

The panic that often occurs during a health crisis or in the aftermath of a natural disaster can – and has – led to spasms of irrational violence. Lack of truthful public

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What Is a Moral Foreign Policy?

2020-03-08

A foreign policy should be judged not only by specific actions, but also by how a pattern of actions shapes the environment of world politics.

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That 1970s Feeling

2020-03-06

Policymakers and too many economic commentators fail to grasp how the next global recession may be unlike the last two. In contrast to recessions driven mainly by a demand shortfall, the challenge posed by

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The Middle East’s Future of Perpetual Pandemics

2020-03-03

If outbreaks like the coronavirus shift from ‘black swan’ events to regular occurrences, globalization trends in the region may reverse, with sobering consequences.

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A Tale of Two Demagogues

2020-03-02

Economic nationalism is on the rise, and democracy is on the wane. Given those worrying trends, the recent meetings in India between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may yet come to be seen as the apotheosis of dystopia.

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When Viruses Turn Political

2020-02-15

As the coronavirus continues to spread, the public must rely on international cooperation among governments to fight the disease effectively. But mounting pressures on political leaders risk pushing them toward more nationalistic short-term measures that

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A Perilous Turning Point in the U.S.-Iran Confrontation

2020-01-25

With the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, the U.S.-Iran standoff has shifted from attrition toward open conflict. Tehran will retaliate – the only question is how – prompting another response from Washington. Allies of both should interc

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Iran tasked Nasrallah with uniting Iraqi proxies after Soleimanis death

2020-01-25

Hezbollah leader sponsors truce talks, with Iraqi paramilitaries endorsing Hadi al-Amiri as PMF leader and Tehran courting Moqtada al-Sadr in bid to form united resistance

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Building Cooperation in an Unsettled World

2020-01-25

While the changing nature of global power may tempt some actors to seek advantage through confrontation, the expanding field of stakeholders offers the possibility of a course correction.

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