Middle East
Assessing China and Russia’s Moves in the Middle East
Ali Wyne, Colin P. Clarke Thu, Sep 17, 2020, 8:14 AM
The United States will need to learn how to work with and around the influence of other powerful states.
Colin P. Clarke is a senior research fellow at The Soufan Center, an assistant teaching professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Institute for Politics for Strategy, and an adjunct senior political scientist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan Rand Corporation.
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Iran
What to Watch to Understand the Sino-Iranian Relationship
Colin P. Clarke, Mollie Saltskog Thu, Aug 13, 2020, 10:06 AM
The two countries are reportedly concluding a new partnership agreement, but cooperation between Tehran and Beijing will face obstacles.
Iran
Maximum Pressure Still Won’t Sway Iran
Ariane Tabatabai, Colin P. Clarke Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 8:00 AM
The aggressive U.S. strategy has raised tensions in Iraq without creating prospects for a resolution.
Terrorism
Far-Right Terror Rocks Germany
Colin P. Clarke Fri, Feb 21, 2020, 12:47 PM
The Hanau attack comes amid a wave of surging anti-Semitism and violence against newly arrived migrants in Germany.
Foreign Policy Essay
Terrorists and Technological Innovation
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Colin P. Clarke, Matt Shear Sun, Feb 2, 2020, 10:00 AM
Botched terrorist attacks aren't failures for terrorist groups. They're a learning process.
Syria
The U.S. Withdrawal From Syria Is an Opportunity for China
Mollie Saltskog, Colin P. Clarke Fri, Feb 15, 2019, 8:00 AM
The announcement that the United States will withdraw its remaining troops from Syria has clear implications for many players with interests at stake in the ongoing civil war. Attention has focused on what the U.S. withdrawal will mean for the Kurds, and whether Turkey will be less restrained, or how Iran and Russia might try to project influence farther east in rebel-held territories retaken from the Islamic State. Noticeably absent from these analyses has been how the withdrawal would affect another great power with vested interests in the Middle East—China.
Saudi Arabia
On an Island: Saudi Arabia’s Relentless Obsession With Qatar Is Aiding Iran
Colin P. Clarke Fri, Aug 17, 2018, 8:00 AM
For more than a year, Saudi Arabia and its allies—especially the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt, collectively referred to as the Quartet—have led a relentless, and seemingly counterproductive campaign against Qatar in a feckless attempt to bully and intimidate Doha. In addition to a blockade, the Saudis are allegedly moving forward with a plan to dig a canal on their border to turn Qatar into an island.