Latest in Middle East and North Africa
At best, proxies can hope for resources and assistance from a foreign power—but they should never count on it lasting over time.
Governments that believe proxy wars will let them have their cake and eat it too should think again.
Although the enduring collapse of the Islamic State is a step forward, the Middle East’s troubles run deep, and new dangers will likely emerge or worsen.
Mohammed bin Salman arrives for a week of meetings in the United States, Trump may finally withdraw from the JCPOA, and Turkish-backed forces take control of Afrin.
The Senate Armed Services Committee is hearing testimony from the top U.S. military commanders in the Middle East and Africa.
Are governance programs more than window dressing?
Last week, I wrote for Lawfare's feed at Foreign Policy about the ambiguity in the president's Dec. 6 announcement that the United States will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The piece begins:
Last month, President Trump visited Saudi Arabia and his administration announced that he had concluded a $110 billion arms deal with the kingdom. Only problem is that there is no deal. It’s fake news.
Why did the United States just ban large electronics in the passenger cabins of certain flights? It depends on whom you ask.
Turkey and the Assad regime reach agreement on offensive against Islamic State in al-Bab, what will happen in Trump and Netanyahu’s White House meeting, and what happens if the United States declares the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group?