The US must act against Assad’s Syrian narco-state
Syrian and Jordanian security officials convened on July 23 to discuss illicit drug trafficking along their shared border. ...
Arab League
Can Saudi normalization with Israel hurt Palestinians?
Riyadh has rightly stopped handing out free money to Palestinians unwilling to help themselves
Op-eds
Washington’s four-point plan to take down the Syrian narco-trade
That the Biden administration delivered a strategy for countering the Syrian narco-trade is a welcome development. But absent due pressure on Damascus, the strategy will unlikely have any real effect.
Op-eds
Secretary of State and Arab League Chief Meet After U.S. Condemns League’s Readmission of Syria
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with League of Arab States Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the State Department on July 19. Blinken and Aboul Gheit did not discuss the specifics of their...
Flash Briefs
Iran’s shadow war
Israelis are defending themselves against Tehran’s foreign legions
Op-eds
Bashar Al Assad Must Pay
Arab leaders have welcomed Syria back into the diplomatic fold, but the U.S. Congress remains committed to holding the regime of Bashar al Assad accountable for a decade of atrocities. In...
Op-eds
Meet the U.S.-Funded Force Behind Lebanon’s Refugee Crackdown
The Biden administration’s Lebanon policy ends up propping up the very order it claims to oppose.
Op-eds
The New Saudi State Sets Off Into Uncharted Geopolitical Waters
Far from being uncooperative, Saudi Arabia under MBS is playing precisely the regional role that Obama and Biden have long demanded—only more so
Op-eds
IRGC Turning Commercial Ships Into “Floating Terror Bases”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been covertly converting commercial ships into launch platforms for missiles, drones, and commando raids, Israel disclosed on May...
Flash Briefs
The Arab League’s Misguided Faith in Bashar al-Assad
The organization has lifted his suspension based on promises he’s unlikely to keep.
Op-eds
Bashar al-Assad is back
And the Arab League’s got him
Op-eds
Israel’s 75th birthday
Despite endless war, the Jewish state survives and even thrives
Op-eds
Jordan Carries Out Rare Strike in Syria Against the Assad-Backed Narco-Trade
Jordan carried out airstrikes in southern Syria on Monday morning targeting a prominent drug lord and a narcotics factory in nearby Daraa province. Jordanian airstrikes in Syria are extremely rare and...
Policy Briefs
Unrepentant, Unreformed Syrian Regime Returns to Arab League
Twelve years after it suspended Syria for the violent suppression and torture of peaceful protesters, the League of Arab States welcomed Syria back to the fold on May 7, just weeks...
Flash Briefs
Iran Intensifies Ties with Syria
Tehran and Damascus signed long-term cooperation agreements related to oil and other sectors on May 3 during a visit to Syria by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. The deals marked...
Flash Briefs
Assad Will Return to Arab League Summit, Courtesy of Saudi Invite
Saudi Arabia, which will host the annual Arab League summit next month, plans to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to attend the gathering in Riyadh. The pending invitation marks a major reversal in Saudi policy and a milestone for Assad as he seeks diplomatic rehabilitation despite his ongoing atrocities. According to Reuters, which first reported the news, Prince Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, will travel to Damascus in the coming weeks to personally deliver the invitation.
Flash Briefs
Lawmakers, Former Top Officials Offer Bipartisan Rebuke of Biden’s Syria Policy
Earlier today, an open letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the administration’s passive response to Arab governments’ accelerating normalization...
Flash Briefs
When will Saudi Arabia Sign Peace with Israel?
Saudi Arabia's new policy, Vision 2030, requires a newer foreign policy on Palestinians
Op-eds
Algeria Leads Campaign to Rehabilitate Assad Regime
While visiting Damascus to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra called on Monday for Syria’s return to the Arab League. Lamamra’s trip to Damascus is...
Policy Briefs
The Ruthless Realpolitik of the United Arab Emirates
Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed has cozied up to Bashar al-Assad, and relations with the U.S. are at an all-time low.