Israel’s Top General Meets With Arab Counterparts in Bahrain
The chief of the general staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Herzi Halevi, met with senior Arab generals in Bahrain this week, Axios reported on June 12. Generals from Bahrain,...
Manama
Did Hamas just prove the Abraham Accords right?
Four days after Hamas began its massacre of Israeli civilians, King Abdullah II of Jordan addressed his country’s parliament, telling lawmakers that Jordan’s “compass...
Op-eds
Egypt and Jordan Condemn Israeli Response to Hamas Massacre
Latest Developments Egypt and Jordan on October 21 condemned Israel’s military response to the October 7 massacre by Hamas. Speaking at a peace summit in Cairo, the leaders of both Arab nations denounced...
Flash Briefs
Bahrain chooses alignment with Israel over submission to Iran
Since the announcement of the Abraham Accords in August 2020, ties between Bahrain and Israel have grown steadily, reaching a milestone last week when an Israeli military aircraft, carrying Defense Minister...
Op-eds
Expand Israel-Arab-US military drills to counter Iran and its proxies
Naval forces from Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the United States are conducting a five-day multilateral maritime security operations exercise in the Red Sea. The exercise marks the first...
Op-eds
Violence in Yemen, Gaza, and Iraq Isn’t Coincidental, Even Though the White House Wishes it Was
Recent flareups of violence in the Middle East are the outcome of a major policy shift by an administration that prefers to avert its eyes from the truth.
Op-eds
Iranian Proxies in Bahrain Determined to Sabotage Peace With Israel
Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani made history on Wednesday, becoming the first-ever minister from the island kingdom to conduct an official visit to Israel. The visit marked the second meeting...
Insights
Welcome to a Brand-New Middle East
Israel’s pacts with the UAE and Bahrain go far beyond the tenuous “cold peace” with Egypt and Jordan. They could even help end the conflict with the Palestinians.
Op-eds
COVID-19 in Bahrain
As low oil prices and the pandemic strain Bahrain’s state budget, Manama may seek economic assistance from its Gulf neighbors. Less certain, however, is whether those neighbors will come to the island...
Policy Briefs
New Aid Package for Bahrain Signals Trouble
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait will provide a $10 billion aid package to cash-strapped Bahrain, building on a deal originally announced in June. Coming on top of a $10 billion injection already pledged by Gulf states in 2016, the deal is a further sign of Bahrain’s brewing economic crisis.
Policy Briefs
Kuwait and Oman Are Stuck in Arab No Man’s Land
Just over a year ago, four of America’s Arab allies — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt — severed relations with Qatar, another key U.S. ally. They enac...
Op-eds
Bahraini Bank Investigations Offers Powerful Example for Treating De-listed Entities
The Bahraini government last week...
Policy Briefs
U.S. Sanctions Bahrainis Linked to Iran-Backed Group
The State Department on Friday designated two Bahrainis with ties to Iran as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, thereby den...
Policy Briefs
Should the United States Sell Fighter Jets to the Gulf?
The timing and phasing of recent U.S. arms deals in the Middle East underscore the complicated balance for the United States of addressing the concerns and needs of multiple partners in the regio...
Op-eds
Iran Stirs Up More Trouble in the Gulf
Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ external operations wing the Quds Force, ...
Op-eds
Why is President Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia important now?
US President Barack Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week for meetings with King Salman and other leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council appears first and foremost to be about reassuranc...
Op-eds
Iranian Weapons Smuggling in the Arabian Peninsula Continues
An American-led maritime coalition recently intercepted a fishing boat carrying weapons off the coast of Oman, according to news reports on Monday. U.S. officials...
Policy Briefs
Iran Embarks On Middle East Charm Offensive – Will It Work?
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and his Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif have each ...
Op-eds
The Gulf Cooperation Council Camp David Summit: Any Results?
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Deutch, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee: thank you on behalf of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies for the opportunity to testify before...
Congressional Testimonies
The Gulf Cooperation Council: Deepening Rifts and Emerging Challenges
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Deutch, and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you on behalf of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies for the opportunity to discuss tensions in...