Middle East | RCP Story Stream

How to Match Ends and Means in the Middle East March 19, 2025

For years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States enjoyed superpower status in a unipolar world. Its economy roared, and its military power went unmatched. When it came to pursuing its goals, Washington had to contend with few obsta...

Middle East

Trump Should Resist Another America-Last War in the Middle East March 18, 2025

In his inaugural address, President Donald Trump made clear that he wants history to remember him as a “peacemaker and a unifier.” In his telling, “we will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end—and perhap...

iran

What Trump’s Latest Houthi Strike Really Means March 18, 2025

The administration has a broader geopolitical agenda—one that includes countering China’s economic leverage, particularly Beijing’s reliance on Iranian oil. ...

Yemen

Is Turkey Playing Both Sides of Sudan’s Civil War? March 17, 2025

Ankara’s involvement in Sudan indicates its foreign policy is bereft of any values and willing to ignore sanctions intended to deter continued bloodshed. ...

Sudan

Congress Should Pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act March 17, 2025

Much ink has already been spilled on the antisemitism crisis plaguing the United States. As the new Trump administration seeks to crack down on antisemitism on university campuses, Congress should finally pass legislation which treats the subject wit...

The Promise of the Egyptian Plan for Gaza March 15, 2025

In a press conference with Jordanian King Abdullah in February, U.S. President Donald Trump touted his proposal that the United States should seize control of Gaza, empty it of its roughly two million residents, and redevelop the territory as a touri...

Egypt

Oman Is Supporting the Houthis March 14, 2025

Oman cannot have it both ways—it cannot benefit from American friendship and assistance while enabling a crisis in the Middle East. ...

U.S.-Saudi Cooperation Could Fortify Critical Mineral Supply Chains. March 13, 2025

President Trump returned to office facing a weakened defense industrial base, strained by the Ukraine war and threatened by China’s grip on critical inputs. Dependence on competitors like China for materials that power essential commercial and milita...

Learning the Right Lessons From Iraq and Afghanistan March 13, 2025

Our Middle East failures do not represent the true legacy of American foreign policy. ...

Iraq

Afghanistan

Give Them a Voice: Many Gazans Desperately Want to Emigrate March 12, 2025

Last week, the United States and Israel rejected the Arab League proposal for reconstruction of Gaza. The Arab leaders’ plan was a response to President Trump's call to facilitate the migration of Gazans to countries of refuge following the devastati...

Trump Must Tread Lightly With Arab Leaders March 12, 2025

If the primary goal of the Trump administration is to quickly address issues in the Middle East and prevent further wars and instability, placing additional pressure on Arab countries might actually backfire. ...

Arab League

Donald Trump

Gaza

Iran Could Lose Iraq March 11, 2025

Ever since its revolution in 1979, Iran has cultivated a network of proxies and friends throughout the Middle East. For years, this strategy proved successful. Slowly but surely, Tehran’s “axis of resistance” gained influence in Iraq, Lebanon, and Sy...

iran

Iraq

How Hamas Got a Ceasefire and Released No Hostages March 10, 2025

Hamas appears to be able to secure de facto ceasefires for Ramadan each year and not have to ever do anything in return. ...

Hamas

Iraq’s Plan To Transform Its Economy Is a Risky Bet March 10, 2025

Iraq’s Development Road aims to reduce dependence on oil by turning the country into a key trade corridor between Asia and Europe. ...

Trump’s Top Two Middle East Allies Are on a Collision Course in Syria March 07, 2025

Is a New Middle East Forming? March 07, 2025

While the region remains a powder keg in many ways, it is clear that regional elites are ready to focus on cooperation and development. ...

Middle East Media Research Institute

Trump’s China Policy: A Complete Unknown? March 04, 2025

Only one month in, the foreign policy moves of the Trump Administration in Europe, the Middle East, and North America indicate that radical, tumultuous change, marked most notably by major reversals in long-standing U.S. stances, could be the norm ov...

china

Riyadh Emerges as Power Broker in Trump’s Middle East February 17, 2025

PA Would Face Numerous Obstacles To Run Gaza February 17, 2025

Fatah spokesperson Maher al-Namoura says the Palestinian Authority is ready to govern and rebuild Gaza as ceasefire talks and discussions on the strip’s future continue. ...

Gaza

The Fatal Flaw of the New Middle East February 17, 2025

Over the last 15 years, the Middle East has been racked by war, destruction, and displacement. ...

Middle East

Russia and China Could Benefit From Trump's Gaza Plan February 14, 2025

The plan risks alienating Arab American voters, strengthening anti-U.S. sentiment in the Middle East, and reducing Washington’s credibility. ...

Gaza

Trump & Iran: Same Pressure, Different Region February 14, 2025

As Donald Trump retakes the helm as president, he confronts one of America’s enduring Achilles heels—the Middle East, a region rife with seismic political and security upheavals. Adding to the recent activity in the region, Israel has recently receiv...

Europe’s Moment for Decisive Action on Ukraine February 13, 2025

While US President Donald Trump’s early foreign policy moves have been focused elsewhere in the world—from the Middle East to the Americas—Russia’s war in Ukraine is fast moving to the top of the agenda....

Turkey Seeks Historic Peace With Kurds in a Shifting Middle East February 12, 2025

No Priorities, No Vision, No Peace in Trump's Plan February 12, 2025

The proposal for a US takeover of Gaza would disrupt almost every foreign policy objective the new US administration has in the Middle East. ...

Donald Trump