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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 13 Nov 2024
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • Middle East

    The declining fortunes of Afghanistan’s women

    Stéphanie Fillion
    Is the International Court of Justice a toothless tiger, or can a new legal battle truly turn the tide for women and girls?
  • 7 Oct 2024
    • Middle East
    • Iran
    • Israel
    • The Trump Presidency
    • United States
    • US Elections

    Trump would put personality over policy in the Middle East

    Lydia Khalil
    Donald Trump’s overarching impulse towards the Middle East can be boiled down to: look strong, but don’t do too much.
  • 3 Sep 2024
    • Middle East Conflict
    • Russia
    • Middle East

    Russia and the Middle East: Positioning for advantage

    Ian Hill
    Moscow has made a cynical calculation that conflict serves its interests.
  • 26 Jul 2024
    • Middle East Conflict
    • Middle East
    • United States

    Martin Indyk, peacemaker

    Ben Scott
    A scholar, a statesman, and a relentless policy entrepreneur. Above all, he was committed to a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
  • 26 Jul 2024
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy
    • Middle East
    • United States

    Remembering Martin Indyk, an American diplomat with Australian sensibilities

    The Interpreter
    “Few Australians have had such a large impact on the world, and for good”, said Lowy Institute Chairman Sir Frank Lowy.
  • 12 Apr 2024
    • Europe
    • Middle East

    Erdogan's election blow will shape Türkiye's foreign policy

    Temmuz Yiğit Bezmez
    Other than continuing to promote its economic interests, four recent developments illuminate the priorities of Türkiye's foreign policy.
  • 26 Mar 2024
    • Islamic State
    • Terrorism
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • Middle East
    • Syria

    Moscow attacks: Why Putin was quick to blame Ukraine

    Munira Mustaffa
    The Kremlin is covering its own mistakes in the bid to deflect attention.
  • 25 Mar 2024
    • Islamic State
    • Terrorism
    • Russia
    • Middle East

    Islamic State terror attack in Moscow a grim acknowledgement of global power status Russia seeks

    Lydia Khalil
    One of Moscow’s goals in the Middle East was in many ways similar to that of the United States – to prevent the spillover of extremism.
  • 26 Feb 2024
    • Southeast Asia
    • Middle East Conflict
    • Middle East

    Israel-Hamas: A globalised conflict

    Ben Scott
    The Palestinian issue has never lost its resonance beyond the Middle East, especially in the Global South.
  • 8 Feb 2024
    • Defence & Security
    • Al Qaeda
    • Emerging Threats
    • Islamic State
    • Maritime Security
    • Middle East Conflict
    • Terrorism
    • Technology
    • Middle East
    • Iran
    • Iraq
    • Lebanon
    • Yemen

    Non-state actors and the phantom of asymmetry

    Ved Shinde
    The might of the US military no longer guarantees world order. There are new actors and new ecosystems in play.
  • 16 Nov 2023
    • India
    • Middle East
    • Israel

    India’s Gaza dilemma

    Henry Storey
    The Israeli–Palestinian conflict exposes a gap between New Delhi’s Global South leadership aspirations and its realpolitik.
  • 13 Nov 2023
    • Middle East Conflict
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • Middle East
    • Israel
    • United States

    1947 and now

    Steve Casey
    Strife in the Middle East, hyper-partisans in the US Congress, and Russian troops on the march. We've been here before.
  • 6 Nov 2023
    • Middle East Conflict
    • Transnational Challenges
    • Middle East
    • Israel

    Gaza and re-imagining international order

    Bobo Lo
    The events of the past month show that the usual recipes for global problem-solving are no longer fit for purpose.
  • 1 Nov 2023
    • India
    • India's Economy
    • Europe
    • Europe's Economy
    • Trade
    • Middle East
    • Iran
    • Israel
    • Saudi Arabia
    • United Arab Emirates
    • United States
    • US Economy

    History repeats: A new (old) economic corridor emerges

    Ved Shinde
    Renewed connectivity between India, the Middle East and Europe shows how maps are temporary, but geography persists.
  • 26 Sep 2023
    • Middle East
    • Egypt
    • Iran
    • Israel
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Türkiye
    • United Arab Emirates

    Israel and Saudi Arabia: Finally, a New Middle East?

    Dave Sharma
    A deal with the Middle East’s two most significant powers could transform the volatile region, but the stakes are high.
  • 22 Sep 2023
    • Asylum seekers and refugees
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • Middle East

    Libya’s unlearnable lessons

    Mark Beeson
    Many of the world’s current crises didn’t need to happen. Why the least responsible are still paying the price.
  • 4 Jul 2023
    • Energy
    • Sustainability
    • Middle East

    From hydrocarbons to hydrogen? Gulf states seek the good oil in green transition

    Achref Chibani
    The region that has long dominated global energy politics is well placed to shape a shift to new supplies.
  • 15 Jun 2023
    • Middle East
    • United States

    Washington’s difficult dance in the Middle East

    Ved Shinde
    The United States is recalibrating its strategy in the region and using history as a guide.
  • 19 Dec 2022
    • China
    • Middle East
    • Saudi Arabia

    China’s catch-up game in the Middle East

    Rodger Shanahan
    For all the promises and praise, there is little prospect of displacing deep ties between the Gulf nations and the West.
  • 14 Dec 2022
    • China
    • Middle East
    • Saudi Arabia

    A step-up for China’s involvement in the Middle East

    Dave Sharma
    Beijing will not soon supplant Washington as a dominant security partner ­– but the Arab world sees a chance for leverage.
  • 24 May 2022
    • Middle East
    • Australia

    Why the Middle East matters to Australia

    Anas Iqtait , Samy Akil
    The region may not dominate in the way Southeast Asia or the Pacific does at present, but it has before and can again.
  • 7 May 2021
    • Middle East

    Royal rifts: Implications of Jordan’s family feud

    Rodger Shanahan , Shannon McGarry
    A supposed coup, a would-be king and restless youth. Trouble is brewing in the Hashemite kingdom.
  • 12 Oct 2020
    • Middle East
    • United States
    • Review

    The false promise of regime change

    Bob Bowker
    A new book from an Obama insider considers the repeated failures of outside overthrow in the Middle East.
  • 8 Oct 2020
    • Middle East
    • Iran

    Iran’s declining regional influence

    Shahram Akbarzadeh , Zahid Shahab Ahmed , William Gourlay
    Tehran capitalised on US mistakes in the Middle East, but its proxy wars and consistently aggressive façade have a cost.
  • 4 Sep 2020
    • Middle East
    • Türkiye
    • Africa

    What is Turkey’s endgame in Libya?

    Iain MacGillivray
    Erdoğan’s strategy in Libya is about domestic legitimacy as much as regional projection – but past failures hang heavy.
  • 1 Sep 2020
    • Middle East
    • Middle East Conflict
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Israel

    Why is the “Arab street” so silent on the Israel-UAE deal?

    Lydia Khalil
    Barely any outcry marked this latest shift, which probably reflects recognition of facts on the ground.
  • 31 Aug 2020
    • Middle East

    The bleak reality of sectarian Lebanon

    Lauren Williams
    As the Lebanese people are left to pick up the pieces of the 4 August blast, few have faith in the state to help.
  • 24 Aug 2020
    • Middle East

    The Hariri verdict and the fate of Hezbollah

    Rodger Shanahan
    The ruling on the 2005 assassination of the Lebanese PM will be a lasting stain on the party, but not its end.
  • 21 Aug 2020
    • Middle East
    • Diplomacy
    • United States
    • China
    • Iran
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Israel

    Hidden seams in the UAE-Israel deal

    Ben Scott
    It’s all about Iran, right? Actually, the agreement has more to do with managing the US and China.
  • 17 Aug 2020
    • Middle East
    • United States
    • Iran
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Türkiye
    • Qatar
    • Israel

    The essence of timing in politics

    Rodger Shanahan
    The UAE earned goodwill for a deal with Israel, but the US is still struggling to win backers for its hard line on Iran.
  • 6 Aug 2020
    • Middle East
    • United States
    • Syria

    It’s always about the oil in the Middle East

    Rodger Shanahan
    Confused by regional dynamics? Look to the constants.
  • 27 Jul 2020
    • Diplomacy
    • Middle East
    • European Union
    • Türkiye
    • United States

    Turkey: Not a team player

    Rodger Shanahan
    A nationalist bent at home and provocations abroad have frayed ties with Europe, and maybe soon the US, too.
  • 9 Jul 2020
    • Middle East
    • Syria
    • Iran
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Yemen
    • Türkiye
    • Israel

    Cashing in the chips at the Trump casino

    Rodger Shanahan
    The prospect of a Biden administration has pro-US leaders in the Middle East seeking to keep their political “winnings”.
  • 22 May 2020
    • Middle East
    • Terrorism
    • Australia

    A Yazidi genocide trial commences – a Hezbollah ban contemplated

    Rodger Shanahan
    Two recent developments in Germany have implications for Australia’s security interests in the Middle East.
  • 24 Apr 2020
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Islamic State
    • Terrorism
    • Coronavirus

    ISIS looks to prosper in a world distracted by the virus

    Kareem Salem
    Europe could quickly be confronted by another security crisis if the terrorists growing resurgence is left unchecked.
  • 8 Apr 2020
    • Asia
    • Middle East
    • United Nations
    • Africa
    • Coronavirus

    Coronavirus in conflict: The fight has hardly begun

    Eleanor Gordon , Florence Carrot
    Covid-19 has brought wealthy nations to their knees. What will happen when the virus breaks out in a war zone?
  • 18 Mar 2020
    • Middle East
    • Egypt
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Yemen
    • Africa

    Middle East dispatch: MBS purge, dam dispute, refugees in jeopardy

    Lauren Williams
    As Covid-19 threatens some of the world’s most vulnerable, power plays continue in northern Africa and Saudi Arabia.
  • 27 Feb 2020
    • Middle East

    Lebanon contemplates defaulting on its debt – and a greater cost

    Eliza Harvey
    An economic crisis leaves the world with a big headache: A bailout, or risking another failed state in the Middle East?
  • 11 Feb 2020
    • Middle East
    • Syria
    • Iraq

    Middle East dispatch: A paper closes, a rift opens, Syria slips

    Lauren Williams
    New hostilities between Turkey and Syria mark another blow to the Astana process and further tragedy for civilians.
  • 4 Feb 2020
    • Middle East
    • Middle East Conflict

    Middle East Peace Plan: A once in a lifetime deal, not in a good way

    Rodger Shanahan
    A distinctly pro-Israel bias to the whole enterprise seems to confirm a Palestinian view of a plan as “dead on arrival”.
  • 17 Dec 2019
    • Middle East

    Middle East protests: Careful what you wish for

    Rodger Shanahan
    For all the good intentions and international support, a local patronage system is the true lodestone on the region.
  • 6 Nov 2019
    • Middle East

    Protests in Lebanon are a problem for Hezbollah

    Lauren Williams
    A rare and unified anti-sectarian agenda could quickly unravel as religious identities and old grievances take hold.
  • 21 Oct 2019
    • Middle East

    Sparks fly in Lebanon

    Lauren Williams
    Recent protests and wildfires are both symptoms of chronic mismanagement, corruption, and dysfunction.
  • 27 Sep 2019
    • Middle East

    Undeclared air strikes: Between war and peace

    Peter Layton
    Israel has pioneered attacks with no apparent owner, and now others have taken up the tactic.
  • 26 Aug 2019
    • Middle East

    The Middle East air campaign, unmasked

    Rodger Shanahan
    Recent events reveal the evolving confrontation between Israel and Iran.
  • 7 May 2019
    • Asia
    • Middle East
    • Defence & Security

    Strategic trends across the Indo-Pacific region

    Kevin Rudd
    The US might be reorienting to the region, but so is the region responding to the deep gravitational pull from China.
  • 16 Apr 2019
    • Middle East
    • Islamic State
    • Terrorism
    • Australia

    ISIS: the generational problem

    Rodger Shanahan
    For all the concern about the children of foreign jihadis, thousands of ISIS detainees in Iraq pose a bigger danger.
  • 31 Oct 2018
    • Middle East
    • Saudi Arabia

    Concerns over Saudi Arabia go far beyond Khashoggi

    Lydia Khalil
    The death of the dissident journalist has exacerbated regional worry about the many missteps by the Saudi Crown Prince.
  • 30 Aug 2018
    • Middle East

    Libyan elections: another Gaddafi

    Casper Wuite
    Saif Gaddafi faces difficult obstacles, including his father's legacy, to challenge for the presidency of Libya.
  • 14 Jun 2018
    • Middle East

    Understanding what is important

    Anthony Bubalo
    Anthony Bubalo, author of “Remaking the Middle East”, reflects on his changed priorities when observing the Middle East.
Pagination
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