Analysis

While Syria’s ceasefire is slowly unfolding as expected, it is fair to say that the general fight against ISIL, which has two parallel tracks: military and political, is facing serious obstacle on both tracks at present. Yet, we do not see those obstacles as signs of regress. They …

Ted Galen Carpenter A major part of the current turmoil in the Middle East is the product of a regional power struggle between the Shiite and Sunni branches of Islam. Iran is the leader of the first faction and offers strong support to the Shiite-dominated government in neighboring …

Why Muslims Are Rising Fastest and the Unaffiliated Are Shrinking as a Share of the World’s Population? The religious profile of the world is rapidly changing, driven primarily by differences in fertility rates and the size of youth populations among the world’s major religions, as well as by …

Gareth Porter US Secretary of State John Kerry provoked widespread speculation when he referred in testimony before the Senate foreign relations committee last week to “significant discussions” within US President Barack Obama’s administration about a “Plan B” in Syria. The speculation was further stoked by a “senior official” …

Weapon imports in the Gulf region have soared over 200 percent in the past four years, according to a new report. Saudi Arabia and Qatar were among the states to significantly increase their weapon import from the United States since the Arab Spring in 2011. The Stockholm International …

Prominent political analysts have weighed in on the possibility of Saudi Arabia stopping aid to Egypt because of the North African country’s reservations over joining Saudi military intervention in Syria. It remains unlikely that Saudi Arabia will end aid to Cairo, because the ramifications would be “disastrous” for Riyadh, …

Gulf monarchies on Wednesday declared Lebanon’s Hizballah a “terrorist” group, in the latest regional move against the Shia organisation fighting in support of Syria’s regime. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council “decided to consider the militias (of Hizballah) a terrorist organisation”, GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani said in a statement. …

By André Reichel As hard it is to comprehend for the former island empire, if the majority of Britons vote to leave the EU, the United Kingdom would be transformed from a rule-maker to a rule-taker. That would make it a rather curious choice for a country that …

There is a pressing need to establish a Middle East regional security structure in partnership with the major global powers, in accordance with new global and regional realities and with a clear set of rules to organize relations between the regional powers. The general belief in the West …