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  • 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
    • Turkey
    • 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
    • Turkey
    • 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
    • Turkey
    • 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
    • Turkey
    • 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
    • ISIS
    • 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
    • ISIS
    • 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.
  • 22 May 2018
    • Middle East

    Challenges mount up

    Bob Bowker
    Unsolved political issues in the Middle East leave barren soil for economic and social green shoots.
  • 15 May 2018
    • Middle East

    Risk and reward in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

    Dave Sharma
    Donald Trump’s unconventional approaches may be just what are needed.
  • 2 May 2018
    • Middle East

    Power of youth

    Hafsa Halawa
    The euphoria of 2011 may have disappeared, but the youth of the Middle East have not forgotten.
  • 1 May 2018
    • Middle East
    • Iran's Nuclear Program
    • The Trump Presidency

    Iran’s May Day

    Rodger Shanahan
    President Trump’s deadline to decide on America’s role in the Iran Deal is drawing close.
  • 1 May 2018
    • Middle East

    Trouble ahead

    Shahram Akbarzadeh
    Frustrated expectations in the Middle East and a lack of economic opportunities are destabilising.
  • 30 Apr 2018
    • Middle East

    Decay and new growth

    Lydia Khalil
    The Middle East lacks the frameworks needed to capitalise on green shoots of change.
  • 13 Mar 2018
    • Middle East
    • Terrorism

    The resurgence of Al-Qaeda

    Bruce Hoffman
    Al-Qaeda is positioned to reclaim the pre-eminent position in the violent Salafi-jihadi struggle.
  • 8 Mar 2018
    • Middle East
    • ISIS
    • War Crimes

    The pain of hearing: Australia’s parliament recognises Yazidi genocide

    Susan Hutchinson
    A motion in parliament last week gave a crucial voice to a community’s suffering.
  • 2 Mar 2018
    • Middle East

    What’s in a (street) name?

    Rodger Shanahan
    A stroll down the petty side of Middle East conflicts.
  • 7 Dec 2017
    • Middle East

    Jerusalem: Trump’s roll of the dice

    Anthony Bubalo
    Recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a risky move at a time of so much volatility in the Middle East.
  • 5 Dec 2017
    • Middle East
    • Yemen

    Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh: the demise of a great survivor

    Rodger Shanahan
    Saudi meddling in neighbouring Yemen has again come unstuck.
  • 24 Nov 2017
    • Middle East
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Yemen

    Saudi desperation as Yemen campaign stagnates

    Alexander Harper
    Rare access to Yemen's badlands reveal the human and economic cost of the conflict.
  • 20 Nov 2017
    • Middle East
    • Yemen

    Navy fails to exercise common sense with Saudi boarding party

    Rodger Shanahan
    The naval blockade of Yemen has entangled a careless Australia.
  • 9 Nov 2017
    • Middle East

    The puzzling demise of Lebanon’s Sa’ad Hariri

    Rodger Shanahan
    Riyadh’s man in Beirut is gone but seemingly not in some careful Saudi plot.
  • 9 Oct 2017
    • Middle East

    Aid and its limits in Palestine

    Anas Iqtait
    The Palestinian economy lacks the foundational assets required for effective and sustainable growth, even with substantial aid disbursements.
  • 30 Aug 2017
    • Middle East

    Don’t ask the UN to fight America’s war against Hizbullah

    Vanessa Newby
    The EU States recognise that changing the approach taken by UNIFIL would risk making their troops a target of violent resistance.
  • 14 Aug 2017
    • Middle East

    Saudi-Qatar dispute: The new normal

    Anas Iqtait
    Far from dragging Qatar into the fold as intended, the rift between Qatar and its neighbours is likely to continue to expand.
  • 31 Jul 2017
    • Middle East

    Trump’s vital but confused support for Lebanon

    Vanessa Newby
    Supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Lebanese government does mean tacitly accepting the presence of Hizbullah, a designated terrorist group in Europe and the US.
Pagination
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