The death of Sinwar, the mastermind behind the savage October 7 attack that led to the Gaza war, presents a new challenge to Netanyahu and Hamas. Neither has realized their ultimate objective and now faces a new reality they cannot wish away The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is significant only if Netanyahu and…

The year since Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s retaliation have demonstrated once again that neither has learned anything from decades of horrific violence as they continue to miscalculate each other’s intentions and resolve Israeli-Palestinian relations have reached a new nadir in the year since Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s…

As Iran is currently weighing whether or not to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah, the US and Israel should make it possible for Tehran not to retaliate without losing face and potentially avert further escalation of the conflict if not a regional war. Following the assassination of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General…

The recent agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, brokered by the US, to normalize economic relations between the two countries fell short of the needed reconciliation process that would lead to full recognition of Kosovo’s independence by Serbia. Some elements of the economic normalization agreement are positive, including operationalizing the peace highway and the rail link…

Artwork by Michael Anderson and Sam Ben-Meir The recent violation of Israel’s air space by an Iranian drone and Israel’s retaliation against Syrian and Iranian targets prompted many observers to suggest that the growing regional tension resulting from such incidents may precipitate a war between Israel and Iran/Hezbollah, and perhaps inadvertently with Syria as well….

As we approach the sixth year of Syria’s civil war, the whole international community remains completely inept and has failed to join together in the search for a solution that could end the horrifying slaughter of thousands of innocent civilians each month. Sadly (but for obvious reasons), each of the countries and other groups involved,…

Whereas the international focus today is on how to counter violent extremism, which is behind many of the violent conflicts sweeping the Middle East, the real destabilizing power and sponsor of terrorism in the region and beyond is Iran. Unlike violent extremists and religious fanatics such as the Islamic State (IS), which can be degraded…

The Arab Peace Initiative (API) presents an unprecedented and vital opportunity to change the course of events in the Middle East by realizing an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement in the context of a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace. At no time since the API was introduced in 2002 by Saudi Arabia has the development of events in the…

America’s friends and allies in the Middle East depend on the US’ strategic vision, clarity and resolve to deal with the multiple crises that surround them. They feel unsure, however, about the Obama administration’s policy which from their perspective appears to be timid and unworthy of the US’ unique stature and responsibility. The difficulty in…