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Attiya Ahmad is Georgetown University’s 2009-10 Center for International and Regional Studies Post-Doctoral Fellow. She recently completed her PhD in Cultural Anthropology at Duke University. Dr. Ahmad’s work brings together scholarship on Islamic studies, globalization, diaspora and migration studies, economic anthropology, and political economy.
Is the Middle East next on Putin’s agenda? What the US can do to prepare
Conventional wisdom has it that the conflict in Ukraine will lead the U.S. to bolster its military presence along NATO’s boundary in Eastern Europe, with a concomitant downscaling in the Middle East. While presenting a robust front in support of NATO is of course critical, it would be a mistake to do so at the expense of the U.S. military presence in the Middle East at a time when it appears likely that Russian President Vladimir Putin has chosen the region as the venue for the next moves in his campaign to marginalize the U.S.
The new face of war: Devastating drone attacks in Ukraine have implications for the US military in the Middle East
In dramatic video coverage currently going viral on YouTube and TikTok, Ukrainian drones are seen to destroy a Russian convoy, with startling speed — and total impunity. The story of how destructive such drone attacks are proving to be was picked up by several U.S. papers, and brought to light the capability of the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone. Despite its emergence as an inanimate hero of the Ukraine conflict, the story of the TB2, and its employment by various actors over the last three years, brings with it a dire warning for the U.S. military.
يبدو أن الغزو الروسي لأوكرانيا سيكون له تأثير عميق على سوريا والسياسة السورية. بداية، ربما تكون العملية السياسية التي تقودها الأمم المتحدة قد تعرضت الآن لضربة قاتلة. فطوال أشهر عام 2021، كان المبعوث الخاص للأمم المتحدة غير بيدرسون يمهد الطريق لإطلاق جهد دبلوماسي متعدد الأطراف أسماه “نهج خطوة بخطوة” في عام 2022. كانت احتمالات نجاحه ضئيلة دائمًا، لكنها تبدو الآن وكأنها أملًا كاذبًا أو مستحيلًا.
تنقسم الحكومات العربية إلى ثلاثة معسكرات حول موقفها من الغزو الروسي لأوكرانيا: المعسكر الأول الموالي لروسيا، وكما هو متوقع فإنه يضم سوريا، التي سارعت إلى الاعتراف باستقلال المنطقتين الانفصاليتين المنشقتين في شرق أوكرانيا وأبدت استعدادها للانضمام إلى القتال الروسي؛ والمعسكر الثاني المناهض للغزو والذي يضم لبنان والكويت؛ أما الفريق الثالث فيضم الدول المترددة ويشمل القوى الإقليمية مثل السعودية والإمارات ومصر.
يعكس بيان جامعة الدول العربية في 28 فبراير/شباط موقف المترددين: فهو لا يذكر روسيا، ويشير إلى الغزو على أنه “أزمة”، ويدعو إلى حل دبلوماسي.
The 25-year Iran-China agreement, endangering 2,500 years of heritage
The 25-year strategic cooperation agreement between Iran and China, signed in March 2021, is coming to fruition, sparking debate among Iranians about the potential effects of deepening ties with Beijing.
ليس شرقًا ولا غربًا: حسابات تركيا في أزمة أوكرانيا
تحمل الأزمة في أوكرانيا، من وجهة نظر أنقرة، مخاطر كبيرة، لكنها تنطوي أيضًا على بعض الفرص. إنها ليست أزمة من صنعهم، ولا أزمة رحبوا بها. ومع ذلك، من الواضح أن أنقرة جهَّزت مخططًا أساسيًا لتجاوز العاصفة. من وجهة نظر صانعي السياسة في واشنطن، من المرجح أن تجلب استراتيجيتهم إحباطًا أكثر من تطمينًا.
وفي نفس الوقت، فإن الفهم الأفضل لكيف تأمل تركيا أن تتجاوز الأزمة الأوكرانية يمكن أن يساعد في توضيح بعض النقاشات الجارية داخل واشنطن حول كيفية تصور السياسة الخارجية الجديدة لأنقرة ومكانها داخل حلف الناتو.
Roundtable on Energy Transitions in MENA: IDRC-MEI Report
The first International Development Research Centre (IDRC)-Middle East Institute (MEI) Roundtable on Energy Transitions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), held on January 20, 2022, explored the challenges and opportunities facing the region as a result of the global energy transition. As it accelerates over the course of the century, this global transition will provide new opportunities for economies to evolve while putting a strain on the current economic model of many nations in MENA.
Integrating logistics and engineering into Middle East deterrence
As the Pentagon funnels more military assets and capabilities into the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command theater, U.S. commanders in the Middle East must now adjust their strategy using an economy of force approach. They need to achieve security and deterrence outcomes by proverbially “doing more with less,” including considering new and creative approaches to achieving results for regional deterrence, such as integrating theater logistics and engineering capabilities more prominently into the deterrence campaign.
Neither East nor West: Turkey’s calculations in the Ukraine crisis
The crisis in Ukraine, from the perspective of Ankara, carries significant risks, but also some opportunity. It is neither a crisis of their own making, nor one that they welcomed; nevertheless, Ankara has clearly developed a basic blueprint for weathering the storm. From the perspective of Washington policymakers, their strategy is likely to hold more frustration than reassurance.
Marvin Weinbaum and Sayed Madadi discuss Afghanistan’s worsening economic and humanitarian crises six months after the Taliban reclaimed control of the country.
رائحة الثورة: آفاق الإصلاح في ظل الحكومة العراقية المقبلة
وستجد الحكومة الجديدة في جلستها الأولى على مكتبها عددًا من الملفات الشائكة ، تتفاوت في درجة أهميتها وخطورتها وإلحاحها. ستكون المهمة الأولى للحكومة هي ترتيب أولوياتها.
The smell of the revolution: The prospects for reform under the next Iraqi government
In its first session the new Iraqi government will find on its desk a number of thorny files, which vary in their degree of importance, danger, and urgency. Its first task will be to prioritize them. How it chooses to do so will be shaped by several sets of factors, including intrinsic internal ones, as well as regional and international developments. Its priorities when it comes to the security, economic, and service files will play an important role in determining if the government will be able to remain in office and complete its constitutional term.
The Pakistani Taliban’s radical rebranding: Is there more than meets the eye?
In a statement released on Feb. 12, the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) distanced itself from international terrorism, declaring that its violence was singularly focused on Pakistan. While the TTP’s recent comments on America are unprecedented, they do fit into its broader rebranding effort under the leadership of Noor Wali Mehsud, who took over the group in 2018.
