This text has been translated by AI and may contain errors.
Skip to Content

Guita Hourani

This individual is a guest contributor. MEI is not able to assist with contact requests.

The Latest from Guita Hourani

Filter by
9991 Results
Syria and US policy after the election
Middle East Institute
  • Podcast
  • Syria and US policy after the election

    Charles Lister and Jomana Qaddour join host Alistair Taylor in a discussion about the current situation in Syria, US policy under the Trump administration, and what lies ahead following the presidential election.

    October 23, 2020

    The 2020 American election: A view from the Gulf
    President Donald Trump answers a question as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden listens during the second and final presidential debate at Belmont University on October 22, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. This is the last debate between the two candidates before the election on November 3.
  • Analysis
  • The 2020 American election: A view from the Gulf

    The upcoming American presidential election is top of mind for the Arab Gulf states. This is no surprise as there is so much at stake for them. As the race enters its final critical week, all eyes are on who will occupy the White House for the next four years — and the Arab Gulf states have their preferences. America is still indispensable to Gulf security, but the Gulf is also becoming an indispensable regional partner for whoever wants to lead the world in the 21st century. Today both sides need each other more than ever before.

    October 23, 2020

    حلقة 12: السباق الرئاسي ونظرة لفهم ترامب وأنصاره — مع هبة نصر وحسين عبد الحسين
  • Podcast
  • حلقة 12: السباق الرئاسي ونظرة لفهم ترامب وأنصاره — مع هبة نصر وحسين عبد الحسين

    مهما قالت استطلاعات الرأي أو التوقعات فإن نتيجة السباق الرئاسي غير معروفة حتى لحظة ظهور النتائج. في هذه الحلقة أتحدّث إلى ضيفين من عالم الصحافة ليساعدونا في فهم مستجدات الانتخابات، ولنلقِ نظرة أقرب على ترامب وقاعدته الشعبية، لأن ذلك كان العنصر المفاجئ في انتخابات 2016.
    في القسم الأول من الحلقة أناقش مع هبة نصر آخر مستجدات الانتخابات والمناظرة الرئاسية الأخيرة، وفي القسم الثاني أناقش مع حسين عبد الحسين الشعبوية المتزايدة في المناخ السياسي الأمريكي وأسبابِها.

    October 23, 2020

    Proxies, spies and saboteurs: How Georgia can identify, resist and deter covert and deniable threats
  • Analysis
  • Proxies, spies and saboteurs: How Georgia can identify, resist and deter covert and deniable threats

    Georgia has experienced the full spectrum of Russian aggression, from direct military action to covert subversion and proxy operations. Nonetheless, while there are undoubted challenges for such a small country in resisting this threat, there are certainly opportunities for Georgia and for Western nations eager to support. After all, the latter should understand that they have as much to learn in Georgia as to teach.

    October 23, 2020

    Drifting attention: Why the Black Sea continues to matter
  • Analysis
  • Drifting attention: Why the Black Sea continues to matter

    The threat of Russian aggression in Eastern Europe is once again lingering. As if by clockwork, Russia’s relations with its neighbors are under scrutiny once more, six years after its annexation of Crimea and 12 years after its invasion of Georgia.

    October 23, 2020

    Using the Convention against Torture to hold Syria to account
    A general view of the Peace Palace is seen as Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi leads its delegation to the International Court of Justice to defend the national interests of Myanmar during Gambia's genocide case against Myanmar on December 11, 2019 in The Hague, Netherlands.
  • Analysis
  • Using the Convention against Torture to hold Syria to account

    Last month, the Netherlands announced its intent to hold Syria responsible for gross human rights violations and torture under the U.N. Convention against Torture (CAT). With only one other case — Belgium v. Senegal — brought to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) under the CAT, the Netherlands is entering relatively uncharted waters. Indeed, it would be the first country to litigate the substance of Article 1 of the Convention. While it is unlikely that the Netherlands’ claims will reach the ICJ for another year or more, its announcement serves as an important step in the push for broader accountability in Syria.

    October 22, 2020

    Special Briefing: Lebanon one year on from the October uprising
  • Commentary
  • Special Briefing: Lebanon one year on from the October uprising

    A special briefing on Lebanon one year after the October uprising, featuring Anthony Elghossain, Randa Slim, Alia Moubayed, and Joseph Haboush.

    October 22, 2020

    US Policy and the Resurgence of ISIS in Iraq and Syria
  • Analysis
  • US Policy and the Resurgence of ISIS in Iraq and Syria

    As attacks by ISIS increase in both Iraq and Syria, the upcoming U.S. presidential election offers a turning point for how U.S. foreign policy will seek to address a potential ISIS resurgence. This paper lays out this growing problem and recommends policy, which will be constrained by the outcome of the November election.

    October 21, 2020

    Will Trump’s Syria hostage diplomacy work?
    Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • Will Trump’s Syria hostage diplomacy work?

    With a presidential election looming in the United States, the continuing crisis in Syria is unlikely to make headlines. Aside from the COVID-19 pandemic, raging wildfires, and the occasional flare-up of violence in Idlib, Syria has been largely off the radar in the U.S. for quite some time. Yet dramatic new revelations suggest that Syria could be on the administration’s agenda more prominently as President Donald Trump makes a serious, if desperate, move to secure American hostages thought by U.S. officials to be held in Damascus.

    Election 2020: The Future of U.S.-Black Sea Relations
  • Analysis
  • Election 2020: The Future of U.S.-Black Sea Relations

    In Frontier Europe Initiative’s new briefing book, entitled Election 2020: The Future of Black Sea-U.S. Relations, MEI scholars and external contributors identify key issues across the region, highlight U.S. interests at stake, and provide policy insights and recommendations for the path forward. The pieces in this book serve as a contribution to the broader discussion about the challenges and opportunities for U.S. policy in the region

    October 21, 2020

    Algeria charts a path for renewable energy sector development
    Pylons near Touggourt, Sahara Desert, Algeria
  • Analysis
  • Algeria charts a path for renewable energy sector development

    Algeria is at a critical stage in its energy sector development. The nation has both the potential and the incentive to maximize its natural resources and become a renewable energy leader. In addition to its status as the second-most-populous country in North Africa, Algeria is noteworthy for its relative size, wealth, location, gas reserves, renewable energy potential, and greenhouse gas emissions. Recent oil and gas price volatility and increasing domestic electricity demand provide impetus for Algeria to prioritize clean energy investment.

    October 20, 2020

    Afghanistan’s Terrorism Challenge: The Political Trajectories of al-Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban, and the Islamic State
  • Analysis
  • Afghanistan’s Terrorism Challenge: The Political Trajectories of al-Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban, and the Islamic State

    Afghanistan remains at the center of U.S. and international counterterrorism concerns. As America prepares to pull out its military forces from the country, policymakers remain divided on how terrorist groups in Afghanistan might challenge the security of the U.S. and the threat they pose to allies and regional countries. Advocates of withdrawal argue that the terrorism threat from Afghanistan is overstated, while opponents say that it remains significant and is likely to grow after the drawdown of U.S. forces. This report evaluates the terrorism challenge in Afghanistan by focusing on the political trajectories of three key armed actors in the Afghan context: al-Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban, and the Islamic State.

    October 20, 2020