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“منذ وقت تدمير تماثيل بوذا، أثبتت طالبان عدم مبالاتها بالضغوط الدولية عند تحديد أهدافها”.
In his book Obama’s Wars, Bob Woodward describes a meeting about Afghanistan in the White House. He writes how Gen. David Petraeus said, “I understand the [Afghan] government is a criminal syndicate,” to which then-Vice President Joe Biden asked, “If the [Afghan] government is a criminal syndicate, a year from now, how will troops make a difference?” Mr. Biden’s question remains unanswered.
Biden, of course, is now the president. I wonder if he remembers his unanswered question from all those years ago. Despite the many years of tragic, seemingly endless war in Afghanistan, Mr. Biden’s question remains relevant today. I’ll take a shot at answering it: No number of troops could make a difference. The root of the problem is Washington’s willingness to partner with thieves and warlords.
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For many decades, Iran and Saudi Arabia have been bitter rivals, but not over women. If there was a competition, it was only over whose government could impose more limitations on their female population.
On March 4, OPEC+ members agreed to maintain their current production cut levels into April, and the Saudi- and Russia-led cartel’s decision further strengthened the upward trajectory of oil prices. While there were differing opinions among the OPEC+ members regarding the state of the global economy, the group’s unanimous decision reflects Riyadh’s current take on the markets, which is that the health of the world’s economy remains fragile as the recovery from the pandemic continues.
يستعرض إبراهيم الأصيل رأي لرُبى حصري حول اجتماع “أوبك بلاس” واختلاف الرؤى بين روسيا والمملكة العربية السعودية.
يستضيف إبراهيم الأصيل في هذه الحلقة مدير برنامج في معهد الشرق الأوسط كريس أبي نصايف للحديث عن إطلاق برنامج لبنان ومناقشة آخر التطورات في لبنان والدور الدولي المحتمل. — Ibrahim Al-Assil Chris Abi Nassif
With debate on Yemen in recent weeks focused on the decision by the U.S. State Department to revoke the Houthis’ designation as an FTO, the Joint Declaration (JD) proposal by U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths has received relatively little attention. Since the global outbreak of COVID-19 a year ago, the U.N. special envoy has sought to use the urgency engendered by the pandemic to broker a nationwide cease-fire alongside a set of confidence-building measures — branded as the JD — between the Houthi rebels and the Republic of Yemen Government. But the content of the proposal is not new, nor is it a recipe for effective de-escalation and sustainable conflict resolution.
Annika Cole / March 4, 2021
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Relations between the U.S. and Black Sea countries are complex. The Western-oriented Georgia and Romania have shown unconditional support for greater U.S. involvement. Others, like Turkey and Russia, will continue to challenge Western involvement. And while relations between Black Sea countries reflect similarly complex cooperation and conflict patterns, common among them is a hope that the Biden Administration will bring a shift in U.S. policy in the region.
Frontier Europe Initiative’s new report, Alternative Futures for the Black Sea Region, is designed to inform the development of a U.S. strategy for the Black Sea region by considering a range of alternative future scenarios.
March 8 marks International Women’s Day and this year’s theme is “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World.” However, refugee women and girls in Lebanon remain far behind the aspirations of the U.N.’s theme. This difficult situation is unlikely to change unless Lebanon ends its discriminatory policies toward refugees.
Thinking out of the box means recognizing that the old paradigm of scapegoating Israel undermines Egyptian national security interests.
Note: The below event was hosted by the Center on National Security at Fordham Law on March 4, 2021. Please find more information here.
الحلقة الخامسة من سلسلة آراء من واشنطن. يستعرض إبراهيم الأصيل رأي لسيرين كوركماز حول مقترح إردوغان لصياغة دستور جديد والأسباب وراء ذلك والنتيجة المحتملة.
الحلقة السادسة من سلسلة آراء من واشنطن. يستعرض إبراهيم الأصيل رأي لجيرالد فيريستاين حول سعي المملكة العربية السعودية للتقارب مع إدارة بايدن
