France and Egypt Try to Moderate Saudi-Iran Escalation | Monday Briefing
In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Paul Salem, Alex Vatanka, Randa Slim, Marvin G. Weinbaum, and Eran Etzion provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the Arab League meeting in Cairo to moderate the Saudi-Iran escalation, Iran’s view of the Sochi Summit as a turning point, Putin’s effort to reach an agreement on Syria before presidential elections, Afghanistan’s response to the increase of US troops on their ground, and the political upheaval in Israel as Netanyahu’s corruption case continues.
Iran's Double Game in Afghanistan
In a meeting today in Tehran with the U.N. special representative for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamo, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif raised concern about the growing presence of ISIS fighters in Afghanistan, the Iranian media reported. Zarif emphasized that the Islamic Republic is ready to expand its cooperation with the U.N. and the Afghan government to counter the ISIS threat in Afghanistan and the broader region.
Iran Rules out Missile Talks in Defiance of International Pressure
French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks on Friday about Iran’s destabilizing role in the Middle East and controversial missile program provoked angry reactions in Tehran.
U.S. Treasury Sanctions “Large-Scale” Iran-Linked Counterfeiting Network
The U.S. Treasury Department today sanctioned a network of individuals and entities involved in counterfeiting Yemeni bank notes for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and assisting I.R.G.C.’s destabilizing activities. The network is said to have produced hundreds of millions of dollars in fake Yemeni cash, using “deceptive measures” to circumvent European export restrictions to buy advanced equipment needed to print the money for the I.R.G.C.’s elite Quds Force.
Relief Needs and Development Horizons
November 15, 2017 – Panel 3 of MEI’s 71st Annual Conference, held at the Capital Hilton in Washington D.C.
Panelists:
Simon Henshaw
Acting assistant secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S. Department of State
Michael Klosson
Vice president for policy and humanitarian response, Save the Children
Clare Lockhart
Director, Institute for State Effectiveness
Hideki Matsunaga
Adviser to the Chief Economist, Middle East and North Africa, The World Bank
Women’s Activism and Social Change
November 15, 2017 – Panel 4 of MEI’s 71st Annual Conference, held at the Capital Hilton in Washington D.C.
Panelists:
Rania Al-Mashat
Advisor, International Monetary Fund
Fawziah Bakr al-Bakr
University professor; columnist, Al Jazeera
Wafa Ben Hassine
MENA policy counsel, Access Now
Hind Aboud Kabawat
Member, Syrian High Negotiations Committee
Nafeesa Syeed (moderator)
National security reporter, Bloomberg
Progress and Social Change in Afghanistan
The war in Afghanistan has dragged on for 16 years, appearing to many Americans to have no end in sight or positive outcome. However, as Defense Secretary James Mattis recently testified, “Violence and progress in Afghanistan continue to coexist.” What is that progress, and what does it mean for Afghans themselves? Saad Mohseni, chairman and CEO of Moby Media Group, and Ahmad Majidyar, director of MEI’s IranObserved project, join host Paul Salem to discuss the positive changes taking place in the country.
Assessing U.S. Middle East Priorities
November 15, 2017 – Panel 1 of MEI’s 71st Annual Conference, held at the Capital Hilton in Washington D.C.
Panelists:
Gen. John H. Allen
President, The Brookings Institution
Philip Gordon
Senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Nancy Lindborg
President, United States Institute of Peace
Juan Zarate
Chairman and co-founder, Financial Integrity Network
Mary Louise Kelly (moderator)
National security correspondent, National Public Radio
Ending Civil Wars, Rebuilding Collapsed States
November 15, 2017 – Panel 2 of MEI’s 71st Annual Conference, held at the Capital Hilton in Washington D.C.
Panelists:
Amb. (ret.) Gerald Feierstein
Director for Gulf affairs and government relations, MEI
Randa Slim
Director for conflict resolution and Track II dialogues, MEI
Jonathan Winer
Scholar, MEI
Amb. (ret.) Robert Ford
Senior fellow, MEI
Paul Salem (moderator)
Senior vice president for policy research and programs, MEI
Dual Power: Syrian Branch of Lebanese Hezbollah
There was a time when Lebanon was a Syrian protectorate occupied by the Syrian Army. The Syrian war over the past six years, however, has somewhat reversed the roles – transforming Lebanese Hezbollah into a leading military force in Syria. Hezbollah has not only deployed thousands of its forces to fight in Syria, but it has also begun recruiting Syrian nationals.
Iran: Debt Payment Not Related to British Mother’s Release
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has rejected media reports that the British government’s willingness to pay Iran a decades-long debt of about $600 million is related to the potential release of a British mother jailed by the Islamic Republic. “The case of Nazanin Zaghari and the issue of the debt payment to Iran by the British government are separate matters,” Bahram Ghassemi told the Islamic Students’ News Agency today. “Ms.
Leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey Will Meet in Sochi to Discuss Syria
The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey will hold a trilateral meeting on Syria next week.
I.R.G.C. Beating The Drums of War against U.S. in Syria
With ISIS on the brink of defeat, Tehran and Damascus say the next phase of the conflict in Syria is for the “resistance forces” to confront the U.S. military and its local allies, particularly the Syrian Democratic Force (S.D.F.). They have dialed up anti-American propaganda and warn that a “direct confrontation” with the U.S. will be necessary if Washington decides to keep its troops in Syria for the long haul.
Seizure of Abu Kamal
Yemen’s War Reshapes Arab Gulf Armies
The war in Yemen is reshaping the armed forces of Arab Gulf states. It is the first time that Emirati and Saudi elite units are leading a war effort in their bid to counter Yemeni Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, as well as a counterterrorism campaign against jihadi groups, mainly Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).