MENA September 10, 2021 IRAN: US-Iran ties enter new period of brinkmanship Iran, Politics Jon B. Alterman Iran and the US seem determined to demonstrate to each other they are not desperate for a nuclear weapons agreement. Iran may seek to hedge the destabilizing effects of its nuclear actions by lowering tensions with regional neighbors. The Biden team... Read More...
MENA August 5, 2021 IRAN: Raisi inaugurated amid increased concerns about Iran Iran, Politics Jon B. Alterman Ebrahim Raisi was inaugurated as Iran’s president yesterday. Iran is already repositioning itself as a less pliable power in hopes of eliciting a sense of urgency to meet Iranian demands. Recent, aggressive behavior may be part of a recalibration in Iran’s... Read More...
MENA June 14, 2021 IRAN: Presidential elections unlikely to surprise Iran, Politics Jon B. Alterman The Iranian government is trying to make the 18 June presidential election as anti-climactic as possible, removing every possible stumbling block to the rise of Ebrahim Raisi. The conventional wisdom is increasingly converging on a nuclear deal being struck in... Read More...
MENA April 26, 2021 MENA: The two faces of Covid-19 in the region Middle East, Politics vaccines, covid-19 Jon B. Alterman Compared to predictions of a year ago, the Middle East is in very good shape. However, beneath a facade of near-normalcy is a troubling fact: the disparity between the countries that have done best in the face of COVID-19 and... Read More...
MENA April 19, 2021 IRAN/US: Fallout from Natanz attack is more negotiations Iran, Politics, US Natanz, nuclear Jon B. Alterman The April 11 attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear site was unusual in that Israel was fairly clear about its responsibility. Iran’s response to the attack, advertising its determination to create highly enriched uranium, represents a commitment to the negotiating track. While... Read More...
MENA February 22, 2021 IRAN: Resumed Iran Diplomacy Will Provide No Easy Path Iran, Politics, US JCPOA Jon B. Alterman Iran is likely to restrict UN inspectors’ access to nuclear sites on 23 February, following the expiration of a deadline the Iranian parliament imposed on European countries to provide sanctions relief. Iran’s hostile actions, including the attack last on a... Read More...
MENA March 3, 2021 MENA: Saudi-US relations under the spotlight Saudi Arabia, Middle East, Politics, US editorial Jon B. Alterman The US intelligence community assessment on the Khashoggi assassination is not as damaging as feared. Biden’s strategy is not to downgrade the relationship, but instead to make it conditions-based. Congressional pressure is likely to grow to punish those involved publicly, and... Read More...
MENA May 17, 2021 ISRAEL: Hamas will not hurt the economy much, but domestic challenges rising Israel, Middle East, Politics Netanyahu, Hamas, editorial Jon B. Alterman Hamas rockets will have negligible effect on Israel’s economy this year. A sustained political crisis and increasing polarization between Israeli Jews and Arabs is a bigger threat. Israel seems destined for a new election, which is unlikely to be anything other... Read More...
MENA March 17, 2021 ISRAEL: Netanyahu in another toss-up election Israel, Middle East, Politics editorial Jon B. Alterman Israeli politics continue to revolve around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose center-right politics have move rightward with Israeli sentiment. The election’s outcome will depend on which small parties make it over the electoral threshold for inclusion in parliament, and how... Read More...
MENA, editorial January 26, 2021 MENA: After 10 years, Arab Spring re-run unlikely Middle East, Politics editorial Jon B. Alterman The Arab Spring, now ten years on, generally had a greater positive impact in Arab countries that weren’t touched by protests than those that were. Middle- and low-income Arab states have been unable to make large strides addressing youth unemployment,... Read More...
