مقالات مختارة - Chosen Articles

How New Rivalries Are Transforming the Strategic Landscape   S ince the middle of the twentieth century, the Middle East has seen regional hegemons come and go. The 1950s and 1960s were Egypt’s era: Cairo was the Arab World’s capital and the home of its charismatic postcolonial leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser. But Israel’s victory over Egypt, Jordan, and Syria in the 1967 war; Nasser’s death, in 1970; and the spike in oil prices after the 1973 war brought that era to an end. As millions of Egyptians and other Arabs left home for the oil-wealthy Gulf, the gravity of Arab politics went with them. As the Gulf’s fortunes rose, especially in Saudi Arabia, so too did Riyadh’s political clout. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, however, and the subsequent U.S.-led war, which was launched from Saudi soil, made clear that oil could buy Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, a lot of influence, but they still needed American protection. After the Gu...

By  George Friedman Nuclear talks with Iran have failed to yield an agreement, but the deadline for a deal has been extended without a hitch. What would have been a significant crisis a year ago, replete with threats and anxiety, has been handled without drama or difficulty. This new response to yet another failure to reach an accord marks a shift in the relationship between the United States and Iran, a shift that can’t be understood without first considering the massive geopolitical shifts that have taken place in the Middle East, redefining the urgency of the nuclear issue. These shifts are rooted in the emergence of the Islamic State. Ideologically, there is little difference between the Islamic State and other radical Islamic jihadist movements. But in terms of geographical presence, the Islamic State has set itself apart from the rest. While al Qaeda might have longed to take control of a significant nation-state, it primar...

Thu, Oct 23 12:33 PM EDT By Stephen Kalin and Michael Georgy Egypt's government has to deliver economic growth to survive and can't let complex laws and bureaucracy discourage foreign investment, the country's investment minister said. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose two predecessors were toppled by protests in the past three years, has implemented some of the economic reforms that may boost investor confidence, slashing fuel subsidies and raising taxes. But the big question is whether investors can expect real change when yet another man drawn from the military is steering a nation plagued for decades by red tape, corruption and other obstacles that keep foreign companies away. Investment Minister Ashraf Salman said Egyptians will not allow the president or his ministers to maintain a system which has led to a soaring budget deficit, dwindling foreign reserves and general economic malaise. "The big change that's coming this t...