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Iran’s presidential elections: What next for Rouhani?

06.24.17

He may be a political insider, but Hassan Rouhani ran his 2017 presidential campaign as an anti-establishment candidate. More than 40 million Iranians voted, and despite the close election President Rouhani won a second term in May with 57% of the votes. When the election results were announced, thousands of people spilled into the streets dancing, singing, […]

Democracy and Governance

Engulfed: Reading the tea leaves on Qatar’s ostracization

06.7.17

Very rich, heavily armed states are engaged in brinkmanship in the world’s most conflict-prone region. This doesn’t end well – for anyone.

International Relations and Security

Talking Tehran: Journalists Jason and Yeganeh Rezaian discuss Iran

04.7.17

The journalist couple share their thoughts and insights on Iran, in their first joint public event since being released from prison.

Media

A Drop in the Ocean of Casualties

02.13.17

This article is being published in collaboration with the Harvard Law & Policy Review (HLPR). BY MASEEH MORADI* The recent immigration executive order promises in its title to protect “the nation from foreign terrorist entry.” It does so by barring the entry of, among hundreds of millions of others, all of my aunts, uncles, and […]

Human Rights
UAE air force

Power play: The United Arab Emirates’ new approach to geopolitics

01.9.17

The United Arab Emirates’ increased use of hard power could corrode diplomatic ties and weaken its position vis-a-vis regional adversaries.

Globalization
Russian military in Syria

Russia, Syria, and the ‘new Cold War’

12.19.16

Russia intervened in the Syrian war to redefine the international balance of power, not as a brotherly commitment to defend his Arab ally.

Russia and Iran: the best of friends, the worst of friends

11.27.16

Embed from Getty Images Since 2011, conflict and political upheavals have rocked the Middle East, challenging traditional alliances and the balance of power in the region. New relationships have developed – most noticeably cooperation between Russia and Iran, particularly in Syria. To look further into this new landscape, JMEPP spoke with Mark N. Katz, professor of government […]

Saudi Arabia's King Salman

Caution gives way to increasingly assertive policies in Saudi Arabia, but to what end?

11.25.16

Embed from Getty Images This article was originally published in JMEPP’s Spring 2016 print edition. Abstract Since King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud assumed the Saudi Arabian throne on 23 January 2015, there have been clear continuities in both Saudi domestic and foreign policies to maintain regime security and stability for the ruling elite; however, […]

International Relations and Security
Operation Provide Comfort

Looking to Syria: No-fly zones and political stability in Iraq and Libya

11.5.16

This article appeared in JMEPP’s Spring 2016 print edition. The ongoing civil war in Syria has reignited interest in no-fly zones as policy options for halting violence against civilians and maintaining stability in conflict-ridden regions. In order to evaluate the success of this policy option, this article will survey a portion of relevant literature to […]

Globalization

Syria: Why the shooting never stops

09.27.16

In Syria, a ceasefire negotiated by Russia and the United States quickly broke down last week. Although unstable from the outset, the truce crumbled after the US bombed a Syrian army position, in a move it said was accidental, and Russian or Syrian jets attacked a UN aid convoy near Aleppo. This ceasefire was just […]

International Relations and Security

Cyberspace: ‘Everyone can attack everyone else’

09.9.16

Eviatar Matania, the head of Israel’s National Cyber Bureau, spoke at Harvard’s Belfer Center on the unique properties of the cyber domain, and how governments can bolster their defenses in cyberspace. Cyberattacks are nothing new. But they are becoming more sophisticated, and more frequent. This year alone, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians were left in […]

Science, Technology and Data

A Free Middle East: Pipedream or Possibility?

08.3.16

BY YAEL STERN AND GAL LIN “Will you answer a survey we are conducting to understand people’s values?” the surveyor asked the young Iranian man on the other end of the phone line. “Sure,” he answered. The young man answered the surveyor’s questions pleasantly and openly, even joking occasionally. They reached question twenty: How similar […]

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