Political Geography: Middle East - CIAO Search Results

3001. Hamas’ Junior Partner, Iran’s Hidden Hand

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Israel must make it clear to Hamas that letting Islamic Jihad trigger another widespread escalation does not serve its interests or its continued existence.
Topic:: Terrorism, Conflict, State Funding, and Hamas
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

3002. Iran’s Response: The ‘Strategy of Tension’

Author:: Jonathan Spyer
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Iran enjoyed and benefited from the moment when the Arab world was at its most fragmented, and the West at its most rudderless.
Topic:: Diplomacy, International Cooperation, Military Strategy, and Hegemony
Political Geography:: Iran and Middle East

3003. Winning Hasbara Strategies

Author:: David M. Weinberg
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The deep “psychological asymmetry” employed by Hamas and Fatah as a strategic weapon against Israel is working. How to handle this? Here are five strategies, including this: Don’t be embarrassed by Israel’s strength. Admit to it. Flaunt it. Better shock-and-awe than shrink-and-whimper.
Topic:: Terrorism, Military Strategy, Conflict, and Hamas
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, and Israel

3004. Will Israel Once Again Turn its Back on Those Who Have Been on its Side?

Author:: Eran Lerman and Nir Boms
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Israel may soon face a dilemma. The “arrangement” with Russia as to the future of Syria may stave-off an Iranian presence but will pose an existential danger to the groups of rebels near the border – groups which have worked closely with the IDF to prevent direct friction with hostile elements on the line of contact. It is vital that the solutions to this challenge demonstrate to future partners that Israel does not turn its back on those who have assisted it facing a common threat.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Diplomacy, Military Strategy, Hegemony, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Political Geography:: Russia, Europe, Middle East, Israel, and Syria

3005. The US should have Left the UN Human Rights Council Years Ago

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The UNHRC was hopelessly biased, obsessed with Israel, and highly tolerant towards a full range of human rights abusers.
Topic:: Human Rights, United Nations, UN Human Rights Council (HRC), and Humanitarian Crisis
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, North America, and United States of America

3006. Netanyahu’s Visit to Amman: A Timely Reminder of Jordan’s Strategic Importance

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Israel’s national interest, and the broader patterns of cooperation among key regional partners in the “camp of stability,” require close attention to the needs of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. For decades, it has been, and remains, part of Israel’s strategic depth.
Topic:: Diplomacy, Regional Cooperation, Military Strategy, and Leadership
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Jordan

3007. The Target: Infrastructure

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: If recruiting a disgraced former official with no access to updated information is the best Iran’s spymasters could do, Israel’s intelligence superiority is in no danger.
Topic:: Intelligence, Military Strategy, Infrastructure, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, and Israel

3008. Justice for the Victims: How Canada Should Manage Returning “Foreign Fighters”

Author:: Kyle Matthews
Publication Date:: 09-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI)
Abstract:: The U.S.-led international coalition has dislodged the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from the cities it had occupied and controlled, namely Mosul and Raqqa. But while the group is weakened, it lives on and remains dangerous. Both the U.S. Department of Defense and the UN estimate that approximately 30,000 ISIS fighters remain in those countries. At the same time, a significant number of “foreign fighters” have fled Iraq and Syria. Numerous countries are struggling to find policy solutions with regards to managing the return of their nationals who had joined the group. The Canadian government has stated publicly that it favors taking a comprehensive approach of reintegrating returnees back into society. Very few foreign fighters who have returned to Canada have been prosecuted. Canada has both a moral and legal duty to seek justice and uphold the most basic human rights of vulnerable populations. ISIS and other jihadist groups engaged in systematic mass atrocities against minorities in Iraq and Syria, including Christians and Shiites. ISIS has demonstrated a particular disdain for the Yazidi minority in Iraq, and the Canadian government has recognized the group’s crimes against the Yazidis as genocide. As a State Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and a signatory of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Canada has a responsibility to uphold these international legal conventions when formulating carefully crafted policy responses that deal with returning foreign fighters. Canada should attempt to prosecute its nationals in domestic courts using the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act. Open trials can serve as means by which to lay bare ISIS’ narrative and to help counter violent extremism and future atrocities. They can also serve as a deterrent and warning to other Canadians who might try to join ISIS as it mutates and moves to other countries in the world, such as Libya, Afghanistan, Egypt, the Philippines, Pakistan, or heaven forbid, in Mali where Canadian peacekeepers have recently been deployed. If Canada truly stands for multiculturalism, pluralism, the rule of law, global justice, human rights, and the liberal international order, then we must stand firm and take a principled stand to prosecute those who have fought under the ISIS banner. That includes our own citizens.
Topic:: Crime, Human Rights, Terrorism, Islamic State, Justice, and Foreign Fighters
Political Geography:: Iraq, Middle East, Canada, Syria, North America, and United States of America

3009. ‘Mowing the grass’ in Gaza

Author:: Efraim Inbar
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Because ending terrorism from Gaza is unrealistic, Israel has wisely adopted a strategy of attrition. If there is soon to be a large-scale ground operation, conquering the whole Strip should not be the goal.
Topic:: Terrorism, Military Strategy, Territorial Disputes, and Counter-terrorism
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and Gaza

3010. Why Don’t Europeans Get It?

Author:: Efraim Inbar
Publication Date:: 07-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: As the memory of the Holocaust fades, traditional anti-Semitism that turns into anti-Israel attitudes is no longer politically incorrect.
Topic:: Holocaust, Memory, Anti-Semitism, and State Building
Political Geography:: Europe, Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

3011. Moving the Markers

Author:: David M. Weinberg
Publication Date:: 07-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The Clinton-Obama parameters haven’t worked – not for 25 years of peacemaking efforts since Oslo. They have lead to deadlock and much suffering. Let’s give the Trump team credit for taking a fresh look at what is safe, wise, fair and realistic in today’s Israeli-Palestinian reality.
Topic:: Diplomacy, International Cooperation, Territorial Disputes, Leadership, Borders, and Peace
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, Palestine, North America, and United States of America

3012. Thwart Turkey’s Jerusalem Incursion

Author:: David M. Weinberg
Publication Date:: 07-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Israel should be defending itself against Erdogan by blocking his Jerusalem incursion, and taking the offensive against Erdogan by impeding his military build-up.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Military Strategy, Authoritarianism, and Leadership
Political Geography:: Europe, Turkey, Middle East, Israel, and Asia

3013. The Fall of Dera’a

Author:: Jonathan Spyer
Publication Date:: 07-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: It remains deeply open to question as to whether Putin has either the will or the capability to prevent Iranian deployment in the border area.
Topic:: Military Strategy, Conflict, and Borders
Political Geography:: Russia, Europe, Iran, Middle East, and Israel

3014. Is southern Syria heading for ‘Lebanonization’?

Author:: Jonathan Spyer
Publication Date:: 07-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The likely emergent picture in Syria, as in Lebanon, is the ongoing consolidation of another IRGC project, in the framework of a weakened and truncated Arab state, along with an ongoing Israeli effort to deter the masters of this project from acts of aggression.
Topic:: Military Strategy, Conflict, Borders, and Peace
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria

3015. Hosting Viktor Orban is in Israel’s best interest

Author:: Emmanuel Navon
Publication Date:: 07-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: hose who called for the cancellation of Orbán’s visit did not boycott Putin’s visit to Israel in 2012, nor did they condemn Israel’s apology to Erdoğan in 2013. Realpolitik must be consistent, and self-righteousness cannot be selective.
Topic:: Diplomacy, International Cooperation, Authoritarianism, and Leadership
Political Geography:: Europe, Middle East, Israel, and Hungary

3016. Diplomacy Backed by Military Force

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 07-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: How the wise use of force facilitates diplomatic processes in the Israel-Egypt-Hamas and Israel-Russia-Syria triangles
Topic:: Diplomacy, Military Strategy, Conflict, and Hamas
Political Geography:: Africa, Russia, Europe, Middle East, Israel, Syria, and Egypt

3017. US-Saudi Agreement to Increase Oil Production – Another Step towards Toppling the Iranian Regime

Author:: Omer Dostri
Publication Date:: 08-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The recent agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia to increase oil production is a significant blow to Iran. America seeks either regime change or a new nuclear deal on better terms.
Topic:: Diplomacy, Energy Policy, Nuclear Weapons, and Oil
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, North America, and United States of America

3018. Hamas Activities in Turkey against Israel

Author:: Omer Dostri
Publication Date:: 08-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Ankara is allowing Hamas to continue operating from Turkish territory against Israel. Israel can and should thwart such Turkish violations of the reconciliation agreement between the two countries.
Topic:: International Relations, Military Strategy, Conflict, and Hamas
Political Geography:: Europe, Turkey, Middle East, Israel, and Asia

3019. The Advantages of a Cease-Fire

Author:: Yaakov Amidror
Publication Date:: 08-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Israel would prefer not to go to war with Hamas over kite terrorism but Gaza’s rulers should not confuse that with apprehension. The simple fact is that clear priorities must be set and Israel must decide which of the threats it faces is truly urgent.
Topic:: Diplomacy, Military Strategy, Territorial Disputes, Conflict, and Peace
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and Gaza

3020. Reasons for Restraint

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 08-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Despite many Israelis’ growing frustration, there are good reasons why the IDF has yet to use all of its force to combat the growing terrorism from the Gaza Strip, including the fact the IDF is focused on the northern front where Israel faces its main enemy: Iran.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Military Strategy, Conflict, Peace, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and Gaza

3021. The Perception of Weakness

Author:: Yaakov Amidror
Publication Date:: 08-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The latest round of violence on the Israel-Gaza border has followed its familiar pattern. Neither party wants to blink first; whoever does will be at a disadvantage down the line.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Military Strategy, Conflict, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and Gaza

3022. The Future of Eastern Syria and the Israeli Interest

Author:: Jonathan Spyer
Publication Date:: 08-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: JISS fellow Dr. Jonathan Spyer travelled in late July to the SDF enclave in eastern Syria. He reports that maintenance of this enclave is critical to keeping a substantial physical obstacle to the Iranian goal of a contiguous corridor from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean.
Topic:: International Cooperation, Hegemony, Conflict, and Borders
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, Israel, and Syria

3023. The Cypriotization of Northern Syria

Author:: Cohen Yanarocak
Publication Date:: 08-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Turkey is turning northern Syria – Jarabulus and Afrin – into the “Turkish Republic of Northern Syria,” just as it has turned northern Cyprus into a Turkish protectorate through military and economic domination.
Topic:: Military Strategy, Hegemony, and Foreign Interference
Political Geography:: Turkey, Middle East, Syria, and Cyprus

3024. Bypass Abbas and axe UNRWA

Author:: David M. Weinberg
Publication Date:: 08-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: In pursuit of peace, it’s high-time that the PLO be showered with the “tough love” once reserved uniquely for Israel. And Israel’s defense establishment should get behind the ditch UNRWA discourse.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Diplomacy, Military Strategy, Peace, and Palestinian Authority
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

3025. The Oslo Process – 25 Years On

Author:: Efraim Inbar
Publication Date:: 09-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The abject failure of the Oslo Accords has had a salutary effect on Israeli society. Israelis are today quite resilient, ready to endure – if necessary – protracted conflict.
Topic:: Diplomacy, International Cooperation, Peace, and Oslo Accords
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

3026. Iran’s Involvement in the Western Sahara

Author:: Omer Dostri
Publication Date:: 09-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Iran’s goal in its activity in the Western Sahara is to subvert Morocco, a moderate Sunni state, as part of the Iranian regime’s policy of spreading the Shi’ite revolution.
Topic:: Diplomacy, International Cooperation, United Nations, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Africa, Iran, Middle East, Israel, Morocco, and Western Sahara

3027. Erdogan’s Dilemma

Author:: Jonathan Spyer
Publication Date:: 09-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Turkey faces few good options as the Idlib offensive looms.
Topic:: Military Strategy, Leadership, Conflict, and Foreign Interference
Political Geography:: Russia, Europe, Turkey, Middle East, and Syria

3028. Is Khamenei Ruling out Dialogue with Trump?

Author:: Yossi Mansharof
Publication Date:: 09-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: On restoring relations between Tehran and Washington. If the protests in Iran expand, Trump will be able to exert greater pressure on Tehran.
Topic:: Diplomacy, International Cooperation, Military Strategy, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, North America, and United States of America

3029. The American Interpretation of Russia’s Conduct: The Case of Syria

Author:: Micky Aharonson
Publication Date:: 09-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The US is failing to appreciate the significance of the leverage points that the Syrian arena provides for Russia. This leverage allows Russia to exact a heavy toll for the measures the US is demanding.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Military Strategy, Conflict, and Foreign Interference
Political Geography:: Russia, Europe, Middle East, Syria, North America, and United States of America

3030. The Real Story behind the Repatriation of Syrian Refugees

Author:: Micky Aharonson
Publication Date:: 09-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Russia is actively promoting international involvement in the reconstruction of Syria as a humanitarian effort aimed at creating the conditions for refugees to return, but in practice this will reinforce the foundations of Assad’s rule and territorial control. The US is in no hurry to respond, but the Russian initiative will not remain unanswered.
Topic:: Human Rights, Refugees, Humanitarian Crisis, and Repatriation
Political Geography:: Russia, Europe, Middle East, and Syria

3031. Israel’s Secret War Against Iran Is Widening

Author:: Jonathan Spyer
Publication Date:: 09-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Israel has fully joined the battle in Syria—but it’s not clear it can achieve any of its goals there.
Topic:: Defense Policy, War, Military Strategy, Conflict, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, and Israel

3032. As the Middle East Turns: Domestic Unrest, Changing Partnerships, and an Unreliable United States

Author:: Joshua Krasna
Publication Date:: 09-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: In the Mideast of today, the US is largely irrelevant, when it is not disruptive, and is certainly not providing clear leadership. With the current disarray in DC, it does not look like this will change any time soon.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, International Cooperation, Leadership, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Russia, Europe, Iran, Middle East, Israel, North America, and United States of America

3033. After Ahvaz: Iran’s Regime Faces the Consequences of its Subversive Campaigns

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: While Israel should steer away from overt identification with internal challengers in Iran, this is the time to urge the US. and other like-inded nations to ratchet up the pressure on the regime, explaining to the Iranian people the growing cost of their leaders’ ambitions.
Topic:: Terrorism, Hegemony, ISIL, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, Israel, and Egypt

3034. Iran’s Lies – A Tool for Concealing its Policy Contradictions in Syria

Author:: Yossi Mansharof
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Iran is hiding its efforts to establish a presence in Syria, for both internal and external reasons. This policy involves numerous internal contradictions and to avoid admitting to them, the IRGC and Hezbollah are conducting a propaganda campaign.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Military Strategy, Hezbollah, Armed Conflict, and Foreign Interference
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, Israel, and Syria

3035. Common Objectives, Separate Interests

Author:: Yaakov Amidror
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The downing of a Russian plane by Syrian artillery after an Israeli strike proves how vital it is to maintain open lines of communications between Israel and Russia. The IDF may have to exercise more restraint, but it will still do what it must.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Diplomacy, Communications, Military Strategy, Missile Defense, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Political Geography:: Russia, Europe, Middle East, Israel, and Syria

3036. Angela Merkel’s Duplicity on Israel

Author:: Emmanuel Navon
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Germany is being inconsistent and duplicitous and the time has come to say it loud and clear.
Topic:: Diplomacy, International Cooperation, and Territorial Disputes
Political Geography:: Europe, Middle East, Israel, and Germany

3037. Israel’s War With Iran is Inevitable

Author:: Efraim Inbar
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: In the absence of a clear American or Turkish determination to confront Iranian encroachment, only Israel has the power to stop it.
Topic:: Defense Policy, War, Military Strategy, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, and Israel

3038. Nowhere, No-Time Supervision of Iran

Author:: David M. Weinberg
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Israel must continue to take the offensive against Iran’s nuclear program, without reliance on international inspectors.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Nuclear Weapons, Military Strategy, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, and Israel

3039. Warmed-Over Withdrawal Syndrome

Author:: David M. Weinberg
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The INSS unilateral disengagement plan is neither new nor logical.
Topic:: Diplomacy, Regional Cooperation, Territorial Disputes, and Peace
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

3040. Complications in Russian-Israeli Relations: Israel’s Aerial Freedom of Operation in Syria will be Preserved

Author:: Omer Dostri
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Russia’s accusations against Israel that it is responsible for the downing of its plane is meant primarily for a domestic audience. Until now, Russia has made sure to behave with restraint in the Syrian arena and to operate based on its strategic interests. One of those interests is the Russian desire to minimize Iranian involvement in Syria.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Military Strategy, Hegemony, and Foreign Interference
Political Geography:: Russia, Europe, Iran, Middle East, Israel, and Syria

3041. Hamas’ Cyber Activity against Israel

Author:: Omer Dostri
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Although Hamas’ cyber capabilities do not now constitute a serious threat to Israel, this reality can quickly change in view of the rapid pace of technological progress.
Topic:: Science and Technology, Terrorism, Cybersecurity, Conflict, and Hamas
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

3042. Restore Deterrence, but Bet on Mediation

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Iran and the smaller terrorist groups in Gaza want a full-scale war with Israel. Hamas does not. Israel should land a decisive, well-defined blow but back Egyptian efforts to broker a cease-fire.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Terrorism, Conflict, and Hamas
Political Geography:: Africa, Middle East, Israel, Palestine, Gaza, and Egypt

3043. A draw with Hamas is strategically unsatisfactory

Author:: David M. Weinberg
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Reducing enemy capabilities and ambitions in Gaza requires Israeli military readiness and government willingness to use force intermittently, while maintaining a healthy and resilient Israeli home front.
Topic:: Science and Technology, Terrorism, Military Strategy, Conflict, and Hamas
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and Gaza

3044. Gaza and the Middle East “Camp of Stability”

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Israel’s actions (or at times, inaction) concerning the future of the Gaza Strip cannot be isolated from the broader context of the struggle over the entire region’s balance of power. Gaza’s dependence on Egypt, and perhaps Cyprus, constitutes a common interest of the “camp of stability” in the Middle East, to curb the influence of both Turkey and Iran, and to deny Abu Mazen the baneful position of a spoiler.
Topic:: Military Strategy, Hegemony, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Europe, Iran, Turkey, Middle East, Israel, Palestine, Gaza, Egypt, and Cyprus

3045. China-Israel Relations: Growing Cooperation Amidst Conflicting Interests

Author:: Omer Dostri
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: In the past decade, relations between Israel and China have become closer, following a decision in Jerusalem to diversify and expand Israel’s ties with emerging powers and countries that do not belong to the European Union and are less identified with the American coalition. The visit to Israel by China’s vice president is evidence of the warming of relations between the two countries.
Topic:: Diplomacy, International Cooperation, Hegemony, and Emerging Powers
Political Geography:: China, Europe, Middle East, Israel, Asia, North America, and United States of America

3046. In Praise of Conflict Management

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Amidst violent events, it is easy to be tempted to seek decisive “solutions” to the Palestinian problem(s) – in both the PA areas and in Gaza – through drastic military action, or through equally dramatic concessions. But given the lessons of recent history, as well as the unpredictable nature of regional events, it makes sense to adhere to “conflict management” and piecemeal arrangements. This is not as a cowardly choice by hapless political and military leaders, but as a rational choice in irrational circumstances; even more so when the Iranian challenge looms larger than ever on Israel’s immediate horizons. Patience has its own merits.
Topic:: Conflict Resolution, Regional Cooperation, Military Strategy, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and Gaza

3047. Don’t throw MBS under the bus

Author:: David M. Weinberg
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The Saudi Crown Prince isn’t a democrat or a strategic savior, but don’t give the evil leaders of Turkey and Iran a victory by weakening US-Saudi ties.
Topic:: Human Rights, International Cooperation, Authoritarianism, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Iran, Turkey, Middle East, Israel, Saudi Arabia, North America, and United States of America

3048. Saudi Arabia’s own-goal

Author:: Yaakov Amidror
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul is a fascinating story with potentially far-reaching regional and global implications. How will it affect Israel?
Topic:: Human Rights, Authoritarianism, Assassination, and Humanitarian Crisis
Political Geography:: Middle East and Saudi Arabia

3049. The Lebanese Armed Forces: Hezbollah’s Collaborator

Author:: Yossi Mansharof
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The Lebanese army should be treated as a hostile entity, its camouflage should be stripped away, and the American administration should be supplied with conclusive evidence of the multi-faceted cooperation between it and Hezbollah.
Topic:: Terrorism, Military Strategy, Hezbollah, Armed Conflict, and State Sponsored Terrorism
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Lebanon

3050. Fear Triumphs: On the Nonparticipation of Eastern Jerusalem Arabs in Municipal Elections

Author:: David Koren
Publication Date:: 11-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Despite the desire of Arabs in eastern Jerusalem for greater integration in Israeli life, their fear of the Palestinian Authority and its agents kept them away from the polls in October. And while seeking pragmatic and constructive integration in Jerusalem, they still adhere to the Palestinian side of the identity axis. Once again, 38% of the capital city’s residents remain outside its political arena.
Topic:: Territorial Disputes, Minorities, Elections, Discrimination, Local, and Palestinian Authority
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and Jerusalem

3051. In the Middle East, You Win With Fear

Author:: Efraim Inbar
Publication Date:: 11-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Only a crushing and devastating blow to Hamas will pave the way for a truce that would not be a victory for the terrorists.
Topic:: Terrorism, Military Strategy, Hamas, and Fear
Political Geography:: Middle East and Israel

3052. The Murder of Sheikh Bashir Faisal al-Huwaidi in Raqqa

Author:: Jonathan Spyer
Publication Date:: 11-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The killing of prominent Arab tribal leader Sheikh Bashir Faisal al-Huwaidi has serious implications for the US and Kurdish administered part of Syria, in which Raqqa is located. That administration of Syria has many enemies and remains fragile.
Topic:: International Cooperation, Military Strategy, Fragile States, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, Syria, North America, and United States of America

3053. Eastern Mediterranean Summitry

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 11-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The Greek-Cypriot-Egyptian summit held last month in Crete focused on energy connectivity and Turkish threats, but it also paid lip service to Egyptian pro-Palestinian messages, which is problematic.
Topic:: Diplomacy, Regional Cooperation, Military Strategy, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Europe, Turkey, Middle East, Israel, Greece, Palestine, Egypt, Cyprus, and Mediterranean

3054. The Threat is Real

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 11-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The challenge now is how to make it clear to the Hamas leadership that it should not believe is own supercilious words.
Topic:: Terrorism, Military Strategy, Counter-terrorism, and Hamas
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

3055. On Hezbollah’s Intention to Seize Control of the Economic and Monetary Systems in Lebanon

Author:: Elisheva Simon
Publication Date:: 11-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Hezbollah’s leadership has come to realize that harsher US sanctions pose a serious threat to the revolutionary regime in Tehran. It will become increasingly difficult for the regime to finance the full spectrum of its revolutionary ambitions. Hezbollah has therefore had to focus on securing its own sources of funding and providing employment for its members and followers through ever-deeper engagement in Lebanon’s economic and financial spheres of activity.
Topic:: Terrorism, Hezbollah, Regional Economy, and State Sponsored Terrorism
Political Geography:: Middle East and Lebanon

3056. Not Quite that Close: Israel’s Policy towards China

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 11-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Israel’s strategy toward China doesn’t conflict with American interests; rather, it serves and reinforces them. Partnering with Beijing can help stabilize the Middle East. Partnering with Asian nations threatened by Beijing can help build a counterbalance to Chinese power.
Topic:: International Cooperation, Hegemony, Economic Cooperation, and Regional Power
Political Geography:: China, Middle East, Israel, Asia, North America, and United States of America

3057. Chad: Africa returns to Israel

Author:: Omer Dostri
Publication Date:: 11-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The historic renewal of Chad-Israel ties will benefit both nations and shows that PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s foreign policy is effective.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, International Cooperation, and Leadership
Political Geography:: Africa, Middle East, Israel, and Chad

3058. East Mediterranean Partnership Signals an Energy Revolution

Author:: Emmanuel Navon
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Natural gas has turned Greece from a rival to an ally just as relations between Israel and Turkey started deteriorating.
Topic:: Diplomacy, Energy Policy, International Cooperation, and Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:: Europe, Turkey, Middle East, Israel, Greece, and Mediterranean

3059. A New Order Emerges in Southern Syria as Assad Regains Control

Author:: Jonathan Spyer
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Syrian regime closes accounts with West and Israel-linked rebels, as Iran builds and expands its presence in the area.
Topic:: Security, Diplomacy, Military Strategy, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Syria

3060. Restraint and Deterrence

Author:: Yaakov Amidror
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Israel’s security requirements on other fronts, require containment of the conflict on the southern front, while continuing to build the western Negev notwithstanding Hamas’ arson attempts.
Topic:: Security, Terrorism, Territorial Disputes, Deterrence, and Hamas
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

3061. Snubbing Matteo Salvini Makes No Sense

Author:: Emmanuel Navon
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Despite the fascist roots of Matteo Salvini’s “Liga” party, upgrading relations with the current Italian government serves the national interest because it shall help Israel export it’s natural gas to Europe as well as break the European consensus on Iran and on Jerusalem’s status.
Topic:: Energy Policy, Gas, Political Parties, and Economic Cooperation
Political Geography:: Europe, Iran, Middle East, and Israel

3062. Reasserting Israel’s Deterrence in Gaza

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: It is necessary for Israel’s political and military leaders to readjust their conceptual framework concerning deterrence, and to engage the public in an open and effective dialogue on the deterrence equations. Also needed is a more specific and accurate capacity to strike fear into Hamas leadership by signaling both willingness and ability to destroy the assets that they value most.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Terrorism, Military Strategy, Deterrence, and Hamas
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Gaza

3063. How far will the IDF go in confronting Hezbollah?

Author:: Yaakov Amidror
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Should a large operation inside Lebanon be considered after Hezbollah’s tunnels are successfully neutralized?
Topic:: Terrorism, Military Strategy, Counter-terrorism, Hezbollah, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Lebanon

3064. The Next Arena of Conflict: The Eastern Mediterranean

Author:: Efraim Inbar
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Iran, Turkey, Russia and other bad actors threaten Western and Israeli security in this strategic zone.
Topic:: Security, Diplomacy, International Cooperation, Regional Cooperation, and Military Strategy
Political Geography:: Russia, Europe, Iran, Turkey, Middle East, Israel, and Mediterranean

3065. New Realities in the Eastern Mediterranean

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: For analytical as well as practical and even political reasons, the time has come to re-define Israel’s place in the world in terms of belonging to the “eastern Mediterranean” region, not the “Middle East.”
Topic:: Security, Regional Cooperation, Military Strategy, and Hegemony
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Mediterranean

3066. Still Pro-Israel?

Author:: David M. Weinberg
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Some hard-left Jews are out to sabotage the Birthright program. They are cutting away the limb – love for, and identification with, Israel – upon which all pro-Israel Jewish community activity must be based.
Topic:: International Cooperation, Nationalism, Diaspora, Non State Actors, and Peace
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, North America, and United States of America

3067. Saving Rojava

Author:: Eran Lerman
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Military, diplomatic and economic pressures can be brought to bear to preserve SDF and Kurdish autonomy in northeastern Syria, and to deter Turkey and Iran from conquering these areas.
Topic:: Diplomacy, Regional Cooperation, Military Strategy, and Economic Cooperation
Political Geography:: Iran, Turkey, Middle East, Syria, and Kurdistan

3068. Hysterical Reactions to Recent Terrorist Attacks

Author:: Efraim Inbar
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The fitting Israeli response is to demonstrate resilience, and to declare that despite the terror and the pain we will remain in the land of our forefathers.
Topic:: Security, Terrorism, Military Strategy, and State Sponsored Terrorism
Political Geography:: Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

3069. Trump’s Withdrawal from Syria: Not Unexpected and a Victory for the “Astana Three”

Author:: Joshua Krasna
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The possibility that Iran and Turkey will be emboldened by the American decision, is worrisome. The main counter to that will be robust deterrence from Israel, whose maintenance may increase the likeliness of escalation in Syria and Lebanon, and even more resort to the restraining hand of Russia.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Diplomacy, International Cooperation, Nuclear Weapons, Military Strategy, Hegemony, and JCPOA
Political Geography:: Afghanistan, Russia, Europe, Iran, Turkey, Middle East, Israel, Syria, North America, and United States of America

3070. The Withdrawal of the US from Syria in Broad Perspective

Author:: Yaakov Amidror
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: Israel will need to increase the intensity of its operations against the Iranians. US withdrawal from the arena is a good opportunity for Israel to update its strategy in Syria.
Topic:: Security, Defense Policy, Military Strategy, and Hegemony
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, Israel, Syria, North America, and United States of America

3071. Israel’s New Adversary: Iran’s Shi’ite Militias and the Next War in the North

Author:: Lazar Berman
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: The Shi’ite militia threat isn’t a mere thought exercise about a worst-case scenario. Iranian-controlled Popular Mobilization Forces leaders have already threatened Israel only miles from Israeli homes.
Topic:: Defense Policy, Religion, Military Strategy, Conflict, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, and Israel

3072. The Fall of the Caliphate

Author:: Jonathan Spyer
Publication Date:: 03-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS)
Abstract:: No new beginnings in sight for ravaged Syria.
Topic:: Security, Terrorism, Islamic State, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Iraq, Iran, Middle East, and Syria

3073. The Islamic State and the Persistent Threat of Extremism in Iraq

Author:: Maxwell B. Markusen
Publication Date:: 11-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:: Despite hard-fought victories to retake Islamic State territory, there are three major signs that Islamic State militants are regrouping, taking advantage of ongoing instability, and refocusing their campaign against the Iraqi government.
Topic:: Terrorism, Violent Extremism, Counter-terrorism, and Islamic State
Political Geography:: Iraq and Middle East

3074. The Arab Gulf States and Iran: Military Spending, Modernization, and the Shifting Military Balance

Author:: Anthony H. Cordesman and Nicholas Harrington
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:: The military balance between Iran, its Arab neighbors, and the United States has been a critical military issue in the Middle East since at least the rise of Nasser in the 1950s. The risks this arms race presents in terms of a future conflict have not diminished with time, and many elements of the regional arms race have accelerated sharply in recent years. Clashes with Iran in the Gulf, struggles for influence in Iraq and Syria, and the war in Yemen all act as warnings that new rounds of conflict are possible. The Iranian reactions to the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear agreement, the growing tensions between the Arab Gulf states, the boycott of Qatar, and the unstable outcome of the fight against ISIS, and the Syrian civil war all contribute to an increasingly fragile and dangerous security environment.
Topic:: Military Strategy, Military Spending, and Conflict
Political Geography:: Iran, Middle East, and Gulf Nations

3075. After the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi: Muhammad bin Salman and the Future of Saudi-U.S. Relations

Author:: F. Gregory Gause III
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:: On October 24, 2017, Muhammad bin Salman (MBS), the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, welcomed over 3,500 of the world’s financial elites to a conference center adjoining the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Riyadh for an “economic coming-out party.”1 The crown prince was selling investors and government officials on his plans for the transformation of the country, not just its economy but also its society. His Vision 2030 plan to lessen the economy’s dependence on oil and increase the role of the private sector required investment, both from at home and abroad.2 It was a glittering show, featuring plans for a new city on the Red Sea coast, Neom, which would be staffed at least in part by robots. Within a few weeks of this impressive gathering, hundreds of the Kingdom’s economic and political elites were prisoners in that same Ritz Carlton. One year after the conference, self-exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by agents of the Saudi government in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. When the crown prince convened a second investment conference in Riyadh, a “Davos in the desert” as some billed it, in October 2018, the guest list was much reduced. A number of high-profile political leaders and CEO’s backed out, including the U.S. treasury secretary, the president of the World Bank, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, Credit Suisse, BNP Paribas, and the London Stock Exchange.3 While $50 billion in investment deals were announced, over $30 billion were with Saudi Aramco, the state oil company.4 In the year between the two conferences, the crown prince suffered a number of setbacks that called into question both his judgment and his political capacity. The killing of Jamal Khashoggi was simply the most recent in that line. Whether the killing was directly ordered by the crown prince or the work of close aides who believed they were carrying out his wishes, the ultimate responsibility rests with him. Some of those setbacks can be attributed to MBS’s own decisions; others simply reinforced the fact that there are considerable obstacles confronting his ambitious plans. His regional foreign policy initiatives, in particular, have not worked out as he had hoped. But these setbacks do not mean that the crown prince’s days are numbered in the Saudi leadership. He has successfully consolidated power in his own hands in a way that is unprecedented in recent Saudi history. The Trump administration, which hitched its wagon to MBS in an imprudent and counter-productive way, now has to decide how to use the fallout from this crisis to change MBS’s behavior, avoiding the extremes of a purely symbolic reaction that has no effect on Saudi policy and the unrealistic goal of declaring, as Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham did, that the crown prince “has got to go.”5
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, International Cooperation, Authoritarianism, and Assassination
Political Geography:: Middle East, Saudi Arabia, North America, United States of America, and Gulf Nations

3076. Pushing Back against Narrowing Space for Civil Society in Tunisia

Author:: Yara Shahin
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:: Civil society plays a vital role in society. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) connect citizens and governments, hold governments accountable, and advocate for citizens’ interests. After being widely celebrated in the 1990s, civil society across the world is now facing shrinking support and growing restrictions. Drivers behind these restrictions in Tunisia include professed concerns about terrorism, a dominant security agenda, and the shift within civil society from service delivery to advocacy, which can seem threatening to governments. Government restrictions most often target the social justice sector and obstruct the work of NGOs through legal restrictions, financial measures, and direct threats to civic actors. Recently, many governments have intensified accusations that civil society and its activists are anti-development, work against economic security, or are terrorist sympathizers or supporters. This paper explores the status of civic space in Tunisia and its development from the most repressive civic space in the Middle East and North Africa during Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s regime to an open civic space following the 2011 Arab Spring. It also highlights the various ways in which civil society has responded to the closing of civic space, especially as it pertains to pushing back against problematic laws through the formation of domestic coalitions.
Topic:: Civil Society, Space, NGOs, and Social Order
Political Geography:: Africa, Middle East, and Tunisia

3077. The Arc of Crisis in the MENA Region

Author:: Karim Mezran and Arturo Varvelli
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)
Abstract:: The Arc of Crisis in the MENA Region volume deals with the countries of the Middle East and North Africa that are facing a particularly troubled period in their historical development. Syria, Iraq, Libya, Egypt and to a lesser extent Jordan and Tunisia have plunged into a legitimacy crisis that in some cases has turned into civil war or violent upheaval. As traditional authorities lose their legitimacy, two alternatives are emerging. The first is a more decentralized system of government, evinced by the empowerment of subnational government bodies and the growing legitimacy of local authorities; in this trend, the local authorities are able to keep the state united and more functional. The second is a growing number of political groups that act as opposition to authoritarianism, which is experiencing a revival. The analysis herein also focuses on Islamist movements; namely, their organizational and ideological development as well as how the shrinking of the political space affects them and the entire polity. This Report explores the distinctive dynamics and characteristics of these challenges in the post-Arab Spring era.
Topic:: International Affairs, Global Security, and Global Political Economy
Political Geography:: Middle East and North Africa

3078. De-Radicalization in the Mediterranean Comparing Challenges and Approaches

Author:: Lorenzo Vidino
Publication Date:: 06-2018
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)
Abstract:: In the past few years, the MENA region witnessed a rise in jihadist extremism and radicalization, as countries in the area were rocked by a series of deadly terrorist attacks. As authorities responded to the threat, it became clear that in order to effectively counter the phenomenon, traditional repressive measures had to now be accompanied by alternative methods of prevention, rehabilitation and dissuasion. How have different governments around the Mediterranean responded? What sort of alternative measures have been taken? How effective have these policies been? What further steps can be taken to strengthen the response of the authorities? These are just some of the key issues that this ISPI Report seeks to cover. The experts in this volume illustrate the policies of contrast, prevention and de-radicalization that have been adopted by countries in the MENA region, revealing emerging trends, lessons learned and overviews of this security status.
Topic:: International Affairs and Radicalization
Political Geography:: Middle East and North Africa

3079. UNRWA’s Educational System and Impact

Author:: John Mark Shorack
Publication Date:: 10-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Pal-Think For Strategic Studies
Abstract:: The United States government under President Trump recently announced the withdrawal of monetary aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, commonly referred to as UNRWA. This is a major blow to UNRWA’s finances considering the United States’ yearly contribution’s amounted to one-third of their budget. Since UNRWA’s founding it has been a leading force providing support of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East region mainly providing education and emergency medical assistance.
Topic:: Education, International Affairs, and Foreign Aid
Political Geography:: Middle East

3080. The Role of Russia in the Middle East and North Africa Region. Strategy or Opportunism

Author:: EuroMesco
Publication Date:: 11-2018
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: IEMed/EuroMeSCo
Abstract:: On 12 October ISPI in cooperation with the IEMed organised a workshop “New Euro-Mediterranean Dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean”. The event was organised in the framework of the EuroMeSCo ENI Project, co-funded by the European Commission. This dialogue workshop aimed at discussing the initial research results of the Joint Policy Study and engaging the participants in analyzing and sharing their perspectives on whether the Russian moment in the MENA region corresponds to opportunism, a new strategy or it falls in between these options. Additionally, this workshop aimed at shedding light on the role Russia is currently playing, how this can influence the balance of power as well as how regional players look at Russia. The present report is a summary of main points raised in workshop discussions
Topic:: International Relations and International Affairs
Political Geography:: Russia, Middle East, and North Africa

3081. Avoiding a Nuclear Wild, Wild West in the Middle East

Author:: Henry Sokolski (ed)
Publication Date:: 05-2018
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: Nonproliferation Policy Education Center
Abstract:: With the Trump Administration’s announcement last fall that it intended to negotiate a civil nuclear cooperative agreement with Saudi Arabia, a debate has ensued over how restrictive any such agreement should be over the enrichment of uranium and the reprocessing of plutonium. These nuclear activities can bring a country within weeks of making its first batch of bombs. This announcement immediately raised the question, how much economic sense it made for Saudi Arabia to invest in nuclear power. It also raised a number of security questions. Should the United States allow Riyadh to reprocess and enrich even though these activities could bring Saudi Arabia within weeks of acquiring nuclear weapons? If Washington acceded to this demand by Riyadh, what would be the implications for the terms of nuclear cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and Morocco? How would such an agreement impact efforts to tighten the terms of our nuclear understanding with Iran? Would such a permissive deal with Riyadh make it more difficult to say no to Seoul’s demand that we allow them to enrich uranium? All of these questions and more are discussed in this volume’s four sections
Topic:: International Affairs and Nuclear Power
Political Geography:: Middle East

3082. American Policy and Changing Alignments in the Middle East

Author:: Geoffrey Kemp
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Special Report
Abstract:: America’s Middle East policy must adapt to a changing region. The lack of an overarching theory of vital U.S. interests in the Middle East and of a strategy narrowly tailored to defending them has rendered U.S. policy reactive and largely incoherent. To the extent that it has coherence, it is driven by a strategy of primacy—by a complex of ideas in which active, armed American management of the region is essential for stability, in which states do not have a strong tendency to seek balance against threats, and in which increasing U.S. involvement will generally increase stability—and do so at costs acceptable to the United States. This strategy has undergirded costly choices like striking Libya, invading and occupying Iraq, putting American boots on the ground in Syria, and supporting unsavory partners against their internal opponents. This strategy faces building headwinds: public frustration, a growing national debt, and better-armed foes. Primacy comes at a growing opportunity cost: power tied up in the Middle East is unavailable to address a rising China or a more active Russia. And this strategy seems out of step with the region’s rapidly shifting strategic alignments. The time is ripe to go back to the basics, prioritizing the threats that require U.S. action in relation to the other international crises that affect vital U.S. interests, especially in East Asia and Europe
Topic:: International Cooperation and International Affairs
Political Geography:: Middle East

3083. Rethinking U.S Strategy in the Middle East

Author:: Joe Barnes
Publication Date:: 12-2018
Content Type:: Special Report
Abstract:: President Barack Obama’s Middle East policies have come under increasingly sharp criticism since the emergence of ISIL as a threat to Iraq during the summer of 2014. Some of this criticism has come from predictable quarters: neoconservatives and liberal interventionists who have long been critical of the Obama administration’s relatively “soft touch” approach to the region, notably its hesitance to get the United States more deeply involved in the Syrian civil war. But a sense of drift in U.S. policy toward the Middle East has spread to the general public, as well.
Topic:: International Affairs
Political Geography:: Middle East

3084. Out of the desert: ISIS's strategy for a long war

Author:: Hassan Hassan
Publication Date:: 09-2018
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Middle East Institute (MEI)
Abstract:: The collapse of ISIS’s caliphate and its subsequent flight from much of its former territory has been a triumph for the anti-ISIS coalition in Iraq and Syria. However, for ISIS, expulsion from former urban strongholds is the end of one chapter and the beginning of another: the group has since rolled out a well-developed strategy to assure its future resurgence. This paper examines ISIS’s actions, publications, and communications to determine its insurgency strategies and long-term organizational outlook, emphasizing sources that have been largely overlooked by forces fighting the group. By analyzing the strategies ISIS uses and has used in its previous incarnations, this paper argues that insurgent groups like ISIS will continue to operate within the ungoverned space along the Syria-Iraq border, and that if left unchecked, the group is likely to re-emerge
Topic:: International Affairs
Political Geography:: Middle East and Global Focus

3085. ‘On the Deck of the Titanic’: Arab Politics in Israel and the 2019 Elections

Author:: Itamar Radai
Publication Date:: 09-2018
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies
Abstract:: “On the deck of the Titanic,” thus sailed the members of the Joint List of Arab parties on the eve of the 2015 Knesset (parliamentary) elections, according to senior journalist Wadea Awawdy.[1] Four years later, in light of the results of the 2019 elections, it seems that this prophecy has almost materialized, even though the ships have narrowly escaped the iceberg, at least for the time being. The Hadash-Taʿal list attained 193,293 votes, equivalent to six seats in the Knesset, while Raʿam-Balad barely crossed the electoral threshold of 3.25 percent with 143,863 votes, giving them four seats. Arab voters’ turnout declined to a historic low of about 50 percent, as opposed to the overall turnout of around 68 percent.[2] The sharp drop in Arab voter turnout led to Arab parties’ political representation declining from 13 seats in 2015 to 10. Israeli Hebrew-language media coverage explained this change in terms of Arab alienation and marginalization. However, the mainstream Hebrew media outlets tend to neglect the coverage of Arab politics, including the election campaigns,[3] hence ignoring at large an important internal factor: the collapse of the Joint List on the eve of the 2019 elections, and its implications. This article will focus on the rise and dramatic fall of the Joint List, and its repercussions.
Topic:: International Relations, International Affairs, and Elections
Political Geography:: Middle East

3086. The Quest for a Regional Order in the Middle East

Author:: Marc Otte
Publication Date:: 02-2018
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: EGMONT - The Royal Institute for International Relations
Abstract:: The Middle East is once again going through a period of war and upheaval, including mass murder of civilians, state failure, transnational terrorism, sectarian wars, physical and societal destruction, massive arms purchases, use of nonconventional weapons (notably chemical) and a permanent risk of proliferation of WMD. These developments are a threat to the region, but also to the rest of the world and to Europe in particular. The current turmoil should not be underestimated for its potential to trigger an even bigger hot war that could involve other players, if only because of miscalculations by some of the parties involved.
Topic:: International Security and International Affairs
Political Geography:: Middle East

3087. The Begin Doctrine: The Lessons of Osirak and Deir ez-Zor

Author:: Amos Yadlin
Publication Date:: 03-2018
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
Abstract:: The decision to attack a nuclear reactor in enemy territory is one of the most difficult decisions that an Israeli leader may face. Prime Minister Menahem Begin drafted the unofficial doctrine that is named for him, “the Begin Doctrine,” seeking to prevent countries hostile to Israel calling for its destruction from developing a nuclear military capability.
Topic:: International Affairs
Political Geography:: Middle East

3088. The Ministry of Defense Budget for 2019: Major Issues

Author:: Shmuel Even
Publication Date:: 03-2018
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
Abstract:: According to the state budget for 2019, approved by the Knesset on March 15, 2018, the Defense Ministry budget will stand at NIS 72.9 billion gross and NIS 55.3 billion net (11.5 percent of the state budget). The Defense Ministry’s budget for 2019 represents the fourth year in the IDF’s five-year plan (the Gideon Plan for 2016-2020), during which it must start to formulate a new five-year plan
Topic:: International Security and International Affairs
Political Geography:: Middle East

3089. The Gas Deal with Egypt: Israel Deepens its Anchor in the Eastern Mediterranean

Author:: Oden Eran and Elai Rettig
Publication Date:: 03-2018
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
Abstract:: Presumably the government of Israel played an important role in securing the $15 billion natural gas deal signed recently between the owners of Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan fields and the Egyptian Dolphinus Holding. For his part, Egypt’s President el-Sisi stated that with this deal Egypt has gained a foothold in the Eastern Mediterranean, positioned itself as a regional energy center
Topic:: International Political Economy
Political Geography:: Middle East

3090. Turkey’s Expansionist Military Policies in the Middle East

Author:: Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah
Publication Date:: 01-2018
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Abstract:: Turkey’s projection of its military presence in the Middle East has become a source of worry to the “moderate” Arab states and specifically to Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Topic:: International Security
Political Geography:: Middle East

3091. The Eastern Mediterranean: New Dynamics and Potential for Cooperation,

Author:: Nimrod Goren
Publication Date:: 03-2018
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Mitvim: The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies
Abstract:: Special report on Dynamics and potential for cooperation in eastern Mediterranean
Topic:: International Affairs
Political Geography:: Middle East

3092. Fighting Fire with Fire: The Growing Nexus between Atrocity Prevention and Counterterrorism and Its Implications for the Use of Force to Protect Civilians

Author:: Colin Thomas-Jensen
Publication Date:: 02-2018
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Abstract:: By the fall of 2014, before the United States and its partners began the military campaign to erode the territory held by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, the international community understood the horrors endured by civilians living under IS control. While IS leadership plotted politically motivated attacks against its enemies in the region and in the West, reports trickling out from areas under the group’s merciless grip and IS’s own online propaganda clearly indicated a grave pattern of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including violence targeted at ethnic and religious minorities; women; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community; and other vulnerable groups. As the United States considered its response to the rise of IS, the duality of the group’s threat—an external one to Americans and American interests and an internal one to civilians living in IS-held areas—animated two communities of US policy makers that had rarely interacted with one another: those focused on counterterrorism and atrocity prevention. The US-led military operation to prevent genocide by IS against the Yazidi community on Mount Sinjar, Iraq, that President Barack Obama announced on August 7, 2014, included the first volley of airstrikes in the more-than-three-year counterterrorism campaign to defeat IS in Iraq and Syria. Important for the atrocity-prevention community, the airstrikes and deployment of Special Operations Forces (alongside humanitarian experts) to help coordinate the evacuation of civilians demonstrated an openness on the part of senior US policy makers to use counterterrorism capabilities to prevent a mass atrocity. In hindsight, however, US-led lethal action against IS fighters who threatened thousands of Yazidis trapped on Mount Sinjar was more the outcome of a unique set of circumstances than a harbinger of a more collaborative relationship between the counterterrorism community and policy makers focused on preventing atrocities committed by state actors, such as the governments of Syria, South Sudan, and Myanmar, and nonstate actors, including militia groups with little to no connection with international terrorist networks. With terrorist groups such as IS, Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin, and al-Shabaab in the Horn of Africa almost certain to continue atrocities against local populations in areas in which they operate, a fundamental question for policy makers arises. Did the extreme circumstances under which the United States and its partners decided to intervene on Mount Sinjar necessarily represent a threshold for action, or can a more normalized relationship between the atrocityprevention and counterterrorism communities be advanced—a relationship that would seek to leverage counterterrorism tools and resources to take decisive action to protect non-US citizens from atrocities while improving measures to avoid civilian casualties, including civilians killed during actions taken by US counterterrorism partners? Drawing from interviews with nearly 40 former and current US policy makers and outside experts1 , as well as a convening of 20 experts at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in June 2017, this paper explains the increasing relevance of the counterterrorism–atrocityprevention nexus and defines some of the significant challenges of closer collaboration between those communities, with a specific focus on preventing imminent atrocities. Defining when (including clearly articulated criteria for what constitutes “imminent” in this scenario), how, and under whose authority to use force to prevent atrocities against civilians is only one element of broadening a counterterrorism strategy that also includes diplomacy and countering violent extremism (CVE) efforts. 2 This paper is narrowly focused on the use of force and argues that in some circumstances, the atrocity-prevention agenda can be advanced by using counterterrorism tools—including lethal strikes—to prevent imminent atrocities against civilians in areas where terrorist groups operate.
Topic:: Counter-terrorism, Islamic State, Civilians, Atrocity Prevention, and Protection
Political Geography:: Iraq, Middle East, Global Focus, and United States of America

3093. Atrocity Prevention Under the Obama Administration: What We Learned and the Path Ahead

Author:: Stephen Pomper
Publication Date:: 02-2018
Content Type:: Journal Article
Institution:: Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Abstract:: This report is intended to provide an insider’s view on where the Obama administration’s efforts to prevent mass atrocities succeeded, where they did not, and where future policy makers who wrestle with the challenge of prevention might find useful lessons in the administration’s experience, both positive and negative. The first part of the report summarizes the intellectual roots of the Obama administration’s atrocityprevention policy, identifying the goals and expectations created by two key works—Samantha Power’s “A Problem from Hell”: America in the Age of Genocide1 and the report of a bipartisan task force on genocide prevention led by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen.2 The second part of the report describes how the administration translated those goals and expectations into policy and summarizes the administration’s record on atrocity prevention. It focuses in particular on situations in which policy changes and innovations appear to have had a positive effect, however modest, and on efforts to develop new capabilities under the policy. The third part looks at the two most prominent situations in which the policy was unsuccessful —Libya and Syria. The fourth part offers an “after action” assessment of the administration’s atrocity-prevention policy, drawing from interviews with former senior officials to identify both the strengths and contributions of the policy and its most pronounced shortcomings. The fifth part offers recommendations for future executive-branch officials, legislators and staff, and civil society partners for ways in which they could help the United States improve its performance on atrocity prevention going forward. The report is in many respects a hotwash exercise. The bulk of it was written in the first six months following the end of the Obama administration, drawing from the author’s reflections on his recent tenure as senior director for African Affairs, Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights on the staff of the Obama administration’s National Security Council, as well as his experience as chairman of the Atrocities Prevention Board. The report also draws extensively from interviews with more than 30 former senior Obama administration officials and others with insight on the administration’s atrocity-prevention efforts.3 Finally, this report owes a significant debt to earlier reports that have also sought to evaluate the administration’s atrocity-prevention record.4 Given the brevity of the report relative to the scope of its topic, both the analysis and recommendations herein are relatively skeletal. The report is offered with humility and as an effort to add one group of recollections and perspectives to a growing historical record. It is hoped that as this record continues to develop, it will provide the next generation of atrocity-prevention proponents new and better options to confront the challenges of the future, having profited as fully as possible from the lessons of the past.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Humanitarian Intervention, Barack Obama, and Atrocity Prevention
Political Geography:: Middle East, Libya, Syria, North America, and United States of America

3094. Is the Worst Yet to Come? Ongoing Mass Atrocity Risks in Syria

Author:: Naomi Kikoler and Janelle Roberts
Publication Date:: 03-2018
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Abstract:: The Syrian crisis is not coming to a definitive end. Rather, it is entering a new phase in which civilians will face heightened risks of mass atrocities as the government intensifies its perpetration of atrocity crimes against Syrian civilians living in areas held by the armed opposition, in particular the besieged area of Eastern Ghouta and Idlib province. Furthermore, new scenarios of risks outside of these areas may develop as dynamics on the ground change. These new dynamics will pose risks to civilians for years to come. After seven years of assaults and more than 470,000 Syrians killed,1 an estimated 6.1 million Syrians internally displaced, and 5.5 million having fled the country,2 it is hard to imagine that conditions could worsen for civilians, but indicators point in that direction.
Topic:: Syrian War, Risk, Civilians, Atrocities, Armed Conflict, and Siege
Political Geography:: Middle East and Syria

3095. MAKING EFFORTS TO IMPROVE UN PEACEKEEPING

Author:: Chiara Ruffa
Publication Date:: 07-2018
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: Political Violence @ A Glance
Abstract:: UN peacekeeping often works: overwhelming evidence tells us it saves lives, and—usually—keeps peace (see here, here, here, and here). Despite the successes of peacekeeping, scholars and policymakers alike continue to explore how to make peacekeeping even more effective. Several recent proposals have focused on improving procedures of the UN Security Council and mission mandates, as well as on increasing resources (as in the Cruz report’s call for “overwhelming force”). Such suggestions, however, neglect two critical facts about peacekeeping.
Topic:: United Nations, Peacekeeping, and Protection
Political Geography:: South Asia, Middle East, Kashmir, and Lebanon

3096. ALL STICK, NO CARROTS: THE SHORTSIGHTED GEOPOLITICS OF THE IRAN SANCTIONS

Author:: Cullen S. Hendrix
Publication Date:: 08-2018
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: Political Violence @ A Glance
Abstract:: The Trump administration, having withdrawn the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action last May, is threatening US trading partners over doing business with Iran and attempting to freeze Iran out of global oil markets. The attempted freeze-out began with the re-imposition of US sanctions against Iran and businesses operating there, and the Trump administration set November 4 as the target date for US allies to zero out their purchases of Iranian crude. With some arm-twisting, NATO allies like Turkey and Asian security partners South Korea and India have agreed to curb Iranian imports, though it will be difficult for India to zero out its Iranian imports. Fearful of being caught up by US sanctions, major European firms like Total, Allianz, and Maersk have begun winding down operations in Iran in advance of the November 4 deadline. This whole episode reflects a fundamental misunderstanding, on the part of the Trump administration, of both the conditions under which sanctions can hope to be successful in winning policy concessions and the geopolitical realities of pursuing said course of action.
Topic:: NATO, Oil, Sanctions, Geopolitics, and Barack Obama
Political Geography:: China, Iran, Middle East, India, and United States of America

3097. Rethinking Orientalism

Author:: Nadje al-Ali
Publication Date:: 11-2018
Content Type:: Video
Institution:: Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:: The lecture will address the relevance of Edward Said’s Orientalism for the contemporary study of women and gender in the Middle East. What are the main challenges of researching and talking about gender in the Middle East? What are the continuities in our engagement with Orientalism and where do we find ruptures and limitations? Based on empirical research as well as activism in relation to Egypt, Iraq, Turkey and Lebanon, this lecture will discuss the centrality of a gendered analysis in understanding recent developments in the region. It will pay particular attention to the centrality of body politics in challenging authoritarianism.
Topic:: Politics, Authoritarianism, Women, Research, Orientalism, Activism, and Gender
Political Geography:: Iraq, Turkey, Middle East, Lebanon, and Egypt

3098. Restoring central bank capacity and stabilizing the rial

Author:: Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies
Publication Date:: 02-2018
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
Abstract:: As part of the “Rethinking Yemen’s Economy” initiative, more than 20 of the leading socioeconomic experts on Yemen converged for the second Development Champions Forum on January 14-16 in Amman, Jordan. Among the urgent topics of discussion was the deterioration of the value of the Yemeni rial (YR), the magnifying impact this is having on the humanitarian crisis, and the need to re-empower the Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) as the steward of the rial and the economy generally. This policy brief is an outcome of those discussions, and the recommendations it includes collectively underline the need for the CBY to function in a more coherent, assertive manner – whereby its various branches operate as a united entity that is able to draft and implement monetary policies for Yemen as a whole. This paper includes further input from the Development Champions following the announcement by Saudi Arabia on January 17 of a $2 billion deposit to the CBY. Restoring central bank capacity and stabilizing the rial - Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies https://sanaacenter.org/publications/main-publications/5360
Topic:: Development, Economy, Central Bank, and Currency
Political Geography:: Middle East and Yemen

3099. International Aid Organizations and the Yemeni Private Sector: The Need to Improve Coordination in Humanitarian Crisis Response

Author:: Ali Azaki
Publication Date:: 03-2018
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
Abstract:: The current humanitarian crisis in Yemen has been precipitated by almost three years of civil war and regional military intervention, with the United Nations declaring the country the world’s largest humanitarian emergency in January 2017. At the end of last year the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released its 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) in which it reported that roughly 22.2 million Yemenis were in need of some kind of humanitarian protection or assistance, of which 11.3 million were in acute need. This included 17.8 million Yemenis who were food insecure, of which 8.4 million were severely food insecure and at risk of starvation. Some 16 million people were without access to safe water and sanitation; 16.4 million had limited or no access to healthcare, with almost half of the country’s hospitals and clinics essentially out of operation. Both the lack of clean water and limited health care have in turn helped catapult the number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen to more than 1 million. As of December 2017, more than 1,800 schools were damaged or destroyed, which, compounded by three quarters of public school teachers going unpaid for more than a year, had left roughly 2 million children out of school. The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is immense and complex, involving a vast array of interrelated and overlapping factors. What is clear, however, is that while international humanitarian actors have been dramatically scaling up operations to address this crisis since 2015, it is overwhelmingly the Yemeni private sector that has stopped the dire situation from being unfathomably worse. Yemeni business owners – in facilitating everything from imports, to transportation logistics and cash aid distributions – have prevented the country from sliding into mass famine. Private sector businesses have similarly offered a measure of relief from state collapse, which has been precipitated by the evaporation of government revenues and suspension of most public sector operating expenditures, such as salaries for most of Yemen’s 1.2 million civil servants.
Topic:: International Organization, Foreign Aid, Private Sector, Humanitarian Crisis, and Coordination
Political Geography:: Middle East and Yemen

3100. Increasing the Effectiveness of the Humanitarian Response in Yemen

Author:: Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies
Publication Date:: 04-2018
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
Abstract:: The second Development Champions Forum of the “Rethinking Yemen’s Economy” initiative recently brought together more than 20 of the leading socio-economic experts on Yemen to discuss the most critical challenges facing the country. Among the key topics included were the need to increase the coverage and efficiency of the campaign international humanitarian organizations and United Nations agencies are undertaking to address Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. Among the major issues the Development Champions identified during discussions were: The need for international humanitarian actors to increase their coordination with local authorities, civil society actors, and the Yemeni private sector; The importance of decentralizing the humanitarian response and the many benefits of prioritising cash transfers to beneficiaries over the direct provision of food stuffs; and The importance of prioritising assistance to the most vulnerable populations, in particular internally displaced peoples. The Development Champions also proposed various policy recommendations for international humanitarian actors, the Government of Yemen, the de facto authorities in various parts of the country, as well as Saudi-led military coalition member states and the international community; these recommendations are discussed below.
Topic:: Humanitarian Aid, Food Security, Economy, Displacement, Cash Transfers, and Humanitarian Response
Political Geography:: Middle East and Yemen

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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS