Middle East

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Program(s): Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies , Prevention and Peacebuilding

Topic(s): Arab Awakening, Fragile States

Staff

Bruce Jones

Richard Gowan

Emily O'Brien

WPS Sidhu

Doha Forum 2016 Third Plenary Session

Sarah Cliffe CIC Director, recently moderated the Third Session of the Doha Forum held in Qatar from May 21-23. The theme for the Third Session was the Global Economy. Globally we are facing two major economic challenges; the global slowdown and volatility of commodities, currencies and financial markets. Watch the full video of the Third Session of the Doha Forum below:

Publication Date: Jun 10, 2016

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Sarah Cliffe

Region/Country: East Asia, Europe, Middle East, United States

Topic(s): United Nations

If the Refugee Deal Crumbles, There Will Be Hell to Pay

A strange thing happened in the Aegean Sea last month: No refugees drowned. This modest piece of good news was, however, overwhelmed by the calamity in the Mediterranean, where 1,083 refugees drowned in the last week of May. Those poor souls, almost all African, left from Libya, a country unable to exercise control over its borders. But passage across the Aegean is controlled by Turkey, which has clamped down on trafficking in the wake of a deal it reached with the European Union in March. In 2015, 800,000 refugees crossed from Turkey to Greece.

Publication Date: Jun 07, 2016

Author(s) / Contributor(s): James Traub

Region/Country: Europe, Middle East

Program(s): Humanitarian Crises

Topic(s): Humanitarian Crises

Iran's 'marriage of convenience' with Taliban

Experts say reports of an Iran-backed Taliban buffer zone in Afghanistan against the Islamic State are overstated but that Iran has had links with Taliban commanders for over a decade.

Publication Date: Jun 01, 2016

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Barnett Rubin

Region/Country: Middle East, South Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan

Program(s): Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project

Topic(s): Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Asia

Iran Teams With Taliban To Fight Islamic State in Afghanistan

Iran is working with the Taliban to set up a buffer zone along its border with Afghanistan to keep out the Islamic State, the latest sign of how the rise of the Syrian-based terror group is turning longtime rivals into uneasy allies.

Publication Date: May 27, 2016

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Barnett Rubin

Region/Country: Middle East, South Asia, Afghanistan

Program(s): Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project

GPOR Annual Compilation now available via print-on-demand

For almost a decade, the Annual Review of Global Peace Operations (ARGPO) was the flagship publication of the Center on International Cooperation (CIC). During that time, CIC also released three editions of the Review of Political Missions.

Publication Date: Mar 21, 2016

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Center on International Cooperation

Region/Country: China, Central Asia, East Asia, Europe, Horn of Africa, Middle East, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa

Topic(s): Global Governance, United Nations

Program(s): Prevention and Peacebuilding

At the U.N., Only Optimists Need Apply

The first time I heard the German word “zwangsoptimist” was in a meeting to discuss ways to improve how the international system functions. Meaning “someone who feels compelled to be an optimist,” the word not only succinctly sums up my work for and alongside the U.N. over the past 27 years, but could also be a one-word job description for the organization’s next secretary-general.

Publication Date: Mar 28, 2016

Region/Country: Europe, Middle East, Syria, South Asia

Program(s): Prevention and Peacebuilding

Topic(s): United Nations

Dr Barack versus President Obama

Barack Obama’s foreign policy reflects a moral duality that has befuddled friends and enemies alike

Publication Date: Mar 14, 2016

Author(s) / Contributor(s): WPS Sidhu

Region/Country: Middle East, Libya, Syria, United States

Topic(s): Global Governance, International Security, Transnational Threats

The United States, India and Iran: Managing a Delicate Balance

The India-U.S. relationship is presently stronger than at anytime in their history. The twin summits – less than six months apart – in September 2014 and January 2015 between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have repaired, revived and revitalized the strategic partnership. Yet there remain several hurdles to deepening the relationship, notably, geopolitical differences over Iran, Russia, Syria and India’s membership of various nuclear and missile export control regimes.

Publication Date: Feb 23, 2016

Author(s) / Contributor(s): WPS Sidhu

Region/Country: Middle East, United States, South Asia, India

Topic(s): Global Governance, India, South Asia

Bin Laden's Backers Want to Destroy Islamic State in Afghanistan

The Afghan militant group that sheltered Osama bin Laden before the Sept. 11 attacks is closing the door to the Islamic State.

The Taliban is giving up on holding talks with the group and will prevent it from gaining a foothold in Afghanistan, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said by e-mail. He accused the media and intelligence agencies of inflating the Islamic State’s strength.

Publication Date: Feb 03, 2016

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Barnett Rubin

Region/Country: Middle East, Syria, South Asia, Afghanistan

Program(s): Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project

Topic(s): Afghanistan, Fragile States, Humanitarian Crises, South Asia, Transnational Threats