Maghreb, Sahel Struggle With Religion as Anti-Terror Policy Tool
ARRAKECH, Morocco—There is a strong consensus among counterterrorism experts in the Maghreb and the Sahel that comprehensive and integrated approaches are needed to confront the threat from al-Qaida, the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) and their regional affiliates and rivals. Military force is necessary but not sufficient to deal a significant blow to this all-consuming threat: […]
Constructions Of Terrorism: Confronting The Challenges To Global Security Created By Daesh/Islamic State
This event was held in partnership with the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies and Trends Research and Advisory, Abu Dhabi. This is the second event in the Constructions of Terrorism Project being undertaken by TRENDS and the Orfalea Center which is an interdisciplinary project that is investigating how states and societies construct understandings and categories […]
Dubai’s World Government Summit: Positive Agenda, Surreal Context
This week, world leaders are gathering in Dubai for the fourth World Government Summit. It’s a bit surreal to talk about world government these days, given the recent setback to the United Nations’ efforts to get Syria peace talks off the ground, and the undeniable failures of governments across the Arab world to provide stability […]
Ellen Laipson’s Op-ed in World Politics Review on U.S. Reaction to ISIS
Since November, the U.S. government, with a big assist from Congress, has been narrowing the eligibility for citizens of 38 countries to enter the U.S. without visas. The constant adjustments to the rules say a lot about the U.S. government’s preoccupation with terrorism over other policy interests, its inability to anticipate secondary effects of new […]
Ellen Laipson’s Op-ed in World Politics Review on Robert Gates
Robert Gates’ new book on leadership has powerful lessons for how American institutions, both public and private, are inspired and managed. At a time when U.S. citizens despair of ever fixing the country’s political system, he conveys some hope that positive change in political and bureaucratic behavior is possible. And beyond the U.S., Gates’ approach […]
Ellen Laipson’s Op-ed in World Politics Review on Iran and Sanctions
It was a rare week of good news in the Middle East. Iran met its obligations to formally launch all the provisions of the nuclear agreement agreed to with world powers last July, an early demonstration of its commitment to radically restructure its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Tehran also surprised many observers […]
Ellen Laipson’s Op-ed in World Politics Review on Saudi-Iran Conflict
As the Saudi-Iran crisis lumbers along, featuring new mutual recriminations and a Saudi campaign to line up Muslim support over the past week, two regional states have offered to mediate. Turkey and Iraq are well-positioned, in different but complementary ways, to engage both parties and try to defuse the situation. But their current leaders, no […]
Nimr Execution Is Latest Unforced Error For Saudi Arabia
The shocking news that Saudi Arabia executed 47 people over the weekend, including Shiite cleric and opposition figure Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, got the new year off to a tense start in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. The executions have already caused a worsening of Saudi-Iran relations and foreshadow heightened sectarian-driven tensions across the […]