Section
Middle East
Energy, security, power rivalries, investment and strategic realignments across the Middle East.
The Middle East remains a central arena of contemporary power relations. The region combines major energy resources, strategic trade routes, enduring political rivalries and substantial financial capabilities. This section examines regional balances, state strategies, conflicts, economic transformations, investment policies and the influence of external powers.
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Iran: The Suspended War
Iran: The Suspended War
For several months, the question dominating the Middle East was one of escalation. How far would the United States and Israel go against Iran? How far could Tehran retaliate? Could the conflict draw the Gulf monarchies, Lebanon, Iraq or Yemen into a regional war that no one could
AnalysisRecent publications
Palestine: The Time for Sanctions?
Condemnation of Israeli settlement expansion is nothing new. The explicit mention of sanctions by several major Arab and Muslim powers is more significant. Around the E1 settlement plan, regional diplomacy may be approaching the point where protest begins to give way to pressure.
Israel: Power Under Pressure
Between domestic divisions and a shifting regional order, Israel’s power are coming under increasing pressure. An analysis of the strengths and vulnerabilities redefining its place in the Middle East.
Türkiye or the Art of Strategic Balance
Geography as an Instrument of Power Few countries occupy a geographical position as strategically significant as Türkiye. Stretching across Anatolia and Eastern Thrace, it physically connects Europe and Asia while overlooking the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean. I
Saudi Arabia in the World
For several decades, Saudi Arabia occupied a singular position in international relations. It was simultaneously a leading oil exporter, the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites, a strategic partner of the United States, and one of the political centres of the Arab world. Its power
The United Arab Emirates: Building a Global Power
In just over half a century, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has evolved from a newly established federation of small Gulf emirates into one of the world's most influential economic, diplomatic, and technological actors. While its substantial hydrocarbon reserves provided the foun
Behind the Middle East: The Strategic Rivalry Between the United States and China
The successive crises in the Middle East are often analyzed through a regional lens: religious rivalries, territorial disputes, or local power struggles. Yet at a broader strategic level, the region primarily represents a central node in the power competition between the United States and China.
The Five Fault Lines of the Middle East - 2026
The Middle East remains the epicenter of global geopolitics.