Middle East
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Strait of Hormuz
US Strikes Iranian Launchers in Strait of Hormuz, Sparking Retaliation on Bases in Jordan and UAE
3 sources · 52d ago
Diplomatic Crisis
Britain Warns It Will Expel 27 Israeli Diplomats if East Jerusalem Consulate Is Closed
8 sources · 16d ago
Military Withdrawals
United States Completes Troop Pullout From Iraq, Concluding Operation Inherent Resolve
6 sources · 20d ago
More in Middle East
ExplainerProperty Law
How Ottoman-Era Waqf Dedications Shield Middle Eastern Land From Adverse Possession
Islamic Legal Scholars 40%Civil Property Jurists 35%Urban Planners 25%
Deep DiveBorder Disputes
How the Durand Line's Bisection of the Pashtun Homeland Created a Century of Border Conflict
The State of Pakistan 40%The Afghan State 35%Pashtun Border Communities 25%
ExplainerAlgiers Agreement
The 1975 Algiers Agreement: Trading the Shatt al-Arab for the Collapse of a Kurdish Rebellion
Iraqi State Security 35%Iranian Regional Hegemony 35%Kurdish Autonomy Movement 30%
ExplainerInternational Law
How Omitting 'The' in UN Resolution 242 Left Post-1967 Borders Negotiable
Partial Withdrawal Advocates 40%Total Withdrawal Advocates 40%International Legal Scholars 20%
ExplainerStatus Quo
How an 1852 Ottoman Edict Still Governs Every Stone of the Holy Sepulchre
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate 41%Franciscan Custody 35%Armenian Apostolic Church 24%
ExplainerNaval Treaties
Annex II Excludes Aircraft Carriers From Capital Ships: Why the Montreux Convention Bars Modern Carriers From the Turkish Straits
Turkish Government 38%Russian Naval Command 31%NATO Strategists 31%
ExplainerInternational Law
The Fourth Geneva Convention and the 'Market Regulation' Doctrine: How the Legal Status of West Bank Settlements is Defined
International Legal Consensus 40%Israeli State Position 30%Palestinian Rights Advocates 30%
Petro-State Economics
The $67 per Barrel Fiscal Break-Even Price That Dictates Saudi Arabia's Budgetary Needs
Economic Expansionists 40%Fiscal Conservatives 30%Energy Importers 30%
IRGC EconomyStructural Comparison
How Iran's Revolutionary Guard Uses Article 147 to Seize No-Bid Mega-Projects From Civilian Firms
The Military-Bonyad Complex 40%Civilian Private Sector 35%International Sanctions Enforcers 25%
Deep DiveKafala System
The Sponsorship Requirement and the Exit Permit: How the Kafala System Structures Migrant Labor in the Gulf
Human Rights Organizations 40%Academic & Legal Analysts 40%Gulf Private Sector 20%
ExplainerMaritime Chokepoints
The 193.3-Kilometer Length and 205-Meter Width: How the Suez Canal's Physical Constraints Dictate Global Shipping Traffic
Global Fleet Operators 40%Canal Authority & Regional Hubs 35%Supply Chain Risk Analysts 25%
ExplainerUN Agencies
The 5.9 Million Registered Persons and the Hereditary Mandate: How UNRWA's Definition of a Refugee Differs From UNHCR's
Status Resolution Advocates 40%Status Preservation Advocates 40%Host Nation Governments 20%
Militia DisarmamentPolicy Comparison
Baghdad's Choice Before the US Withdrawal: Full Militia Disarmament or a Four-Year Compromise
Iran-Aligned Armed Factions 40%State Sovereignty Advocates 35%Pragmatic Compromise Bloc 25%
Deep DiveMandate History
How Britain's 1922 'Absorptive Capacity' Clause Built a Structural Tension Into Mandate Palestine
Zionist Leadership 35%British Colonial Office 35%Arab Higher Committee 30%
Deep DiveQuota Mechanics
The 40-Point Baseline: How OPEC+ Calculates and Allocates Crude Oil Production Quotas
Gulf Capacity Expanders 45%Structurally Declining Producers 30%Independent Energy Assessors 25%
LNG MarketsStrategy Comparison
How QatarEnergy Plans to Replace 12.8 Million Tons of Lost Ras Laffan LNG Capacity
QatarEnergy Strategists 50%Global Energy Analysts 50%
ExplainerLebanon Border
Why Renewed Fighting Postponed the Rome Talks on Southern Lebanon's Security Future
Conditional Security Proponents 40%International Consensus Advocates 35%Lebanese Sovereignty Defenders 25%
AnalysisNuclear Nonproliferation
What the IAEA's Security Council Referral Means for Snapback Sanctions on Iran
IAEA and Western Allies 45%Iranian Government 35%Non-Aligned Board Members 20%
AnalysisMecca Pact
Why Pakistan Declined to Invoke the Mecca Pact After Houthi Strikes on Saudi Arabia
Alliance Skeptics 50%Neutral Observers 50%
Security ArchitectureFramework Comparison
How a New Secretariat Could Let the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement Replace the US Security Umbrella
Strategic Autonomy Advocates 45%Institutional Skeptics 35%Indo-Pacific Strategists 20%
ExplainerIranian Constitution
Iran's 1979 Constitution Subordinates the Elected President to the Supreme Leader
Clerical Supremacy Advocates 50%Republican Mandate Proponents 30%Structural Analysts 20%
Deep DiveHajj Quotas
The 1-per-1000 Quota: How the OIC Formula Allocates Hajj Pilgrimage Slots
Demographic Proportionality Advocates 40%Backlog Reformers 35%Geopolitical Analysts 25%
ExplainerArab League Charter
Why the Arab League's 1945 Charter Lets Member States Opt Out of Majority Votes
Sovereignty Advocates 50%Integration Reformers 50%
Deep DiveGulf Integration
GCC Unanimity Rule Preserves State Sovereignty but Slows Regional Integration
Sovereignty Advocates 40%Integration Reformers 40%Structural Critics 20%
Deep DiveRoyal Succession
Saudi Arabia's 34-Member Allegiance Council Locks In Third-Generation Rule
Institutional Reformers 40%Third-Generation Centralizers 40%Agnatic Seniority Traditionalists 20%
Research BriefCamp David Accords
The Two Frameworks of Camp David: Comparing the Sinai Withdrawal to the Palestinian Autonomy Provisions
Structural Realists 40%International Legal Scholars 35%Regional Analysts 25%
Strait of HormuzPolicy Comparison
U.S. Tanker-for-Tanker Policy and Iran's Exclusion Zone Divide Hormuz Transit Rules
U.S. Central Command 40%Iranian Security Establishment 40%Iranian Labor and Civilians 20%
AnalysisWestern Sahara
The Structural Contradiction Between the 1975 ICJ Ruling and the 1991 UN Settlement Plan in Western Sahara
International Legal Consensus 40%Multilateral Policy Frameworks 30%Independent Policy Analysts 30%
AnalysisGolan Heights Status
How a 1981 Israeli Law and a UN Resolution Define Two Incompatible Legal Statuses for the Golan Heights
International Legal Consensus 50%Domestic Integration Advocates 30%Unilateral Recognition Supporters 20%
ExplainerJerusalem Holy Sites
The 1852 Firman and 1967 Pact Behind Jerusalem's Competing Status Quo Realities
Absolute Custodianship Focus 75%Bifurcated Control Focus 25%
Gaza SecurityFramework Comparison
Eleven Months After the Ceasefire, Gaza Is Still Caught Between Phased Transition and Military Control
Israeli Defense Establishment 40%International Diplomats 35%Palestinian Civilians & Advocates 25%
ExplainerArea C
Area C at 60 Percent: The Architecture of Israeli Civil and Security Control in the West Bank
Human Rights and International Law 45%Security and Strategic Depth 35%Economic Development 20%
ExplainerCustoms Union
Distributing the 5 Percent Levy: How the GCC Customs Union Allocates Import Revenue Among Member States
Transit Hubs 35%Consumer Markets 35%Institutional Integrationists 30%
ExplainerBorder Legacies
The Structural Legacy of Sykes-Picot: Comparing the Artificial Border Narrative to State Resilience
Colonial Imposition Critics 40%State Resilience Analysts 40%Economic Historians 20%
Deep DiveNile Water Law
The Structural Shift in Nile Water Law: Comparing the 1959 Volumetric Quotas to the 2015 Declaration of Principles
Downstream Historical Rights Advocates 40%Upstream Equitable Use Proponents 40%International Water Law Scholars 20%
Deep DiveGulf Monetary Policy
The Structural Trade-Offs of the Saudi and UAE Dollar Pegs
Monetary Stability Advocates 60%Structural Reform Analysts 40%
AnalysisConfessional Politics
Lebanon's Confessional Power-Sharing System: Comparing the National Pact and the Taif Agreement
Consociational Pragmatists 40%Secular Reformers 35%Sectarian Traditionalists 25%
Deep DiveWater Security
The Structural Shift in Middle East Water Security: Comparing Gulf Mega-Desalination to Levantine Wastewater Recycling
Desalination Advocates 35%Wastewater Reclamation Advocates 35%Integrated Systems Analysts 30%
Deep DiveMaritime Law
Innocent Versus Transit Passage: Contested Maritime Law in Middle East Straits
Customary International Law Proponents 45%Coastal State Sovereignty Advocates 30%Bilateral Treaty Pragmatists 25%
Deep DiveSuez Canal
Suez Canal Governance: Reconciling the 1888 Treaty With Sovereign Egyptian Tolls
Egyptian Sovereign Authorities 40%International Maritime Lawyers 35%Global Security Analysts 25%
Deep DiveFinal Status Issues
The Four Final Status Issues That Structurally Block Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Two-State Traditionalists 40%Security-First Advocates 35%Rights-Based Advocates 25%
Deep DiveIranian Constitution
Iran's Dual Political System Subordinates Elected Offices to Clerical Rule
Structural Analysts 40%Democratic Skeptics 35%Institutionalists 25%
ExplainerEnergy Markets
OPEC+ Production Quotas: The Trade-Off Between Oil Price Defense and Market Share
Fiscal Hawks 40%Volume Maximizers 30%Market Skeptics 30%
Deep DiveEnergy Transition
Qatar's LNG Expansion and Saudi Arabia's Green Hydrogen: Competing Paths to Post-Oil Power
Pragmatic Transition Advocates 45%Post-Carbon Industrialists 40%Energy Economists 15%
AnalysisSovereign Wealth
The Structural Shift in Middle East Capital: Comparing PIF's Domestic Engine to ADIA's Global Savings Model
Development Catalysts 50%Financial Return Maximizers 50%
Research BriefTransit Corridors
The Structural Shift in Middle East Transit: Comparing the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor to Iraq's Development Road
Development Road Advocates 40%IMEC Proponents 40%Strategic Hedgers 20%
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