InterRegional for Strategic Analysis

Iran considers the ouster of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, on April 9, 2022, a "regional setback" for its foreign policy amid a flood of new transformations around Iran and throughout the world that indicate Tehran will not reap many political gains in the coming days. The foreign policy approach of the former prime minister of Pakistan was somewhat compatible with his Iranian counterpart, thus sparking anger in Tehran over his removal from power. Media loyal to the regime in Tehran went so far as to describe his departure as a foreign "conspiracy."

Tehran Watches Closely the Election of Pakistan's New Prime Minister

An Anxious Iran:

Saadeh Al-Shami, Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister, declared on the evening of Sunday, 3 April 2022 that "the state is bankrupt, as is the Central Bank, and the loss has occurred." Several media sources circulated Al-Shami’s statements, leading Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh to come out and stress that the bank continues to play the role entrusted to it by law, and reports of its bankruptcy are false. 

Lebanon’s Economic Decline Intensifies Under Successive Crises

Faltering Path:

On April 19, China announced the signing of a wide-ranging security agreement with the Solomon Islands. The deal sparked widespread controversy because it is clearly linked to Beijing’s strategy to strengthen its influence and presence in the Pacific Ocean region against the backdrop of China’s conflict with a camp, led by the United States, that aims to limit and encircle its presence in this strategic region. The agreement also raised many questions about its main motives and potential repercussions, especially since the Pacific region is seeing large-scale security and military competition between multiple international powers that has made it necessary for many parties to attempt to redraw "areas of influence."  

Why did China Sign a Security Agreement with the Solomon Islands?

Areas of Influence:

At a time when most countries are opening their borders and loosening COVID-19 restrictions, China is battling its worse wave since the virus first appeared two years ago in Wuhan and has imposed various lockdown measures in Shanghai and other Chinese cities. China has adopted stringent pandemic measures including its "zero COVID" policy, which involves isolating those infected with the virus and shutting down cities where COVID-19 is spreading. It seems unlikely that China will give up this approach, no matter how economically costly it might become.

What Does Shanghai’s Lockdown Mean for the Chinese and Global Economy?

The Next Variant:

InterRegional for Strategic Analysis held a discussion panel on 9 March entitled "The Ukrainian Moment: Shifts in Russian Foreign Policy in the Middle East." The panel was led by Dr. Diana Galeeva, an Academic Visitor to St. Antony’s College at the University of Oxford, who specializes in Russian-Gulf relations. The discussion panel addressed key points in understanding Russia’s strategy in the Middle East and the tools that Moscow is using to strengthen its presence in the region. Panelists also discussed how countries in the Middle East are responding to the war in Ukraine and the extent to which the war affects Russia’s policy in the region.

How has the War in Ukraine Shaped Russia’s Middle East Policy? (Panel Discussion)

Relative Stability:

In February of 2022, InterRegional for Strategic Analysis held a panel discussion entitled, "Missing Strategy: US Policy Toward the Middle East in 2022," featuring Dr. John Calabrese, professor of International Relations at American University in Washington, DC; Prof. David Des Roches of the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University; Dr. Matthew Kroenig, professor of political science at Georgetown University and director of the Scowcroft Strategy Initiative at the Atlantic Council; and Dr. Anna Borshchevskaya, senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Dale Sprusansky, Managing Editor at the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, moderated the panel discussion. InterRegional researchers in Abu Dhabi were in attendance, and the center’s researchers in Cairo also participated. 

The Future of US Policy toward the Middle East in 2022 (Panel Discussion)

Missing Strategy:

In light of recent developments with the war in Ukraine, and in order to better understand the Middle East’s political, security, and economic stakes in this war, InterRegional For Strategic Analysis held a discussion panel entitled "Regional Fallout: What are the Repercussions of the War in Ukraine for the Middle East?" The panel was led by Dr. Li-Chen Sim, a professor at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi and a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., and included researchers based in both Abu Dhabi and Cairo. Dale Sprusansky, Assistant Editor at the Washington Report for Middle East Affairs, moderated the panel discussion.

What are the Repercussions of the War in Ukraine for the Middle East? (Panel Discussion)

Regional Fallout:

On 25 February 2022, InterRegional for Strategic Analysis held a discussion panel entitled, "The Day After: What Happens After the Russian War on Ukraine?" featuring Dr. Samuel Ramani, Lecturer of International Relations at the University of Oxford and Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in Britain. The panel addressed developments in the Ukrainian crisis after the Russian intervention in Ukraine, the implications of this intervention, and possible scenarios for the crisis.

What Happens After the Russian War on Ukraine? (Panel Discussion)

The Day After:

Areas of disagreement between the US administration and the Turkish regime have increased over the recent period, including mounting US pressure on the Turkish Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) that Ankara seeks to use abroad more widely to enhance the country’s mental image and net a good economic return, especially given the success of Turkish drones in conflict areas such as Nagorno-Karabakh and Libya. In this framework, on December 27, 2021, the Biden administration signed a defense bill allowing the US government to track and evaluate the US national security implications posed by Turkey’s expanding unmanned drone program. Moreover, the law allows the US State Department and the Pentagon to report on exports of Turkish unmanned drones since 2018, and whether they contain parts or technology manufactured by American companies. This measure supplements US sanctions on the Turkish defense industries sector, but this is the first time the drone industry has been targeted, which suggests that Washington is seeking to further block the Turkish military sector in the next phase.

InterRegional for Strategic Analysis

InterRegional for Strategic Analysis

الإصدارات

الأكثر مشاهدة