Hezbollah has engaged in deadly clashes with Israel since Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7. Reuters
A devastating Israel-Lebanon war is brewing, but it can still be stopped

The US must urgently work towards containing the conflict by shaping Iran and Hezbollah’s calculus

October 13, 2023
it would be a mistake to conflate President-elect Biden’s prospective approach to the Middle East with that of Obama’s. Reuters
For the Middle East, Biden is no Obama

Worries in the Middle East over a Biden return to Obama-era foreign policy may be understandable, but exaggerated

November 09, 2020
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sergei Chirikov / AP
Assad’s backers might have won him the war – but now they need US help

Russia and Iran cannot stabilise Syria and secure hundreds of billions in reconstruction funds without Trump

December 09, 2018
Druze clerics and citizens sit next to the coffins of those who died during a serioes of ISIS attacks. EPA
The tragedy that befell the Druze in Syria is a stark reminder of their solo battle for survival

The impact of last week's slaughter by ISIS will likely shape political outcomes for years to come, writes Firas Maksad

July 30, 2018
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vietnam last year. Jorge Silva / AP
The illusion of a US-Russia grand bargain over Syria and Ukraine

There is a tendency to exaggerate Russia's power to reign in Iran, presenting an obstacle in Monday's Helsinki summit, writes Firas Maksad

July 14, 2018
Assad can boast about winning the war all he wants, but he has no leg to stand on for getting the Syrian economy back on track. AFP
In Syria, Assad might be winning the war, but he is far from winning the peace

Without money from elements of the international community, bankrupt Damascus is powerless. That is why the US must use the leverage it still holds

October 05, 2017
Lebanese attitudes towards Iran defy oversimplification

A recent poll had very strange findings about Lebanese attitudes toward Iran. On important matters, pollsters have a duty to explain how they reach such out-of-step findings.

August 09, 2011