With the United States poised to resume negotiations with Iran, Middle East Policy sharpens the debate over regional nuclear issues, analyzing how nuclear insecurity affects US-Saudi defense cooperation, Israeli perceptions of Riyadh’s ambitions for domestic enrichment capacity, and the potential for ridding the entire region of weapons on mass destruction. These articles, along with all others in the Spring 2025 issue are free to read this month, even if you are not a subscriber!
The 163rd edition of the journal provides further insights into Iran’s thinking with an article by Banafsheh Keynoush showing how and why Tehran and Riyadh have failed to wield their influence and resolve the Gaza war. This examination of their behind-the-scenes moves shows in detail how these two middle powers were unable to overcome their disputes and end the conflict on favorable terms.
And don’t miss our background analysis of the Biden administration’s struggles to seal a new deal with Iran, which contends that the Islamic Republic has been emboldened by its strong relations with China and Russia.
All articles in the Spring 2025 issue of Middle East Policy are free to read during the month of April. In addition to WMD and the decline of Saudi and Iranian regional influence, the journal examines whether China has fundamentally shifted its relationship with Israel, as well as the persistent myths surrounding regime change in Syria and how Assad’s fall has empowered Turkey.
The journal then takes a deep dive into Saudi Arabia’s potential security deal with the United States, including Israel’s reaction to a proposed Saudi nuclear capability, the China factor that motivates Washington’s pursuit of an accord, and whether the region could become a WMD-free zone. And we analyze peace building in postwar Yemen, how demographic change affects reconciliation in Iraq after the ISIS occupation, and Pakistan’s security challenges since the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan.
Readers can find the Winter 2024 issue through this link, featuring M.T. Samuel’s analysis of the Gaza war and Palestinian dispossession. The journal’s special releases on the post-October 7 conflicts, Israel’s Wars and The Gaza War, remain vital sources.
Middle East Policy, Spring 2025—all articles free through May 1!
SYRIA, GAZA, AND STIRRINGS OF A NEW ORDER
Myth Busting in a Post-Assad Syria
Rob Geist Pinfold
Turkey’s Long Game in Syria: Moving beyond Ascendance
Şaban Kardaş
Saudi Arabia and Iran: Spoilers or Enablers of Conflict?
Banafsheh Keynoush
Out of Proportion: Israel’s Paradox in China’s Middle Eastern Policy
Yitzhak Shichor
THE US-SAUDI PACT AND NUCLEAR SECURITY
How to Address the Saudi Nuclear Program? An Israeli Dilemma
Niv Farago
The China Factor in US-Saudi Talks for a Defense Pact
Ghulam Ali, Peng Nian
Negotiating the Impossible? A WMD-Free Zone in the Middle East
Robert Mason
CIVIL WARS AND THEIR AFTERSHOCKS
Local Participatory Development Models for Postwar Reconstruction in Yemen
Asher Orkaby, Afrah Al-Ahmadi
Demographic Change and Social Cohesion in Post-Islamic State Iraq
Omran Omer Ali, Nazar Ameen Mohammed, Aurélie Broeckerhoff
The Taliban-TTP Nexus and Pakistan’s Rising Security Challenges
Shahid Ali, Raj Verma
BOOK REVIEWS
Florian Weigand, Waiting for Dignity: Legitimacy and Authority in Afghanistan
Reviewed by Sajjad Ahmed
Karel Černý, Instability in the Middle East: Structural Changes and Uneven Modernisation 1950–2015
Reviewed by Alper Çakır
Biden’s Gaza Failure, the Syrian Revolution, and the Folly of US Middle East Policy
Review essay by A.R. Joyce