Arab Center Washington DC

📄 Hadi Kahalzadeh argues that devastating ’s economy is unlikely to break the regime, but will instead deepen social hardship, inequality, and security-state control.
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Why Devastating Iran’s Economy Will Not Break the Regime Since President Donald Trump launched the US-Israel assault on Iran in late February 2026, the Trump administration has offered several objectives for the war. They include eliminating Tehran’s ability to project power, obliterating its military capacity and missile program, destroying its nuclear...

📄 Although geography and energy infrastructure have buffered from the worst effects of the closure, prolonged disruption will sharpen economic pressures. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen argues that the war has only confirmed ’s prewar turn toward fiscal realism and its more targeted Vision 2030 investment.
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Vision 2030 and the Iran War: Saudi Arabia’s Resilience Under Strain Three months after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, 2026, the conflict is at stalemate: The ceasefire that began on April 8, 2026, has neither yielded a political settlement nor an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. This state of limbo has disrupted globa...

📄 Greg Aftandilian argues that President ’s threat to “blow up” reflects ’s mounting frustration with ’s neutrality, but that ’s stance is rooted in its longstanding effort to balance relations with , the , and the wider .
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Oman and the Iran War: Neutrality Under Strain Oman has been thrust back into the diplomatic spotlight. On May 27, 2026, US President Donald Trump told reporters that Oman, a Gulf state that has maintained its neutrality in the ongoing Iran war, would have to “behave” or the United States would “blow ‘em up.” The remark may have simply...

Join Arab Center Washington DC and the Institute for Middle East Studies at George Washington University for a webinar exploring the current state of transitional justice in Syria and the significance and limitations of recent prosecutions. Featuring Mariana Karkoutly, Melani McAlister, Yasmine Nahlawi, Robert Petit, and Radwan Ziadeh, and moderated by Daniel Neep.
📅 June 3, 2026 | ⏰ 10:00 AM–11:30 AM ET | 💻 Via Zoom
RSVP Now 👇

https://arabcenterdc.org/event/transitional-justice-and-accountability-efforts-in-syria-challenges-and-prospects/

We’re hiring! Arab Center Washington DC is seeking a full-time Editor to join our Publications team in Washington, DC. The Editor will support publications on democratization, human rights, justice, regional conflict, peacemaking, and US foreign policy toward the Middle East and North Africa.

Apply by sending your resume and cover letter to [email protected] with “Editor” in the subject line. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

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https://arabcenterdc.org/about/acw-careers/editor/

📄 Ingie Gohar reports on Sen. Bernie Sanders’s initiative to rein in AIPAC-related campaign spending; ’s claim that ’s will do “whatever I want” about a peace deal with , amid renewed bombing of Iranian targets; the Treasury’s sanctioning of nine individuals in for ties and four individuals associated with the Global Sumud Flotilla; and judicial rulings lifting, and then reimposing, the administration’s sanctions on Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur for human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
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Washington Policy Weekly President Trump said that he was "mandatorily requesting" that several countries sign the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel as part of the deal to end the war with Iran.

📄 Charles Dunne argues that the war has ended credible security primacy in the without producing a viable successor. The result is a more unstable regional order in which neither nor can guarantee security.
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After the Iran War, No One Can Guarantee the Gulf’s Security The US-Israeli war on Iran has severely weakened if not destroyed the Pax Americana, the US-led political, economic, and security structure that, despite numerous detours and failures, has helped to stabilize the Middle East since the 1990s. The war now appears to be in a tense state of suspended an...