Evaluating Any U.S.-Iran Deal Against President Trump’s 2018 CriteriaCIE+
The success or failure of 2026 U.S.-Iran negotiations may be judged by the elements President Trump listed in 2018.
Strait of Hormuz: A Struggle to Determine Iran’s Strength TomorrowCIE+
Iran’s move to assert sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz has short- and long-term implications for the Islamic regime and the world economy.
Michael Eisenstadt: Hamas-Israel War With Comments on U.S.-Israel-Iran WarCIE+
Washington Institute Senior Fellow Michael Eisenstadt speaks about the regional effects of the 2023-2025 Hamas-Israel war and the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran war in March 2026.
Objectives and Conclusions: U.S.-Israel-Iran WarCIE+
While too much is unknown after a week of fighting to make definitive statements about the war, certain possible outcomes can be explored.
Explainer: Turkey-Israel RelationsCIE+
Turkish-Israeli relations have swung between friendship and hostility since Turkey became the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel in 1949.
9 Key Questions About Theodor Herzl’s “The Jewish State,” February 14, 1896CIE+
Nine questions guide key understandings about Theodor Herzl’s “The Jewish State.”
New Year’s 2026 Unrest in Iran and Its Context for Israel and the Middle EastCIE+
January 2, 2026 A week of unrest in Iran does not guarantee a revolution even if 85-plus million Iranians are angry at the country’s autocratic, theological rulers. Iran is a security-clerical oligarchy where kleptocracy, cronyism…
U.S. Defense Law Focuses on Postwar Middle East, Israel, December 2025CIE+
The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act shifts U.S. military cooperation with Israel to a postwar focus, including support for neighbors facing Iranian proxies and a response to military embargoes of Israel.
Donna Robinson Divine, “Politics and Society in Ottoman Palestine: The Arab Struggle for Survival and Power”CIE+
Divine, Donna Robinson, Politics and Society in Ottoman Palestine: The Arab Struggle for Survival and Power, Lynne Reinner Publishers, Boulder, 1994, pp. 191-215 (with author’s permission, September 2025) This is a rigorous analysis of the struggles of…
Explainer: Oslo II Agreement Between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, September 1995
September 28, 1995 After signing the Declaration of Principles (DOP) on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, commonly known as the Oslo Accords, on September 13, 1993, Israel and the PLO reached three additional interim agreements before Oslo…
U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel Since the October 7 AttackCIE+
May 28, 2025 “U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel: Overview and Developments since October 7, 2023,” by Jeremy M. Sharp, specialist in Middle East affairs, Congressional Research Service Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S….
Ken Stein: No Two-State Solution in Sight to End ConflictCIE+
Ken Stein, President, Center for Israel Education, May 19, 2025 Introduction Since 1937, the idea of geopolitically separating Jewish and Arab populations west of the Jordan River has been a recommended solution to mitigate violence between…
Second Trump Administration’s Views on Israel, Middle EastCIE+
By Aidan New and Michael Jacobs (updated April 9) President Donald Trump’s second administration had an impact in the Middle East even before his inauguration Jan. 20, 2025: Special Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff was…
Post-Presidency Insider Ken Stein Offers Insights on Jimmy CarterCIE+
Professor Ken Stein spent decades working with and researching the presidency and post-presidency of Jimmy Carter and shared many of his insights with the media and fellow scholars after the 39th U.S. president died Dec….
Israel, the Christian World and Christians in IsraelCIE+
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse.” — Genesis 12:3 (verse commonly invoked by Evangelicals in support of Israel) In 1917, General Edmund Allenby was given…
Explainer: Egyptian-Israeli Negotiations, 1977-1981
By Ken Stein, October 28, 2024 When Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter became the 39th President of the United States in 1977, he had little foreign policy experience, particularly regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict. Despite this, he…
Congressional Research Service, Israel and Hamas Conflict in Brief: Overview, U.S. Policy, and Options for Congress, October 2024CIE+
On Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas (a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, or FTO) led surprise attacks against Israel from the Gaza Strip. More than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals (including at…
“Jimmy Carter’s Middle East Legacies,” Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, September 2024CIE+
September 2024 By Kenneth Stein Kenneth Stein is Emeritus Professor of Contemporary Middle Eastern History, Political Science and Israel Studies at Emory University and President of the Atlanta-based Center for Israel Education. He is the author…
Reassessing Sadat, Begin and CarterCIE+
It is now apparent that distances between the Carter administration and Israel did not begin in earnest after Begin’s May 1977 election or over the settlements. Newly available materials show that from its outset, the Carter administration prioritized curbing Israeli influence in Washington.
Ken Stein: Origins and Diplomacy From the October 1973 War — U.S.-Egyptian-Israeli TriangleCIE+
2013 Kenneth W. Stein, “Evolving a Diplomatic Legacy From the October War: The US, Egyptian, and Israeli Triangle,” in Asaf Siniver (ed.), The October 1973 War: Politics, Diplomacy, and Legacy, London: Hurst and Co., 2013,…
Great Powers, the Middle East and the Cold WarsCIE+
The clash of great powers to control the Middle East, particularly between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., neither began after World War II nor ended with the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991. Today, China, the U.S., Russia and Middle Eastern regional powers vie to influence everyday politics and resources.
Mapping West Bank Settlements: Territorial and Political Uncertainties, 2020CIE+
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has repeatedly declared that he will be putting forward his proposal for West Bank annexation as early as July 1. Yet uncertainties about his plans still abound, indicating that this timetable may not be met despite his assertions to the contrary.
Are They Legal or Not? Pompeo’s Announcement on the Israeli SettlementsCIE+
The announcement by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that “the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law” is in line with Israel’s official position, and its inherent message – that preoccupation with the question of the legality of the settlements narrows Palestinian flexibility and discourages the achievement of a negotiated resolution to the conflict – is correct. However, the announcement’s practical value is minor, and there are even potential risks and costs for Israel.
Putin Clumsily Attempts to Exploit Gulf TensionsCIE+
Vladimir Putin sees an opportunity in escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf, but his attempts to make the most of it have been clumsy and could be self-defeating. When Saudi Arabia’s six battalions of US-made Patriot batteries recently failed to detect drone and missile attacks on two of the country’s key oil facilities, knocking out half of production, Putin saw an opportunity, and urged the kingdom to move ahead with the acquisition of Russia’s much-touted S-400 anti-missile defense system.
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