Afkār is a publication of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, providing short-form analyses, insights, and perspectives on regional issues and developments from the Council's experts and outside contributors. Afkār is published in English and Arabic, and is edited by Omar H. Rahman.
Bilateral peace talks between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan were structurally flawed by excluding the Gulf states. If an agreement is to hold up in the long-run, it must incorporate the Gulf states and their interests.
A new flood of displaced people in Lebanon faces shrinking access to shelter, protection, and the possibility of return. Their plight reflects not only Israeli policy but systemic failure at both the national and international levels.
Iran sits at the geographic center of a Eurasian project that China and Russia have been working on for years. Can U.S. military intervention effectively put an end to the emerging multipolar order?