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.
The attack on Al Rekayyat, a Qatari LNG tanker, while Doha was mediating between Iran and the United States, exposes the central weakness in proposals for regional dialogue with Tehran by highlighting the persistent gap between Iran’s diplomacy and its military conduct.
Gulf security has become a daily test of the region’s ability to adapt to a turbulent regional order—one in which military power intersects with maritime corridors, American calculations with the concerns of Gulf states, and Iranian ambitions with global trade considerations.
Trump's and Mamdani's July 4 speeches on America's 250th anniversary reflected competing visions of the country's identity and global role amid the fallout from Washington's war with Iran.