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.
Survival in the face of superior force is the Iranian state’s most consistent historical achievement. Could the current war be the outlier in a five-hundred-year-old pattern?
The ongoing conflict centered around Iran is having a profound impact inside Iraq, raising the stakes on divisive issues ranging from sovereign power to regional alignments.
Gulf states have long held varying approaches to their relations with Iran, based on a number of factors. The ongoing war has reinforced the notion that this is unlikely to change.
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.