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.
In this interview with Afkār, Özge Genç, an expert on elections and democratic governance, analyzes the results of Türkiye’s pivotal local elections held on March 31, 2024.
In this interview with Afkār, Galip Dalay examines Russia’s changing role in the Middle East over two years into Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s recent elections.
Iran and Türkiye both oppose any regional spillover of the war on Gaza, but sources of friction remain as the two states are motivated by diverging interests.
A year ago, Chinese mediation led to a stunning rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Despite significant progress, there is much more that can be done.
In recent years, several of the Middle East conflicts that raged in the previous decade have simmered down. But with the potential for relapse high, what can be done to prevent it?