Dr. John C. Hulsman

Why Trump presidency is radically different for the Middle East

Better than pretending the world has not changed, it would be far more useful to analyze the new president’s worldview

Saudi-Turkish ties amount to a major strategic realignment in the Middle East

Both Riyadh and Ankara have been deeply disappointed with their long-time strategic partner, the United States

Three takeaways from the Hangzhou G20 Summit

For Saudi Arabia, the only Arab member of the G20, as well as the rest of the attendees, there are at least three major takeaways

Defeating ISIS is beside the point; Iraq does not exist anymore

Until the politics – rather than the military aspects of the problem – are dealt with, the region is likely to remain mired in instability

Is the Arab League failing to fight the phantom enemy?

Treating the problem of terrorism more holistically at the region-wide level might just help ameliorate the many crises presently buffeting the region today

Erdogan’s victory: More than meets the eye?

Surviving President Erdogan’s position is strengthened, allowing him to energetically purge the disloyal army

Beyond Brexit: Lessons for the Middle East

Because Western elites want the world to be a certain way, they have deluded themselves into thinking that modern politics simply works like this

Foreign policy in focus as Saudi deputy crown prince visits US

These gargantuan reform efforts will largely tell the tale of the sort of Saudi Arabia that emerges in the new multi-polar era

Defeating ISIS solves nothing without a political solution

The well-meaning current Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has so far utterly failed to bring the long-suffering Sunnis in from the political cold

Sisi’s failing Egypt highlights the crisis of the Middle East

Egypt’s dizzying economic fall from grace has dramatically affected the balance of power in the region

Is this Iraq’s last and best chance to reform itself?

A greater long-term problem, festering for years, has come to a boil in front of the world’s eyes

Fixing the Obama doctrine in the Middle East

The US must do more in Asia, as that is where most of the future economic growth...

While Trump boggles the mind, Hillary will be no picnic for the Middle East either

Clinton has been on the global scene for decades, and must be seen as a known quantity...

The world according to Trump: An America-first policy in the Middle East

Following last week’s series of interviews, it is difficult to say that Donald Trump has not laid out the contours of his foreign policy anymore

Four hard conclusions if the Syrian war is to end

Russian intervention turned the tide in what until then had been the topsy-turvy fortunes of all sides in the conflict

We will all come to miss Obama’s realism

The US president has spelled out that it was the botched invasion of Libya that cemented his cautious, realist view of foreign policy

Two cheers for the Iranian election

Iran’s surprising election results are just the latest event to be digested by these extreme

The consequences of Obama being right about the world

Despite all the clown-car name-calling currently masquerading as the Republican presidential contest, I believe that history will judge Barack ...

Could current oil prices be the new normal?

True to form, no sooner have sanctions been lifted then Tehran has moved to decisively ramp up energy production, the lifeblood of its struggling ...

After a year in power, King Salman’s economic reforms are key

For most Western observers, the analysis of Saudi Arabia has long been a comfortably stable pursuit. Saudi foreign policy centered almost exclusively ...

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