Unraveling Middle Eastern Crises

December 25, 2023

The Middle East faces a web of complex crises driven by historical legacies, regional power struggles, and ongoing geopolitical tensions. Among these crises, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict stands out as a deeply entrenched issue, marked by competing national aspirations and territorial disputes. The region’s challenges are further compounded by a mix of deeply rooted conflicts, sectarian divides, and the influence of both regional and global actors. These crises have far-reaching implications, affecting global security, economic stability, and international diplomacy. Understanding the dynamics of these conflicts requires a comprehensive view of their historical contexts and current geopolitical shifts. In this interview, our columnist Helmut Sorge hosts Charles Kupchan, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Kupchan shares insights into the underlying factors shaping the Middle East's past and ongoing crises, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He explores the roles of major international players and discusses potential paths toward resolution, shedding light on the region’s complex landscape and its broader impact on global affairs.

RELATED CONTENT

  • Authors
    July 29, 2019
    Les relations du Japon avec le Maghreb sont alimentées par des éléments de projection très diversifiés, inégaux, vers des pays et des sociétés qui intéressent le Japon par eux-mêmes, mais dont l’importance est renforcée par leurs articulations avec les maillages, africain et moyen oriental. La décennie actuelle ne constitue pas le moment le plus fort de ces relations. La coopération entre le Japon et les pays du Maghreb reste significative, cependant. Les possibilités de développeme ...
  • Authors
    July 1, 2019
    Few weeks ago, I gained the chance of reading the UN Security Council resolution 2468 of 30 April on MINURSO , and was surprised by the frequently repeated expression of “Morocco, the Frente Polisario, Algeria, and Mauritania”, instead of the previous “all parties and neighbours”. Besides, it was reported that the US representative twice referred to “Morocco, the Frente Polisario, Algeria, and Mauritania” in his short remark in the Security Council meeting1. Shortly after that, I co ...
  • Authors
    June 27, 2019
    Caribbean and African ties run deep. They are based on a shared history, culture, and sense of a common identity forged by the slave trade which forcibly relocated more than 10 million Africans to the New World, in the process, creating large centres of African Diaspora in the Caribbean and elsewhere. The common historical experiences of slavery and colonialism inspired formation of the Pan-African Movement in the first half of the 1900’s led by the African Diaspora outside of Afric ...
  • Authors
    Pedro da Motta Veiga
    Sandra Polónia Rios
    June 24, 2019
    The cooperation between Brazil and Morocco dates back to the 19th century, when Moroccan migrants came to Brazil attracted by the then booming exploration of rubber in the Amazon rainforest. In 1861, the Brazilian government opened its first consulate in Tangier.  But it was only since 1961, with the Moroccan independence, that the bilateral relations began to diversify. At the political sphere, there has been a fluid dialogue, driven by convergent views on several i ...
  • Authors
    May 22, 2019
    The trade tensions between the United States and China will cause only minor immediate damage to their giant economies. However, tariffs have important and diverse effects on individual sectors and cause heightened uncertainty. The main adverse effects on Sub-Saharan Africa will therefore be through global investor confidence, economic growth and commodity prices, and these effects could be severe if the dispute escalates further and endangers the rules-based trading system. The tra ...
  • Authors
    March 26, 2019
    The opening of the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea symbolized an important phase in the newfound relations between the two. Since their rapprochement in June 2018, events have occurred at a frenzied pace, yet much was still in the political arena and removed from demonstrating tangible benefits to average citizens. By opening the border, the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea changed that. Yet the border opening also reveals an insight into a previously isolated and largely closed ...
  • Authors
    February 21, 2019
    L’arène africaine n’est qu’un épisode dans le feuilleton sino-américain, mais l’importance du continent comme opportunité pour les grandes puissances en fait également un espace où s’expriment les rivalités de ces puissances. C’est sous cette enseigne que pourrait se lire l’amorce du retour de l’Afrique dans l’agenda des intérêts américains. ...
  • Authors
    Ibraheem Sanusi
    February 14, 2019
    The author of this blog, Ibraheem Sanusi, is an alumnus of the 2018 Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders program. Over 84 million Nigerians are expected to participate in the upcoming general elections, the fifth election since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999. The Presidential and National Assembly as well as the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for the 16th of  February and the 2nd of March respectively, hav ...