A Blog of the UCLA Center for Middle East Development
A blog of the UCLA Center for Middle East Development (CMED).
These articles represent the views of the authors only, and do not constitute the positions of UCLA, the International Institute, or the Center for Middle East Development. Articles are primarily written by UCLA undergraduate students.
What does Obama's decision to normalize relations with Cuba mean for another of the US's sanctioned nations, Iran? This article highlights the differences between Cuba and Iran's relationships with the US, and contends that the US will not normalize relations with Iran any time soon based on those differences.
Read MoreIn only one week from today, millions of Americans will go to the polls and cast their ballots for whom they wish to represent them in the US Congress. With many citing President Obama's poor handling of recent international affairs, various polls project a full Republican takeover of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. What are the implications for continued US strategy in the MENA region? What does this mean for President Obama in his handling of important foreign policies for the rest of his term?
(Photo credit: US Government)
Read MoreISIS, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, United States, Europe: these are the names of major actors played by the media in regards to recent upheaval in the Middle East, marked by the rise of the Islamic State. While the international community now weighs its focus on counter-terrorism efforts lead by the US, one question sits in the back of everyone's mind: what about Israel?
Read MoreAs ISIS gains more traction in the region, the international community’s lack of action inadvertently lays the foundation for increased terrorist attacks, the violent repression and persecution of ethnic and religious minorities, and the further destabilization of Syria and Iraq.
(Image: Al-Furgan Media/AFP)
Read MoreThe latest sentences are a continuation of the repressive crackdown on opposition to the current Egyptian government, and demonstrate the state’s dangerous expansion of control.
Image from Khaled Desouki / AFP / Getty Images
Read MoreAs the situation in Iraq further crumbles, unlikely bedfellows look to stabilize the country and halt the advance of the terrorist organization ISIS. Is there a role for Iran and the West to work together?
(Photo: http://www.futureatlas.com/blog)
Read MoreAs violence continues to escalate within Iraq, the US and its allies, as well as regional powers, are facing the pressure to take action in order to de-escalate and stabilize the troubled country. The news is inundated with policy experts advocating every degree of intervention from boots on the ground to complete passivity.
Read MoreOn May 22, 2014 former Congressman Robert Wexler, president of the S. Daniel Abraham Center, visited UCLA for his talk on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "Is Peace Possible?" All too often, the American public is presented with mixed or biased narratives that result in an incomplete or misinformed understanding of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In order to bolster popular support for the peace negotiations, there needs to be a common understanding of the actual factors that shape the conflict and tenable solutions.
Read MoreA personal account of how my family and many others like us have been unfairly caught in the cross-hairs of sanctions while the international community inches toward a nuclear deal with Iran (or not). What can you do when your government’s sanctions abroad have a biting sting at home?
Read MorePresident Barack Obama gave the State of the Union address on January 28th, during which he laid out US foreign policy in 2014. Here are the top ten foreign policy takeaways.
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