... of the region; Barack Obama quickly sent a special envoy for the Middle East to mediate between Israel and the Palestinian Authority; and Donald Trump, by contrast, dashed a number of traditional constants in the policies of his predecessors. It took Joe Biden’s administration a long time to realize the place of this troubled region in the U.S. grand strategy. Trump left Biden a heavy and intricate legacy, with no room for continuity or a sharp change of course on all fronts.
The continued policy ...
An open mind is required within the current acute political divide where Trump’s bellicose aggression and Biden’s seeming cognitive decline are both put on the backburner
Putting aside whatever bias we have for former President Donald Trump; let’s consider what the state of world affairs might look like today if Trump became the president in the 2020. Outcomes under a Trump administration may be hypothetical or a myriad of assumptions, however it is unique in that we can gauge President Joseph...
... agenda against Russia and Assad, President Biden’s policy could allow for flexibility in adapting to a post-conflict Syria and for the possibility of back-channel negotiations with Russia
Middle East watchers continue to speculate about how President Joe Biden’s Syria policy will evolve as he pursues other policy goals in the region, such as the withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. American analysts are inconsistent in evaluating U.S. strategy, as evident by articles from Andrew J. Tabler ...
The revision of the sanctions policy by the new administration cannot be called a revolution. The institutional arrangement will remain unchanged
In the United States, a revision of the sanctions policy
is in full swing
. Joe Biden’s administration strives to make sanctions instruments more effective in achieving his political goals and, at the same time, reducing political and economic costs. The coordination of restrictive measures with allies is also seen as an important ...
It is unlikely that we will see any breakthroughs at the upcoming Putin-Biden summit—but despite all the difficulties, there are still signs for optimism
Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin have known each other for a long time—decades, in fact. This, however, made it no easier for them to agree to the meeting scheduled for June 16 in Geneva. The U.S.–Russia relations have seen a steady decline over the past ...
... like him. The Republican President avoided publicly criticizing his Russian counterpart and was quite generous with his compliments to him, which inevitably caused not only annoyance but pure outrage in Washington and in Trump’s own Administration. Joe Biden has known Vladimir Putin for many years; he does not set himself the task of getting the Russian leader to like him. As far as one can tell, the two politicians do not have any special liking for each other, with this more than reserved attitude ...
... into account. The upcoming elections in Iran may affect its diplomacy, which could become less amenable to compromise. In the United States, the political cycle has just begun. But the specificity of institutions remains an important factor. Even if Joe Biden with his orders cancels Donald Trump’s decisions and returns the US to the status quo, he will not be able to change a number of US laws on Iranian issues. The President will still have to regularly report to Congress and “certify” the ...
Syria will most likely remain part of US regional policies and subordinate to US dealings with Iran, Turkey and Russia
With the new US administration in the White House, there are rather lofty expectations about a change in the American Middle East policy in general and towards Syria in particular. Some argue that the US Middle East policy will remain somewhat in line with that of Trump’s presidency, while others believe that Biden’s team will try to reverse many of the previous foreign policy...
... the sanctions policy—Iran, North Korea, Cuba, China, as well as functional topics—terrorism, the fight against drug trafficking, human rights, etc.
However, all these restrictions are based or will be based on already-existing legal mechanisms. Joe Biden and Congress have yet to create new sanctions regimes. And here, in all likelihood, a certain revision of the existing policy lies ahead. It is unlikely to lead to radical qualitative changes in all azimuths, but a correction of important details ...
Washington has long-term strategic goals, but the world left by Obama is not the world inherited by Biden
U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to appoint Brett McGurk as coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa to his team at the National Security Council remind one the circumstances and atmosphere that accompanied his "early" resignation when he was the ...
