The Gaza crisis: Mapping the Middle East’s shifting battle lines
This new ECFR mapping project identifies the spillover effects of the Gaza war in countries across the Middle East
Mark Leonard welcomes Hugh Lovatt and Muhammad Shehada to discuss the war in Gaza and the prospects for Palestinian statehood
The cycle of escalation in the Middle East since 7 October means Iraq has once again found itself a staging ground for Iranian-US conflict. But the relationship between Iraq and Iran is complex and multifaceted – and Europeans can help Iraq build its autonomy
Iran’s unprecedented direct attack on Israel risks further escalation in the Middle East. European leaders should join the US in pressing Israel not to retaliate with strikes on Iran – or the region could end up embroiled in an all-consuming war
On Saturday evening, Iran launched a major attack on Israeli territory, with a combination of 300 drones and missiles. Israel’s air defense seems to have…
Mark Leonard welcomes Cinzia Bianco, Agathe Demarais, and Camille Lons to discuss the geoeconomics of the Gulf
The EU should release funding to Cairo only if it undertakes following meaningful economic reforms
The UN agency dedicated to Palestinian refugees is on the brink of collapse, facing huge funding cuts and a dire situation amid the war in Gaza. But now more than ever, Europeans need to support its operations or risk an even more unstable situation
Mark Leonard welcomes Hugh Lovatt, Julien Barnes-Dacey, and Jeremy Shapiro to discuss the current situation in Gaza and the possible futures of the war
This new ECFR mapping project identifies the spillover effects of the Gaza war in countries across the Middle East
Europeans’ reputation as defenders of international law has cratered among their Arab partners. The first step is to recognise the problem
The cycle of escalation in the Middle East since 7 October means Iraq has once again found itself a staging ground for Iranian-US conflict. But the relationship between Iraq and Iran is complex and multifaceted – and Europeans can help Iraq build its autonomy
The Maghreb policies of the four most influential EU member states are diverging – but this fragmentation hinders the EU’s long-term interests in the region
Europeans need to stop handing control of their borders to southern Mediterranean states. Instead, they should pursue measures that tie the short-term imperative to reduce irregular migration to longer-term strategies that lessen the need for people to migrate in the first place
Middle powers are shaping a fragmented world for which Europe is ill prepared. To protect its interests and values, the EU needs a foreign policy strategy that emphasises its wide range of interdependencies
Europeans should leverage their relationships with the Palestinian Authority to revive Palestinian institutions and reverse the PA’s slide towards authoritarianism
The war in Ukraine has led to unprecedented levels of cooperation between Russia and Iran. This new relationship poses a significant threat to European countries, whose governments should seek to mitigate the potential damage
Europe and Algeria need each other. Their range of overlapping interests creates the opportunity to build a broad and mutually beneficial partnership
Europeans should view COP28 as a catalyst to upgrade their energy relations with the Gulf states to long-term cooperation on the green transition and decarbonisation
Post-invasion Iraq has proven resilient in the face of many challenges – but problems remain that Europeans could assist with resolving
Tunisia’s autocratic president is leading the country to the brink. The EU and member states should act now to support Tunisian democracy.
Iran’s unprecedented direct attack on Israel risks further escalation in the Middle East. European leaders should join the US in pressing Israel not to retaliate with strikes on Iran – or the region could end up embroiled in an all-consuming war
The EU should release funding to Cairo only if it undertakes following meaningful economic reforms
The UN agency dedicated to Palestinian refugees is on the brink of collapse, facing huge funding cuts and a dire situation amid the war in Gaza. But now more than ever, Europeans need to support its operations or risk an even more unstable situation
Europeans’ reputation as defenders of international law has cratered among their Arab partners. The first step is to recognise the problem
The UAE sees itself first and foremost as a valuable economic connector, bridging the BRICS+ and the West. Its bet is that that great powers, even amid rising tensions, need a safe haven to do business with one another
Recognising the state of Palestine is an important step towards Palestinian self-determination. But to be impactful, it needs to be accompanied by concrete measures to challenge negative dynamics on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides
Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes expose how actors beyond the great powers can weaponise an interdependent global economy. To help overcome this threat, Europeans should advocate cooperation between the US and China
To prevent further catastrophic suffering and regional instability, European governments should urgently resume funding UNRWA – the UN agency responsible for supporting Palestinian refugees
Despite their disagreements over the case, it is crucial that European countries support the implementation of the ICJ’s provisional measures
The US and UK strike on Houthi targets in Yemen has done little to deter the Iranian-backed group from its attacks in the Red Sea. Europeans should instead launch their own maritime operation, engage in diplomacy, and call for a ceasefire in Gaza
This new ECFR mapping project identifies the spillover effects of the Gaza war in countries across the Middle East
The conversation around achieving peace and prosperity in the Middle East and North Africa needs to become more inclusive and diverse, through an injection of fresh ideas and perspectives from regional voices
European states face accusations of neglecting the matter of human rights in their southern neighbourhood, and even of being complicit. Yet they are failing to maximise the influence they could bring to bear.
European governments need a deeper engagement strategy to draw these powerful actors into inclusive political processes and power-sharing structures that can help stabilise the region
The eastern Mediterranean is becoming ever more perilous as geopolitical fault lines steadily enmesh the region. These rifts emerge from the Cyprus ‘frozen conflict’, competition for valuable gas fields, and the increasingly entangled wars in Libya and Syria.
Turmoil in the Middle East and north Africa directly affects Europeans. Yet their influence in the region has never been weaker. This project maps Europe’s role across the Middle East and north Africa, making the case that Europeans can do more to leverage their influence in pursuit of core interests
ECFR’s Differentiation Tracker provides a snapshot of third state relations with Israel – and the extent to which these contain a clearly defined territorial definition that explicitly excludes Israeli settlements constructed on occupied territory in line with UNSCR 2334
Violence is tearing Mali and the Sahel apart. But who are the armed groups behind the bloodshed? Where are international actors stationed in the region? And what motivates them all?
An ECFR guide to the key disputes threatening to spark a wider Middle Eastern war
This interactive web project charts the constellation of political players as Palestinians approach a period of political change. Over 100 pen portraits reveal new insights into the personalities and power structures that will shape the future of Palestinian politics.
Mark Leonard welcomes Hugh Lovatt and Muhammad Shehada to discuss the war in Gaza and the prospects for Palestinian statehood
On Saturday evening, Iran launched a major attack on Israeli territory, with a combination of 300 drones and missiles. Israel’s air defense seems to have…
Mark Leonard welcomes Cinzia Bianco, Agathe Demarais, and Camille Lons to discuss the geoeconomics of the Gulf
Mark Leonard welcomes Hugh Lovatt, Julien Barnes-Dacey, and Jeremy Shapiro to discuss the current situation in Gaza and the possible futures of the war
Mark Leonard welcomes Cinzia Bianco and Theodore Murphy to discuss the crisis in the Red Sea and its escalation potential
Cinzia Bianco speaks to Dania Thafer and Elham Fakhro about the regional reverberations of the war in Gaza, particularly from the perspective of key Arab Gulf monarchies such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates
Jeremy Shapiro welcomes Cinzia Bianco and Hugh Lovatt to discuss the role of the Persian Gulf in the ongoing conflict in Gaza
Mark Leonard welcomes Eran Etzion, Julien Barnes-Dacey, and Hugh Lovatt to discuss Hamas’s offensive against Israel and its effects on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the wider Middle East
Mark Leonard welcomes Ellie Geranmayeh and Alistair Burt to understand the new multipolar order in the Middle East
Ellie Geranmayeh speaks to Tara Sepehri Far, Sussan Tahmasebi, and Sanam Vakil about the situation in Iran a year after the Mahsa Amini Protests
Migration in the Mediterranean has been a crisis factor for Europe for decades. To shed light on the issue, the discussion will revolve around ECFR’s policy brief edited by Lorena Stella Martini and Tarek Megerisi, which examines the case study of the Central Mediterranean route to analyse European externalization policies, focusing primarily on migration to Italy.
Many people outside the West want Europe and the US in their lives for all they have to offer – but that does not translate…
A poche settimane dall’inizio della COP28, è tempo di approfondire opportunità di cooperazione tra l’Italia, l’Europa e le monarchie del Golfo, così come sfide per gli interessi italiani ed europei legati a sicurezza energetica e climatica. Conflitti politici sul destino dei combustibili fossili da un lato, possibilità di rafforzare la posizione italiana ed europea nella transizione verde dall’altro. Il contributo delle imprese tra collaborazione pubblico-privato e iniziative cross-business all’insegna della sostenibilità.
On the occasion of the 30-year anniversary of the ‘Oslo peace process’, ECFR and MEI are hosting a hybrid conference, assessing the legacies of the Oslo process, ways to address today’s harsh realities on the ground, alternative strategies and outcomes for the future
Expert workshop on a new Mediterranean agenda for the EU, organized by the Rome office of ECFR and the Regional Program Political Dialogue South Mediterranean of the Konrad-Adenauer- Stiftung (KAS PolDiMed)
Tavola rotonda su sfide e opportunità per il Nord Africa organizzata dal Centro Studi Americani in collaborazione con l’Ufficio di Roma di ECFR, ENI e Atlantic Council
La conferenza è l’evento finale del progetto “Rome Foreign Policy Club: Gruppo di riflessione strategica su Italia, multilateralismo e interconnessioni”, con focus sugli scenari globali e per il Mediterraneo allargato dopo l’invasione dell’Ucraina
A panel discussion organized in collaboration with the Regional Program Political Dialogue South Mediterranean of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in the framework of the 8th edition of the Rome MED – Mediterranean Dialogues, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)
This Twitter Space will discuss important lessons from the ongoing protests in Iran and their implications for the country’s future
How can Europeans more effectively advance their human rights agenda as part of, and while maintaining, their broader relationships with regional states?