Analyses

Rail Network Strategy: Jordanian hopes and Search for Regional Integration

This paper provides an overview of the national railway network project, which was announced in the Government’s Economic Priorities Program for 2021-2023, explaining the economic basis of the project based on theoretical references of the railway sector. Additionally, the paper examines the national railway's interactions with global logistical interconnection projects across the Middle East, where large-scale projects were announced both in complementary and conflicting contexts, which demonstrates that the national railway cannot be separated from regional and international turmoil.

The Changing Landscape in Central Asia after Afghanistan's Fall

Central Asian countries are back at the forefront of events and analyses after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in conjunction with the US withdrawal. This article examines the reactions of Central Asian countries in local and regional context and the future of their relations with the Taliban.

Afghanistan Is Falling Apart

The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is set to be completed by September 11, 2021. Yet the dramatically escalating trajectories, along with the Taliban’s sudden and easy entry into the capital after the collapse of the Afghan army and the escape of President Ashraf Ghani, are indications that the Islamic Emirate might be established before that date and that the U.S. military presence was brought to an end overnight.

The Ruling Taliban: Domestic Challenges and Geostrategic Goals

News from Afghanistan is at the forefront of international capitals' attention, with Taliban Movement taking control of Afghan geography, marking a turning point in the history of a country that is ever engaged in international tensions, once in the collapse of the Soviet Union and then in the war on terrorism. The following paper outlines the most important "domestic" challenges facing the Movement in establishing sustainable and stable political governance. It also reviews Taliban in the highly competitive geostrategic perspective between Washington on the one hand and Beijing and Moscow on the other. The paper concludes by demonstrating the importance of gaining international recognition for the government that Taliban says it is forming with various parties, noting that such recognition will remain subject to Taliban’s ability to prove its good will in breaking with its past and building a new reality away from terrorism or extremism.

Kais Saied Is Not a Dictator

Tunisia’s controversial president is seeking to preserve the legacy of the Arab Spring by stamping out corruption and promoting decentralized democracy.

Democracy Versus Digital Democracy

The concept of digital democracy has long been addressed as a means by which democratic practices are integrated with newest technology tools, at a time when traditional practices are facing several challenges. The following article reviews the concept and applications of digital democracy and the imbalance in reconciling it with the concept of digital securitization.

Will London Side with Tunisians and Abandon Political Islam?

After the failure of its political Islam-based project, the UK’s position on the events in Tunisia will determine the future positions of the West in general, particularly the United States which seems to have learned from the lessons of the Egyptian case by not considering what is happening in Tunisia as a coup, according to a White House statement.

Arab Nationalism When the solution turns into a new problem

Levant: All Eyes on East