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Jonathan Spyer

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi visit the desalination plant at Olga Beach in Haifa, July 6, 2017. Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO.

Key factors behind the improvement in Israel-India relations

From defense spending to agriculture, water management, drip irrigation, pharmaceuticals and the tech field, the deepening connection between Jerusalem and New Delhi is inescapable. Where does the relationship go from here?

January 10, 2023

Syrian President Bashar Assad. Credit: Photowalking/Shutterstock.

Implications of the revival of contacts between Syria and Turkey

Despite significant signs of rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus, the situation of de facto partition and frozen conflict in Syria seems likely to continue.

September 13, 2022

Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, shows then-President Hassan Rouhani models of nuclear centrifuges, April 9, 2019. Credit: Iranian President’s Office.

The latest killings in Iran may indicate a notable shift in Israeli strategy

A change to the rules of engagement appears to have taken place, in which the totality of Iranian actions will now be opposed, including on Iranian soil.

June 29, 2022

U.S. President Joe Biden. Credit: POTUS/Twitter.

The gaps between Western and non-Western US allies on the Ukraine war

For mid-level regional powers, avoiding non-essential friction with a major power like Russia is seen as an imperative, particularly in a situation where consistent support from their U.S. patron is by no means a given.

May 11, 2022

A map of Yemen, with Shabwa Governorate in red. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Houthi/Iranian attacks on the UAE are a response to losses in Yemen

Incensed by recent government gains in Yemen, the Iranians seek to intimidate the UAE into reversing course. It is therefore vital that at this juncture, both the U.S. and Israel offer support for the UAE’s cause.

February 1, 2022

An old Israeli tank with a flag overlooking the Syrian town of Quneitra in the Golan Heights on Feb. 11, 2018. Photo by Hadas Parush/Flash90.

Current trends in Syria and the Israeli national interest

While the current situation in Syria does not threaten Israel, the moderate Arab states are pursuing a path of diplomacy that, if successful, is likely to result in an Iran-controlled deep state alongside a nominal government.

January 11, 2022

U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a conference phone call in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 16, 2021. Credit: Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson.

Strategic incoherence continued: US policy towards Syria under Biden

American determination to draw down in the Middle East, which characterized the Obama, Trump and now Biden administrations, appears likely to prevent the development of any coherent strategy.

June 15, 2021

U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office. Jan. 28, 2021. Source: U.S. President Joe Biden/Facebook.

Yemen’s place in the Mideast strategic equation

The U.S. decision to withdraw support from the battle against the Houthis in Yemen signals an attempt at “balancing” rival regional powers along the lines attempted by the Obama administration.

March 31, 2021