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publications

Recent Articles:

  • Could Trump’s Shocking Plan for Gaza Lead Anywhere?
  • Memo to the 47th President: A New and Dangerous Middle East
  • Post-Assad Syria: ‘Now Comes the Hard Part’
  • FO° Talks: America’s New Fast-Changing Role in the Middle East, Part 1
  • FO° Talks: America’s New Fast-Changing Role in the Middle East (Part 2)
  • What Happens Now That the Iranian President Is Dead?
  • FO° Talks: The ICC Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu Is Devastating
  • Make Sense of the Latest Israel-Iran Clash
  • May Hasn’t Been a Good Month for Netanyahu or Israel
  • FO° Talks: Israel’s Invasion of Gaza Will Not Be Over Quickly
  • The World As Seen by Gary Grappo: A Lifetime of Service and Diplomacy
  • How to Contain Iran’s Dangerous Warmongers
  • FO° Talks: Daring Houthi Assaults in the Red Sea Threaten World Trade
  • Israel Faces Big Challenges After Three Months of War
  • Peacemaker, Warmonger, Genius: The Titanic Legacy of Henry Kissinger
  • How the Israel-Hamas War Threatens the Middle East
  • FO° Live: Make Sense of the New Israel-Gaza War
  • This Israel–Hamas Conflict Is Not The Same
  • Is There a US–Iran “Non-Agreement”?
  • Israel Moves to Round Two of Its Democracy Stress Test
  • What’s Behind Biden’s Delayed Invitation to Netanyahu?
  • Old Game, New Gold: What Is Saudi Arabia Planning With Golf?
  • 1535
  • From Upstart to Start-Up Nation, Israel at 75 Faces New Challenges
  • Book Review: In the Nation’s Service: The Life and Times of George P. Shultz
  • Imagine Russia in 2040
  • Late Cardinal Pell Wrong, Pope Francis Plans New Future
  • Totalitarianism Now Presents an Unprecedented Global Threat
  • R.I.P. JCPOA?
  • To Save Ukraine, America Must Help Europe
  • Decision Time on JCPOA
  • The Issue of Abortion Is a Litmus Test for the American Catholic Church
  • Will the US and Iran Meet Jaw to Jaw?
  • A Perspective on America’s Imperfect Democracy
  • Joe Biden Will Face a Much-Changed and Skeptical World
  • Biden Holds the Cards on Iran, But Will He Play Them?
  • Joe Biden and America’s Second Reconstruction
  • Amid Normalization With Israel, Sudan’s Future Hangs in the Balance
  • Foreign Policy, Anxiety and the US Election
  • Hezbollah and the Path to Ending Lebanon’s Occupation
  • Israel-UAE Deal: Arab States Are Tired of Waiting on Palestine
  • Was the First Gulf War the Last Triumph of Multilateralism?
  • The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Faces Its Most Consequential Decision in Decades
  • Student Visa Debacle: All One Needs to Know About Trump’s Presidency
  • Can the Saudi Call for Ceasefire in Yemen Work?
  • As President, Donald Trump Has a Duty
  • One Antidote to Coronavirus: More Multilateralism
  • What Made Sultan Qaboos the Best Friend Americans Never Knew
  • With Trump’s Peace Plan on the Table, Palestinians Face an Existential Decision
  • Sultan Qaboos Brought Light and Modernity to Oman
  • Who Wins and Loses in the Middle East?
  • The Stage Is Set for the Middle East in 2020
  • US Position on Legality of Israeli Settlements Not Good for Peace
  • Confessions of a Public Servant
  • Facing the Consequences of Abandoning the Kurds
  • Forever Enemies and Forever Wars
  • Jamal Khashoggi Continues to Haunt the World’s Conscience
  • Another Middle East War Is Internationalized
  • The World Without American Leadership
  • Is it Time for Diplomacy in Iran?
  • Why Aren’t Americans Paying Attention to Pope Francis’ Progressive Ideas?
  • For Iran, Options Are Few and Prospects Are Grim
  • The Mecca Summits: Is Something Going On?
  • The End of the Iran Nuclear Deal
  • Burns’ Back Channel to the Head of the Line
  • America’s Role in a Changing World
  • Setting U.S. Relations with Saudi Arabia on a Correction Course
  • Pompeo Attempts US Reset in the Middle East
  • With Mattis Departure, Who Will Keep Trump in Check Now?
  • Are Saudi Arabia and MBS Becoming a Liability for the White House?
  • Are US Sanctions Losing their Clout?
  • A King, a President and the Fate of MbS
  • The US Is in Uncharted Territory with Saudi Arabia
  • Saudi Arabia’s Complicated Troubles
  • The Tehran Summit Much Ado but Nothing for Syria
  • “Arab NATO” Still Not Ready for Prime Time
  • Trump’s Disgraceful Capitulation in Helsinki
  • The US President Attacks NATO
  • Trump in Ottawa and Singapore: The World Turned Upside Down
  • America under Trump: From Global Bridge Building to Demolition
  • North Korea’s Denuclearization: Is Cuba a Better Model than Libya?
  • The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Is So Predictable
  • Iraq’s New Kingmaker?
  • US Is Out: What Next for the Iran Deal?
  • Is America’s Disruptor-in-Chief Making an Impact?
  • Amb. Gary Grappo Reflects on a Tense Middle East
  • Syrian Civil War Escalates to International Crisis
  • The Saudi Royal Schmooze Tour
  • Shock, But Hold the Awe: Trump to Meet Kim
  • Wooing the West
  • Rex Tillerson’s The Magical, Mystery Tour of the Middle East
  • Putin Learning The Hard Lessons Of The Middle East
  • Is America’s Balancing Act in the Gulf Sustainable?
  • Government Shutdown and Partisanship in America
  • There Are No “Shithole Countries”
  • Palestinians Must Ditch Old Leaders, Chart New Course
  • Extinguishing the World’s Oldest Democratic Project
  • Trump Botches Jerusalem Opportunity
  • America’s Absence from the Global Stage
  • Staying with Iran Nuclear Deal ‘Trump’s Only Real Option’
  • Chances ‘Slim’ for a Quick Fix to GCC Standoff
  • In France, Savoring a Day When Americans Were the Good Guys
  • Donald Trump’s Month of Decision
  • Gulf States Need to Compromise with Qatar
  • Globalization: Made in the USA
  • China Looking to Expand Saudi Trade Via Renewable Energy, Petrochemicals
  • An American President in Saudi Arabia
  • Trump in the Middle East: Going Back to the Old Days
  • America’s Values Should Guide its Foreign Policy
  • Ex-ambassador to Secretary Rex Tillerson: You’re wrong, values matter in America
  • Trump-Abbas Meeting: Hold Off on the Ululating and Mazel Tovs
  • Is the White House Changing Trump?
  • Making Iraq Great Again
  • Saudi King Goes on Asian Investment Tour
  • Saudi-Iranian Tension Drives GCC Policy
  • Democracy in a Nation Divided
  • Can Trump Break The Status Quo in Israeli-Palestinian Relations?
  • Obama Leaves No Legacy in the Middle East
  • Six Ways to Recommit to the U.S. Partnership with Saudi Arabia
  • Ending the Global Crime of Human Trafficking
  • UN Resolution on Israel Changes Nothing
  • The World Is Watching: Global Views on the U.S. Election — Saudi Arabia
  • The Complex Portrait of Saudi Arabia
  • Globalization: Made in the USA!
  • In Defense of Globalization
  • Why Can’t Islam Unite Against Violent Extremism?
  • The U.S. and Saudi Arabia: A Special Relationship
  • Terror Comes to My Hometown
  • Saudi Arabia: Setting Lofty Goals
  • More Puzzling Decision-Making From Saudi Arabia
  • Ambassador Grappo Interviewed on Leslie Marshall Show on the Battle for Northern Syria
  • Ambassador Grappo Interviewed on the Leslie Marshall Show on Syria Crisis
  • Arab Military Forces to Take on ISIS: More Questions With No Answers
  • A Plan to Defeat the Islamic State and End the Assad Regime
  • Are Saudi Arabia and Iran on a Collision Course?
  • Is There a Future For Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations?
  • Resolve, Not Rhetoric, Will Defeat the Islamic State
  • Events Portend Worsening Middle East Crises
  • The Middle East’s Perfect Storm?
  • A Glimmer of Hope for the Syrian Crisis… But Only
  • A Foreign Policy Checklist for US Presidential Candidates
  • Saudi Arabia and Israel’s Fertile Common Ground
  • In the Shadow of Qaboos: Contemplating Leadership Change in Oman
  • Palestinians Must Launch a Third Intifada, But Not Against Israel
  • New Leadership Is Sorely Needed to Make Progress for the Palestinians
  • On the Front Lines of American Diplomacy
  • Iran’s Strategic Victory: Hezbollah-ized Iraq
  • Iran’s Strategic Victory: Hezbollah-ized Iraq
  • Saudi Arabia and Oman Have Different Experiences With Extremism
  • The One-State Solution: Simplistic Illusion
  • Given His Past Failures, Can Obama Strike a Verifiable Nuke Deal With Iran?
  • The Case for US Intervention in the Middle East
  • Steep Mountain of US-Iran Relations
  • Obama’s Flawed Anti-ISIS Strategy
  • The Islamic State’s Challenge to the GCC
  • Defeating ISIS Requires a Comprehensive Strategy Beyond Drone & Air Strikes
  • James Foley’s Murder & the Strategy of Making Terrorism Personal
  • The Case for War and Peace in the Middle East
  • Maliki’s Inevitable Demise
  • Time for a Shift in the Middle East Peace Paradigm
  • Few Common Interests Undermine US-Iran Cooperation in Iraq
  • Bush and Obama: Ignorance and Errors Compound Middle East Problems
  • Iraq: Collapse and Chaos in the Cradle of Civilization
  • Virtualizing the Syrian Revolution
  • The Collapse of Iraq Would Open a New Front in the Sunni-Shia War
  • Palestinian Unity Government: What’s Next for the Peace Effort?
  • GCC Moves into Uncertain Territory
  • What Happens After Mideast Peace Deadline Passes with No Framework?
  • Clash of Old and New Complicates Middle East Peace
  • The Fallacies of Russia’s Apologists
  • Return of the Great Game or the Cold War?
  • Why the U.S. Must Aid Iraqi Democracy Now
  • With Iraq in Deep Trouble, US Military Aid Now Key to Stabilizing Middle East
  • Lesson of Lebanon Can Help Solve Syrian Crisis
  • Middle East Peace Only Gets Harder
  • Failure at Geneva
  • Syria, Iraq and the Middle East’s Enduring Sectarian Conflict
  • Here’s a Plan to End the Conflcit in Syria — Support Assad
  • Saving Syria May Mean Accepting Assad — For Now
  • What the Saudis Are Not Saying
  • Five Things Rouhani Can Do to Show Iran Is Serious About Rapprochement
  • Rethinking Democracy and Conflict in the Middle East
  • Rethinking Democracy and Conflict in the Middle East
  • Syria’s Act III: A Religious War in the Middle East
  • Syria’s Act III: A Religious War in the Middle East
  • American Leadership Is Vital to Confront Islamist Terrorism
  • Home Slide

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Could Trump’s Shocking Plan for Gaza Lead Anywhere?

February 7, 2025 By Gary Grappo

Experts say the president’s plan for Gaza as stated, isn’t feasible – but it could spark regional actors to take more action. BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT – As President Donald Trump doubles down on his idea of a U.S. takeover of Gaza, Arab governments are also doubling down on their objections and questions persist as to […]

Memo to the 47th President: A New and Dangerous Middle East

December 27, 2024 By Gary Grappo

EDITOR’S NOTE — Since Donald Trump’s victory in the November 5 election, The Cipher Brief has reached out to our network of experts for thoughts on what the priorities ought to be for the second Trump administration. Our ask was straightforward: If you were given the opportunity of a short visit with the president during his first days in […]

Post-Assad Syria: ‘Now Comes the Hard Part’

December 27, 2024 By Gary Grappo

A Cipher Brief expert with deep experience in the Middle East sees both danger and an “extraordinary opportunity” in the wake of Assad’s fall. EXPERT INTERVIEW — The headlines would have seemed fanciful two weeks ago: “Rebel Army Ousts Assad” – “The Fall of Assad” – “Assad Flees to Russia” – or our own, from Sunday: “Syria’s Political […]

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