EDITORIAL

John A. Calabrese
(Dr. John Calabrese teaches international relations at American University in Washington, DC. He is the book review editor of The Middle East Journal and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI). He previously served as director of MEI's Middle East-Asia Project (MAP).

Copyright: @ 2025 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 19 January 2025

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies

While grappling with inflation shocks and the aftermath of natural disasters, Morocco has maintained steady economic progress. As its economy rebounds, Morocco's ambitions extend beyond mere growth; it seeks to position itself as a bridge between Africa and Europe while maintaining balanced relationships with global powers from both the East and West.... Read more

Shaul Shay
(Senior research fellow at the International Institute for Counter-terrorism (ICT) at the Interdisciplinary Centre Herzliya and former deputy head of Israel’s National Security Council)
Jacob Rosen Koenigsbuch
(Former Ambassador of Israel in Jordan)

Copyright: @ 2025 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 1 January 2025

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies

After the swift collapse of Assad’s regime, like all the players on the international and regional arenas, Jordan too was surprised and observes the shifting scene in Syria with caution and great concern and adopts the necessary security measures to prevent threats to its security and sovereignty. The collapse of the Assad regime also illuminated at once both the strategic importance of Jordan but also some of its vulnerabilities. Read more

John A. Calabrese
(Dr. John Calabrese teaches international relations at American University in Washington, DC. He is the book review editor of The Middle East Journal and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI). He previously served as director of MEI's Middle East-Asia Project (MAP).

Copyright: @ 2024 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 22 December 2024

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies

The sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad has forced Gulf Arab states to confront a power vacuum and reassess their strategic priorities. This unexpected development has raised questions about the future of Syria and the Gulf’s role in shaping its trajectory.

The Legacy of Intervention in Syria

The toppling of the Assad regime marked the failure of the Gulf states’ normalization strategy with the regime. It is also a reminder that the Gulf Arab countries’ involvement in the Syrian civil war has left a mixed legacy, marked by strategic missteps, costly consequences, and a tarnished record of intervention. At the onset of the conflict, states such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE funneled substantial financial and military resources to opposition groups, aiming to undermine the Assad regime and counter Iran’s growing influence in Syria. However, these efforts often lacked coordination and coherence, leading to unintended outcomes that exacerbated the chaos.... Read more

John A. Calabrese
(Dr. John Calabrese teaches international relations at American University in Washington, DC. He is the book review editor of The Middle East Journal and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI). He previously served as director of MEI's Middle East-Asia Project (MAP).

Copyright: @ 2024 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 12 December 2024

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies

Amid rising concerns over the future trajectory of US-Africa relations, President Joe Biden’s visit to Angola earlier this month came at a pivotal moment. With Donald Trump set to assume office in January as Biden’s successor, the visit highlighted the current administration’s efforts to redefine America’s engagement with Africa, placing a strong emphasis on infrastructure development and expanding access to critical minerals. ... Read more

Shaul Shay
(Senior research fellow at the International Institute for Counter-terrorism (ICT) at the Interdisciplinary Centre Herzliya and former deputy head of Israel’s National Security Council)

Copyright: @ 2024 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 4 December 2024

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions have launched a surprise attack against the Assad regime forces in Idlib province on November 27, 2024. The offensive began after rebels formed a new coalition called the “Military Operations Command.” The new grouping is made up of a broad spectrum of opposition forces, from Islamist factions to moderates. The leader of the new coalition is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al Qaeda affiliate in Syria that used to go by the name Al-Nusra Front... Read more

By Dr. Ilias Iliopoulos
(Dr. Ilias Iliopoulos was awarded his Ph.D. (Dr. phil) from the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich. He has long been a Professor at the Hellenic National Defence College, the Hellenic Naval War College and the American College of Greece. He is currently teaching International Relations and History, Strategy, and Geopolitics at the Department of Turkish and Modern Asian Studies of the National University of Athens, Greece)

Copyright: @ 2024 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 1 December 2024

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies

The President of the Republic of Korea (broadly known as South Korea) Yoon Suk-yeol held an impressive speech on the occasion of the Liberation Day, 15 August 2024, in which he reaffirmed  Seoul’s  commitment to the unification of both parts of the Korean peninsula. President Yoon Suk-yeol went so far to declare that his country would ‘keep the door to inter-Korean dialogue wide open’; and even more significantly, he did so despite Kim Jong-un’s announcement at the end of 2023 of a new Two Koreas Policy, which defined the so called Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (i.e., North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (a.k.a. South Korea) as ‘two belligerent states’, thus abandoning the policy of ‘peaceful unification’ which had been the declared objective of the Communist North since decades, at least in theory.... Read more