Columnist

Joseph Braude

Middle East specialist Joseph Braude is the author of Broadcasting Change: Arabic Media as a Catalyst for Liberalism (Rowman & Littlefield). He is Advisor to the Al-Mesbar Center for Research and Studies and tweets@josephbraude.

Latest Articles

  • By Joseph Braude

    A New Pacific Cold War Between Washington and Beijing

    While social tension and unrest in the streets of the United States have garnered most of the headlines, in the diplomatic backgroundm the makings of an intensified rivalry between Washington and Beijing are growing. The Trump administration has taken a series of measures — withdrawing from the...

  • By Joseph Braude

    Tehran Ruler Threatens Genocide, Sustains a Cyber-Blow

    As the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak appears to have crested, older patterns of conflict and foreign policy are re-asserting themselves. Iranian leader Khamene’i took the occasion of Qods Day to return to genocidal rhetoric. In so doing, he elicited harsh denunciation from Western...

  • By Joseph Braude

    A Rare U.S. Political Consensus to Get Tough on China

    Amid the coronavirus crisis, foreign policy debates in Washington are coming to center around the future of America’s relationship with Beijing. While a casual reading of American media would suggest a traditional divide along partisan lines, with Republicans favoring a more hawkish posture and...

  • By Joseph Braude

    Amid a Rising Pandemic Toll, Iran Flashes Riot Gear to Quell Unrest

    The Iranian leadership’s difficulties in coping with the coronavirus pandemic have grown increasingly stark, as internal documents indicate an outbreak substantially worse than the figures officially released to the public. Key decision-makers, including Ayatollah Khamene’i himself, appear...

  • By Joseph Braude

    Iran is Yielding Ground to the Combined Pressure of its Adversaries 

    The past week has been a difficult one for Tehran and its regional ambitions. Israeli air strikes, economic collapse stemming from the coronavirus, and an ever-tightening American campaign of sanctions have exacted a heavy toll. Tehran has begun to show signs of yielding ground to the combined...

  • By Joseph Braude

    US Tightens Binds of Containment on Iran as Virus Rages

    Over the last week, Washington has turned its eye once more to tightening the binds of containment, in response to Iranian provocations in the Gulf, moving to extend a UN arms embargo and deliver a sharp warning to Iranian naval commanders. Owing to the depredations of the coronavirus, Tehran’s...

  • By Joseph Braude

    Coronavirus Could Offer Avenue to Ease US-Turkey Tensions

    An unanticipated side effect of the coronavirus pandemic has been the upending of traditional regional dynamics in favor of new, ad hoc coalitions to contain the effects of the virus. One particularly salient example is Washington’s relationship with Ankara, characterized by both chronic and deep...

  • By Joseph Braude

    Iran, Devastated by Coronavirus, Seeks to Lift Travel Restrictions in a bid to Salvage Economy 

    Iranian authorities have yet to find their footing as the coronavirus outbreak continues to ravage the country and the demands of social distancing exact a high economic toll. In a bid to salvage an economy already weakened by American sanctions, Rouhani has promised a loan to impoverished...

  • By Joseph Braude

    Coronavirus Fuels Calls for Sanctions Relief on Iran, Opponents Hold Sway

    As coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, the ramifications of its outbreak in the Middle East have begun to stir a policy debate in Washington. Many voices, particularly those traditionally supportive of detente with Tehran, have begun to call for sanctions relief on Iran in the name...

  • By Joseph Braude

    As Virus Toll in Iran Mounts, Leadership Begins to Awaken

    As coronavirus spreads across the globe, almost no country has been hit more severely than Iran. The government’s early reluctance to impose social distancing measures has brought harsh results as the number of infections rise by the tens of thousands. While it appears Tehran has begun to shift...

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Opinion

A New Pacific Cold War Between Washington and Beijing
By Joseph Braude
Gebran Bassil's Dispute with Hezbollah
By Elie Fawaz
Iran’s Patience Game Ensures a Prolonged Wait for Sovereignty Dreams
By Alia Mansour
Michael Jordan’s Last Dance
By Elie Fawaz
When it comes to Syria, Russia Lacks a Strategic Plans and Continues to Resort to International Deception
By Alia Mansour
Lebanese Zajal 
By Elie Fawaz