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

    Decision to Withdraw from Syria Sparks Debate Among Republicans

    President Donald Trump surprised friends and adversaries alike this week by announcing that the U.S. would be withdrawing the roughly 2,000 troops deployed in northeastern Syria as part of the counter-ISIS campaign. While Democratic lawmakers condemned the initiative as a matter of course, an...

  • By Joseph Braude

    Iran Declines an Off-Ramp Overture

    Tehran has doubled down on a course of diplomatic brinkmanship that may inadvertently consolidate the Western alliance. President Rouhani spurned a long-planned overture by French President Macron to broker a clandestine meeting with U.S. President Trump, while publicly expanding Iran’s list of...

  • By Joseph Braude

    Unprecedented Iranian Attacks Spark a Paradigm Shift in the West

    In the aftermath of the mid-September attacks on Saudi oil production facilities, American and Saudi officials maintain that they do not seek military conflict with Iran, but have intensified their campaign to isolate the country diplomatically....

  • By Joseph Braude

    Drone Attacks on Saudi Oil Fields Reinforce Tensions in Gulf

    An apparent Iranian attack on Saudi oil facilities has escalated tensions in the Gulf to new heights. American officials swiftly dismissed Houthi claims of responsibility and pointed an accusing finger at Iran. The affair seems to have quashed any possibility of American-Iranian diplomatic...

  • By Joseph Braude

    Iran Throws Down the Gauntlet

    Tehran’s contest of nuclear brinkmanship with the West entered a new phase as Iran moved this week towards resuming uranium enrichment with advanced centrifuges, signaling a deepening break with the provisions of the 2015 JCPOA. For its part, the American-led sanctions regime on Iranian crude o...

  • By Joseph Braude

    While an Iranian Satellite Goes Up in Flames, France Explores an Economic Bailout for Tehran

    The first week in September marked a new phase in the ongoing confrontation between Tehran and the West. While Israel uncovered a new Iranian base in Syria of unprecedented size, President Trump made cryptic comments over Twitter suggesting that the U.S. may have claimed another success in cont...

  • By Joseph Braude

    U.S.-Iran Negotiations Nixed While Israel Expands Its Campaign Against Tehran Proxies

    While President Trump delivered a rebuke to voices calling for immediate negotiations with Iran, labeling such moves premature, Iranian officials disavowed any intention of seeking talks with the U.S., indicating tensions are likely to persist for some time. Elsewhere in the region, Israeli...

  • By Joseph Braude

    Iranian Tanker Released from Gibraltar, but Sanctions Draw a Growing Toll

    Gibraltar has released an Iranian oil tanker detained over a month ago, prompting American officials to issue a stern warning to Greece and others against allowing it to berth in their ports lest they incur American sanctions. Meanwhile, the ongoing burden of those sanctions has caused some in...

  • By Joseph Braude

    Iran Turns Its Economic Hopes to China — But Its Hopes May be Dashed

    The American sanctions campaign continues to have devastating effects on Iranian commerce. Europe and India are pivoting to alternate supplies of oil and cutting their own exports to Iran. Tehran now pins its hopes on China not following suit — yet economic data for the last two months appears to...

  • By Joseph Braude

    Iranian Oil Smuggling and Naval Piracy Fail to Blunt Sanctions

    As Washington’s net of sanctions continues to tighten, Iran has mounted a campaign of naval and diplomatic brinkmanship toward America’s Arab and European allies. Despite these efforts — and a sophisticated Iranian oil smuggling campaign in Asia — American sanctions are dealing the Iranian...

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Opinion

How Will Hezbollah Respond to Israel’s Drone Attack?
By Hanin Ghaddar
Hezbollah’s Lebanese Allies Can Be Contained
By Hanin Ghaddar
Iran Turns Its Economic Hopes to China — But Its Hopes May be Dashed
By Joseph Braude
Iranian Oil Smuggling and Naval Piracy Fail to Blunt Sanctions
By Joseph Braude
US-Iran Tensions: From Maximum Pressure to Maximum Leverage?
By Dennis Ross
Iran Goads West into Tightening Containment
By Joseph Braude