Middle East & North Africa

685 Items

Henry Kissinger

AP/Markus Schreiber

Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy

Solving the Mystery of Henry Kissinger's Reputation

| June 09, 2023

Stephen Walt critiques Henry Kissinger's professional life by dividing it into three parts: as an academic at Harvard; as national security advisor and secretary of state; and as an author, pundit, and sage, much of it conducted as the head of Kissinger Associates, the consulting firm he founded after leaving government.

People inspect the wreckage of buildings that were damaged by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022.

AP Photo/Hani Mohammed

Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Significance of the Iran-Saudi Arabia Agreement Brokered by China

Belfer Center experts on the U.S.-China relationship and Middle East issues shared thoughts on the significance of the unexpected Iran-Saudi Arabia agreement brokered by China. 

President Ebrahim Raisi, left, shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping

Iranian Presidency Office via AP, File

Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

| Mar. 14, 2023

Stephen Walt argues that China could mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia because it has cordial, business-like ties with a majority of countries in the region: China has diplomatic relations and does business with all sides.  The United States, by contrast, has "special relationships" with some countries in the Middle East and no relationship at all with others, most notably Iran, which handicaps its Middle East policy.