latest

Ethiopia Needs the United States to Act as an Honest Broker in the Nile Dam Dispute

As East Africa faces a triple crisis from COVID-19, floods, and locusts, cutting U.S. aid to the Ethiopian government is not the solution. Neutral mediation to resolve the GERD dispute can result in a win-win situation.

Argument |

Tigist Mekonnen Melesse

Afghanistan Takes One Small Step Toward Peace

An agreement on rules and procedures of future talks is the first sign of progress between the Afghan government and Taliban in months.

Morning Brief |

Colm Quinn

Biden Needs to Move Fast if He Wants a New Deal With Iran

Moderates will lose the June 2021 presidential election in Iran unless there is a new agreement and sanctions relief—and the United States can forget diplomacy if hardliners win.

Argument |

Saeid Jafari

Why China Just Doubled Down on Australia

Facing increasingly hostile diplomacy, Canberra is more likely to strengthen defense ties with Washington than cave to Beijing.

China Brief |

James Palmer

Charles Lister

Charles Lister is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and a senior consultant to The Shaikh Group’s Track II Syria Dialogue Initiative. Follow him on Twitter at: @Charles_Lister.

Stories by Charles Lister