Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He focuses on the Gulf region and Yemen, including on Gulf relations with Iran and Israel. Born and raised in Beirut, Baghdad and Baalbek, Hussain earned a degree in history and archeology from the American University of Beirut, after which he worked as a reporter, and later managing editor, at Beirut’s The Daily Star. In Washington, Hussain helped set up and manage the Arabic satellite network Alhurra Iraq before heading the Washington bureau of Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai. Hussain has worked as a Visiting Fellow with London’s Chatham House, and has been published in The New York Times and The Washington Post and appeared on CNN and MSNBC and is a frequent commentator on major Arabic satellite networks.
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Drugs and Politics Keep Syrian Exports Out of Iraq By Haid Haid - Mar 24, 2023
Syrian freight trucks containing everything from food to clothes destined for Iraq are languishing at Al Qaim border crossing despite a deal having been reached to settle a long-running dispute more than two months ago. Iraqi and Syrian officials began talks to fully reopen the crossing in 2021, finally reaching an agreement on January 5 this year to allow Syrian freight trucks to enter Iraq through … Continue reading “Drugs and Politics Keep Syrian Exports Out of Iraq”

AI Grows More Powerful While We Become More Predictable By Joseph Dana - Mar 23, 2023
With any groundbreaking new technology, the pace of adoption climbs quickly. Over the past two decades, new platforms and tools, from the iPhone to TikTok, have seen progressively faster adoption rates. The adoption rate of ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence (AI) large language model owned by OpenAI, is unlike anything we have ever seen. Within five days of … Continue reading “AI Grows More Powerful While We Become More Predictable”

Iran-Saudi deal showcases Xi’s alternative world order By Yun Sun - Mar 22, 2023
Diplomats and analysts around the world are still trying to decipher China’s stunning diplomatic coup in brokering a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Other than the emergence of China with a new and unprecedented role as peacemaker in the Middle East, the most apparent takeaway for the Americans is that the United States is losing its influence in the region … Continue reading “Iran-Saudi deal showcases Xi’s alternative world order”

The Quest for Green Air Travel By Robin Mills - Mar 19, 2023
An airliner over Dubai’s coast, a single-engine helicopter, and a Japan-Abu Dhabi flight: sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has proven capable of powering air travel. But can supply rise and cost fall fast enough to make SAF a major part of the aviation industry’s journey to net-zero emissions? While aviation is responsible for about 2 percent of global … Continue reading “The Quest for Green Air Travel”

Food Insecurity Looms After Turkey’s Earthquakes By Alexandra de Cramer - Mar 17, 2023
Turkey’s economy was weak well before February’s devastating earthquakes, but damages to the country’s agricultural sector, one of its most important industries, could push Turkey over the edge. With the growing season fast approaching, farmers in the earthquake zone need immediate assistance to stave off nationwide food shortages. Food-related consequences of the disaster have already surfaced. Within a week … Continue reading “Food Insecurity Looms After Turkey’s Earthquakes”