Jordan

commentary

Peace with the Region Is Not a Peace Plan

Acceptance of Israel from the broader Arab world will not resolve the dilemma of how the Israelis and the Palestinians can agree to live on the same land together. A viable plan for the future, one that is about real peace and not a one-sided political gambit, must recognize these realities.

Dalia Dassa Kaye

commentary

Jobs Can Improve the Lives of Syrian Refugees and Their Host Communities—and Support Stability in the Middle East

Host governments, international development agencies, and donor countries like the United States could take several steps to improve Syrian refugee employment. This would increase self-reliance among Syrian refugees and ease pressures on host communities.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Krishna B. Kumar

commentary

As Refugees, Syrian Women Find Liberation in Working

Syrian refugee women in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan want opportunities to work. But there are multiple barriers and challenges that limit them. Improving the chances of safe and dignified work opportunities for Syrian women in these countries could yield broad positive social benefits for both the refugee and host communities.

Louay Constant, Shanthi Nataraj, et al.

commentary

Syrian Skills: A Missed Opportunity

Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon are finding ways to get by. But many refugees are not able to fully use their skills, and that is a lost opportunity both for the Syrians and the host countries.

Shanthi Nataraj, Louay Constant

q&a

The Post–Arab Spring Experience: Q&A with Shelly Culbertson

It's too early to say whether the Arab Spring will turn out to be a success or not. The Arab Spring was about people deciding what they did not want and rising up against it, but they hadn't worked out what they did want. Many of them still have hope.

commentary

Hidden Dangers of Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem

Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem would antagonize partners in the Islamic world who are key to fighting ISIS. And any potential cooperation that might have developed between Israel and Arab states over common concerns about Iran could suffer.

Dalia Dassa Kaye

commentary

A Different Kind of Refugee Crisis

In Jordan and Lebanon, middle-income countries with robust public sectors where a significant Syrian population may be present for years to come, solutions should be more about supporting the expansion of existing national public services, rather than creating new, internationally run parallel services.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson

announcement

RAND's Shelly Culbertson Publishes Book on Middle East After the Arab Spring

A new book by RAND's Shelly Culbertson mixes travel memoir, reporting, and analysis across six Middle Eastern countries, presenting diverse experiences of the Arab Spring.

commentary

Battered by War, Syrian Refugee Kids Need to Be Taught

More than 700,000 Syrian refugee children are not receiving formal education. Host countries are struggling to create enough spaces to accommodate them in schools, and there are no formal programs to teach children who have missed years of instruction.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Louay Constant

commentary

Help Syria Avoid a 'Lost Generation'

Young Syrian refugees are brimming with potential, but lack the educational and livelihood pathways through which to channel their energy and aspirations. As the international community looks for ways to end the violence in the region, it must not overlook the plight or the potential of these children.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Tom Ling, et al.

commentary

ISIS's Calculated Barbarity

ISIS's decision to murder its Jordanian hostage by burning him alive may turn out to be a strategic miscalculation, but it is not madness. Through self-selection, continued fighting, and the exaltation of unlimited violence, ISIS has created a cult whose members command and revel in displays of ever-increasing cruelty.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

q&a

Experts React to ISIS's Gruesome Execution of Jordanian Pilot

A grisly video released yesterday by ISIS appears to show Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh burned alive in a cage. Why the shift away from beheadings? What does the execution mean for Jordan? What implications will it have for ISIS?

commentary

Syrian Refugees: A Blessing in Disguise?

To avoid further resentment and restrictions on Syrians desperate to escape their war-torn country, as well as the instability such attitudes generate, the international community must work with host governments to increase and highlight the benefits refugee populations can bring to neighboring states.

Dalia Dassa Kaye

commentary

Syria's Simmering Crisis

At least half of Syrian refugee children aren't in school. Those who are face risks to the quality of education they receive, a risk they share with host-country children. But by making long-term investments, the international community can help ensure education isn't another casualty of the war.

Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson

commentary

The Health Needs of Syrian Women in and Around the Za'atari Refugee Camp

The Syrian conflict, now in its fourth year, has been the main contributor to the largest refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide—and the problem can be expected to get worse as the fighting continues.

Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik

commentary

The U.S. Can't Count on Regional Support in the Fight Against ISIS

Regional governments may put some of their differences aside to help fight ISIS. But in a region rife with turmoil and multiple internal fissures, Washington cannot count on its confrontation with ISIS as its partners' overriding priority.

Dalia Dassa Kaye

commentary

To Fight ISIS, Make Peace with Syria's Assad

To disrupt al-Baghdadi's advance, the United States and its allies should start by addressing the source of the problem -- the conflict in Syria. They can begin by negotiating a truce with President Bashar Assad to stop the fighting in Syria.

William Young

commentary

Generations of Terrorism

Whatever its eventual outcome, Syria's civil war has already produced thousands of experienced jihadists who will continue to threaten the region for years to come, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

commentary

The Domino Effect of Arab Unrest

There is no clear political party or leader ready to step in if the regime in Egypt falls. However, this protest is not without leadership; it is spearheaded by a large network of Egyptian human rights groups and other citizens, writes Julie Taylor.

Julie E. Taylor