Alex Vatanka
Foreign Policy
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Alex:
What the Hijab Protests Mean for Iran’s Clerical Class
The supreme leader’s stance could become a source of widening divide. → Read More
Water Security Cooperation Could Bring the Persian Gulf Together
With supplies running out, water security could be the issue that finally makes the region’s countries work together. → Read More
The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Could Make Tehran’s Worst Nightmare Come True
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict could spill over to Iran’s Azeri minority, setting off a battle the government can’t contain. → Read More
COVID-19 and Iran’s misplaced priorities
COVID-19 is undoubtedly the biggest health crisis in our lifetime. Pundits around the world, but also a long list of policymakers from Washington to Abu Dhabi to Beijing, wonder about the long-term implications of this deadly pandemic. While there is plenty of speculation about how this crisis might re-balance global power dynamics, other foreign policy implications are more immediately… → Read More
China’s Great Game in Iran
Tehran needs a friend. Beijing may be a dangerous one. → Read More
Monday Briefing: A mixed record for PM Khan’s first year in office
This week's briefing on recent news and upcoming events in the region featuring Arif Rafiq, Ibrahim Jalal, Michael Sexton and Eliza Campbell, and Alex Vatanka. → Read More
Stuck in the Middle With Iran
Under pressure, Baghdad might not choose the United States. → Read More
The Gulf state that might get Israel and Iran talking
Despite the risks of war between the U.S. and Iran, a narrow diplomatic opportunity exists. But it is not between Washington and Tehran, but rather between Jerusalem and Tehran → Read More
Iran’s Zarif Can’t Catch a Break
By designating the IRGC a terrorist group, Trump has put the heat on the United States’ one potential ally in Tehran. → Read More
Monday Briefing: Algeria's political crisis is deepening
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Robert S. Ford, Paul Salem, Marvin G. Weinbaum, Wa'el Alzayat, and Alex Vatanka provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including Algeria's ongoing political crisis, the 16th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, criticism of the U.S.-Taliban talks by Afghanistan's national security advisor, international fundraising efforts to aid… → Read More
Monday Briefing: Tenuous promise in Pakistan and Afghanistan
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Marvin G. Weinbaum, Robert S. Ford, Alex Vatanka, and Birol Baskan provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including a potential agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan, protests in Algeria, Rouhani's planned trip to Baghdad, and recent Turkish naval exercises. Tenuous promise in Pakistan and Afghanistan Marvin G. WeinbaumDirector for… → Read More
Challenges abound as the Islamic Republic turns 40
This February marks the 40th anniversary of Iran’s 1979 revolution and the birth of the Islamic Republic, but for those in power in Tehran, celebrating the victories of the past is easier than dealing with the problems of the present. Challenges abound on all sides. → Read More
Weekly Briefing: Pompeo’s visit raises more questions than it answers
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Gerald Feierstein, Paul Salem, Alex Vatanka, W. Robert Pearson, and Mirette F. Mabrouk provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent visit to the Middle East, recent protests in Sudan, Iranian outreach to Baghdad, President Trump's discussion with President Erdogan on treatment of the Kurds, and the… → Read More
Iran and the United States Can be Friends
They almost were, and now Hassan Rouhani could help get things back on track. → Read More
Iran prepares for US sanctions
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Alex Vatanka, Marvin G. Weinbaum, and Charles Lister provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including Iran's decision to sell its oil in the private sector, the prime minister of Pakistan's search for foreign aid, and the Syrian summit in Istanbul. → Read More
Khashoggi disappearance sends shock waves
In this week's briefing, MEI experts discuss recent and upcoming events including the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Saudi consulate in Turkey, the arrests of an opposition leader and a prominent journalist in Pakistan, and Iran’s decision to join the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). → Read More
Rouhani’s Path to Becoming Supreme Leader
Facing death threats at home, he has one trump card left to play to stay in the race. → Read More
From Facebook to YouTube, Netanyahu is actively courting the Iranian people. There couldn’t be a worse messenger
Tehran, it's Little Satan calling: As conflict between Israel and Iran looms over Syria, Netanyahu seeks to pressure Tehran by addressing Iranians directly. But what if Israeli and Iranian citizens themselves built their own anti-escalation, anti-war dialogue? → Read More
Trump’s unconvincing "hearts and minds" strategy on Iran
In the span of one week, President Donald Trump both warned Iran’s leaders of a calamitous response to any belligerence from Tehran and offered Tehran a “real” nuclear deal if they come back to the negotiation table. It is just the latest example of the Trump administration’s disjointed Iran policy. → Read More
The decline of the US’s role in Syria
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Charles Lister, Alex Vatanka, Randa Slim, and Marvin G. Weinbaum provide analysis on the US's silence amid the Assad regime's expansion, the Iranian president's trip to Europe, the uptick in violence after Iraq's elections, and the upcoming Pakistani parliamentary elections. → Read More