Charles Lister
Foreign Policy
Washington, DC, United States
Contact Charles
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Charles:
Syria’s Earthquake Victims Are Trapped by Assad
Russia left the war-torn region with only a single border crossing—and it’s no longer open for aid. → Read More
Something Has to Give in Postwar Syria
Thirteen years of constant crisis is heading toward inevitable breakdown. → Read More
Is the EU Starting to Wobble on Freezing Out Assad?
Cracks have begun to emerge between EU member states on Syria policy. → Read More
The Folly of Reengaging Assad
Jordan tried to reestablish ties with the Syrian dictator’s regime. It was a disaster. → Read More
Putin’s War Killed Syria Diplomacy
It’s time for a new way forward. → Read More
The jihadist threat is outliving its global leaders
The killing of al Qaeda deputy leader Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, which multiple current and former U.S. officials have attributed to a team of Israeli agents, according to the Associated Press, was a big blow to the top tier of America's decades-long terrorist enemy. A long-standing member of al Qaeda's senior leadership who had been in Iran since 2003, his death was yet another victory in a… → Read More
Al Qaeda Is Ready to Attack You Again
Eighteen years after 9/11, the terrorist group has found a new home—and rediscovered its old mission. → Read More
Assad Hasn’t Won Anything –
After years of bloody warfare, it’s time to recognize what the Syrian dictator rules over: a chronically violent and chaotic failed state. → Read More
Monday Briefing | Iraq: Outreach abroad, but troubles at home
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Randa Slim, Charles Lister, Gerald Feierstein, and Paul Salem provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including Iraqi Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi's first foreign trip to Egypt, the future threat posed by ISIS, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's AIPAC meeting in Washington, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Lebanon. → Read More
Weekly Briefing: MBS South Asia swing aims to shore up relations
In this week's briefing, MEI experts Gerald Feierstein, Charles Lister, Marvin G. Weinbaum, and W. Robert Pearson provide analysis on Saudi-Pakistan relations, Turkish politics in the lead-up to March municipal elections, and the question of what to do with ISIS prisoners after the group’s territorial collapse. → Read More
Monday Briefing: Russians launch air strikes after alleged gas attack
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts discuss recent and upcoming events including Russian air strikes in Aleppo, the elections in Bahrain, the growing international interest in Egypt's offshore energy finds, and the appointment of a new Afghan team of negotiators for peace talks. → Read More
Monday Briefing: Iraq-Kurdistan pipeline deal
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts discuss recent and upcoming events including the Iraq-Kurdistan pipeline deal, how the YPG partnership affects US-Turkey ties, and the new Russia-Turkey gas pipeline. → Read More
Gaza flare-up threatens Egyptian-led negotiations
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts discuss recent and upcoming events including the Gaza flare-up and its threat on Egyptian-led negotiations , Russian-hosted Afghan peace talks, escalating violence in Hodeidah amid the UN's efforts for new negotiations, and rapid escalation in northwestern Syria. → 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
Has dealing with Mohammed bin Salman become too toxic?
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts discuss recent and upcoming events including Washington's response to the Saudi problem, the fading threat of a military campaign in Idlib, a potential U.S.-Turkey rapprochement, and a new round of talks between Washington and the Taliban. → Read More
Tensions escalate in Idlib
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Charles Lister, Randa Slim, Jean-François Seznec, and Mirette F. Mabrouk provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including escalating tensions in Idlib, protests in Basra and their implications for Iraqi politics, a Saudi sovereign wealth fund’s loan to help make up for Aramco IPO revenue, and Egypt's diplomatic outreach to China. → Read More
The bureaucratic battle for Saudi Arabia’s future
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Jean-François Seznec, Randa Slim, and Charles Lister provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including Saudi Aramco's stalled IPO, the Iraqi Kurds' e → Read More
Will US sanctions bring Iran back to the negotiating table?
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Ahmad Majidyar, Gerald Feierstein, and Charles Lister provide analysis on the first batch of U.S. sanctions on Iran, leaked emails that may undermine the Trump administration's Mideast peace plan, and the assassination of a Syrian military scientist. → Read More
As protests roil Iraq, political elite seeks scapegoat
In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Randa Slim, Marvin G. Weinbaum, and Charles Lister provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the ongoing protests in Iraq, the Sharifs' return to Pakistan and their subsequent imprisonment, and pro-Assad forces' westward push in Syria. → 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