Hussein Ibish

This is still valid, more than a month after I first wrote it

This is one of the best webinars I’ve ever moderated:

Iran War Provides Decisive Test for Lebanon to Assert Authority Over Hezbollah - AGSI After decades of tolerating Hezbollah’s warmaking independence, the current crisis has compelled Lebanese leaders to ban its military activities; this project will do much to determine the reach Iran ...

Iran War Provides Decisive Test for Lebanon to Assert Authority Over Hezbollah @ibishblog.bsky.social agsi.org/analysis/ira...

Iran War Provides Decisive Test for Lebanon to Assert Authority Over Hezbollah - AGSI After decades of tolerating Hezbollah’s warmaking independence, the current crisis has compelled Lebanese leaders to ban its military activities; this project will do much to determine the reach Iran…

After decades of tolerating Hezbollah’s warmaking independence, the current crisis has compelled Lebanese leaders to ban its military activities; this project will do much to determine the reach Iran can maintain in the Arab world. @ibishblog.bsky.social

Caught in the Crosshairs, Gulf Arab Countries Remain Crucial to Peace - AGSI Though they were unsuccessful in preventing the current conflict, and, as expected, have been dragged into the U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran, Gulf Arab countries remain crucial to hopes for…

Though they were unsuccessful in preventing the current conflict, and, as expected, have been dragged into the U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran, Gulf Arab countries remain crucial to hopes for limiting the war and bringing it to a quick resolution. @ibishblog.bsky.social

Trump is putting his own spin on a Bush-style war, hoping for a Venezuela-style win | The National If Tehran's new leaders are unwilling to play ball, the governing Republican Party could pay a big price

Trump is putting his own spin on a Bush-style war, hoping for a Venezuela-style win
My latest for The National
www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comm...

Trump’s Gaza Plans Are Profoundly Unserious Conditions on the ground call for immediate humanitarian relief, not gauzy real-estate fantasies.

Trump’s Gaza Plans Are Profoundly Unserious
My latest for ⁦‪The Atlantic‬⁩
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

Of Course the UAE Is Not Preparing To Take Over Gaza - AGSI When quickly debunked rumors in the Israeli media that the UAE was seeking to manage postconflict Gaza were widely welcomed in Israel, it demonstrated both the trust the UAE has built among Israelis b...

When quickly debunked rumors in the Israeli media that the UAE was seeking to manage postconflict Gaza were widely welcomed in Israel, it demonstrated both the trust the UAE has built among Israelis but also their lack of understanding of Emirati policies and interests. @ibishblog.bsky.social

Neither Israel nor Hamas interested in phase 2 of ceasefire, researcher says

I explain to the excellent ⁦‪Mark z Owen of France 24 TV‬⁩ that neither Israel nor Hamas is sincerely interested in “Phase 2” of Trump’s non-existent ceasefire, but are both preparing to cement the very real partition and ongoing war in Gaza.
www.france24.com/en/neither-i...

YouTube video by Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel - Put the Bucket Down (Bright-Side Mix)

Peter Gabriel is still THE MAN, bringing it here with a stunning new track:
Put the Bucket Down (Bright-Side Mix) youtu.be/WmXXYjOs4LU?... via @YouTube

With the US poised for attack, what a 'Venezuela scenario' could like in Iran | The National Depending on Trump's mood and Tehran's response, the possibilities range from regime change to rehabilitation

With the US poised for attack, what a 'Venezuela scenario' could like in Iran
My latest for The National‬⁩
www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comm...

With the US poised for attack, what a 'Venezuela scenario' could like in Iran | The National Depending on Trump's mood and Tehran's response, the possibilities range from regime change to rehabilitation

With the US poised for attack, what a 'Venezuela scenario' could like in Iran
My latest for The National‬⁩
www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comm...

Outlook 2026: Prospects and Priorities for U.S.-Gulf Relations in the Year Ahead - AGSI On January 8, AGSI hosted a virtual roundtable with its leadership and scholars as they look ahead and assess trends likely to shape the Gulf region and U.S. foreign policy during the coming year.

Video – Outlook 2026: Prospects and Priorities for U.S.-Gulf Relations in the Year Ahead with @alfoneh.bsky.social, Tim Callen, Kristin Smith Diwan, @ibishblog.bsky.social, Abbas Kadhim, Amb. William Roebuck, Amb. Douglas Silliman, and Raymond Karam. agsi.org/events/outlo...

YouTube video by Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel - Put the Bucket Down (Bright-Side Mix)

Peter Gabriel is still THE MAN, bringing it here with a stunning new track:
Put the Bucket Down (Bright-Side Mix) youtu.be/WmXXYjOs4LU?... via @YouTube

This was arguably the best panel we’ve held in the ten year history of @gulfstatesinst.bsky.social

Not So Wonderful Things An essay by Richard Byrne. I went to the Smithsonian Institution’s Archive of American Art on September 2, 2025. My friend and colleague Jarett Kobek asked me to do so in late August, when he saw an ...

Don’t fuck with the amazing Richard Byrne
stage-write.ghost.io/not-so-wonde...

After the Cease-Fire: The Regional Component of the Future of Gaza - AGSI On November 4, AGSI and ROPES will co-host a discussion about regional dynamics after the recent Israel-Hamas cease-fire.

"In the end, the big news was the extent to which the Arab countries put their differences aside and decided to back the same ideas. This is a very important inflection point in the ability of Arab states to work together." @ibishblog.bsky.social agsi.org/events/after...

Four Priorities for Mohammed bin Salman in Washington - AGSI When the Saudi crown prince meets President Trump in Washington, the main topics of discussion are likely to be commercial deals, a defense pact, a Saudi civilian nuclear program, and normalization…

Saudi Arabia has long sought a formula for clarifying the regional security role of the large-scale U.S. military facilities in the Gulf region, especially the significant air base in Qatar and naval headquarters in Bahrain. @ibishblog.bsky.social

The U.S.-Saudi Partnership Ahead of the Crown Prince’s Washington Visit - AGSI On November 12, AGSI will host a discussion about the U.S.-Saudi partnership ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Washington.

VERY excited to be discussing “The US-Saudi Partnership Ahead of the MBS’s Washington Visit tomorrow morning with @HeshamAlghannam, @kdiwaniya,@BernardHaykel, and F. Gregory Gause, lll.
It’s another best of the best panel, for ⁦‪@GulfStatesInst‬⁩ of course.
agsi.org/events/the-u...

Israel's Gaza attacks strike at Donald Trump's reputation as a peacemaker | The National The US President's legacy is inexorably bound up with the enclave's future

But ever since the ceasefire was agreed, Trump couldn’t miss the many clear signs that the Israeli leader has been looking for an excuse to resume fighting. Playing on the PM’s famous nickname, Israelis have been referring to this as “Bibi-sitting”.
www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comm...

Israel's Gaza attacks strike at Donald Trump's reputation as a peacemaker | The National The US President's legacy is inexorably bound up with the enclave's future

The downside of his exuberant boasting and demands for the Nobel Peace Prize is that, while Trump deserves credit for having helped organise the desperately needed ceasefire, both the truce and a potential return to war are now inexorably linked to him.
www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comm...

More than 170 Americans have been detained by ICE since Donald Trump took office. Dozens have been incarcerated for days, including approximately 20 children-4 of whom were held for weeks

Citizens have “been dragged, tackled, beaten, tased and shot by..They’ve had their necks kneeled on”

Israel's Gaza attacks strike at Donald Trump's reputation as a peacemaker | The National The US President's legacy is inexorably bound up with the enclave's future

It’s difficult to parse the words and deeds of these two highly unreliable and non-credible actors. Both Israel and Hamas have contributed heavily to the devastating Gaza war, and neither appear fully convinced that ending the conflict is preferable for them.
www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comm...

Israel's Gaza attacks strike at Donald Trump's reputation as a peacemaker | The National The US President's legacy is inexorably bound up with the enclave's future

Among the many casualties of renewed fighting, especially if it spirals back into full-blown warfare, will be the claims and credibility of US President Donald Trump.
My latest for ⁦‪The National
www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comm...

Thank you. It was very good.

This is an excellent explanation of a highly significant agreement formally linking the Saudi and Pakistani defense structures — and thereby redrawing the strategic landscape of the Gulf and Indian Ocean areas. From AGSI, naturally.

I know the filmmakers would love it, otherwise they wouldn’t have made it so hilarious!

I don’t typically recommend podcasts, but the Ari Aster interview with Marc Maron is worth hearing! Aster would appreciate that you laughed.

I have the strong feeling I greatly annoyed everybody else. But I couldn’t help it. It was so damn funny.

Of course