PHILADELPHA – June 2, 2025 – The Summer 2025 edition of Middle East Quarterlyincludes a groundbreaking analysis of the possible role of Artificial Intelligence as a pathway to normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, new insights on Iranian efforts at subversion in the west, and a call to prevent further attacks on the Alawite people of Syria.
In “Artificial Intelligence as a Pathway to Normalization Between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” Doron Feldman and Ofir Barel argue that “the normalization process between Israel and Saudi Arabia brings together two nations with complementary strengths in AI ecosystem development.” The authors suggest that cooperation between the two countries in this field could bolster normalization efforts and contribute to a “a historic shift in the regional balance of power—one that favors moderate, pragmatic countries that champion innovation, education, and technology over extremism.”
Daniel Pipes investigates the recent large-scale killings of Alawite Syrians in Syria’s western coastal area by Sunni Islamists inn, “‘Are you Alawite?’: A Call to Prevent Genocide in Syria.” Tracing the rise and fall of Alawite dominance in Syria, Pipes contends the recent violence suggests an “ominous Sunni desire for retribution” for the long years of repression at the hands of the Alawite-dominated Assad regime.
Magnus Norell examines Iranian intelligence operations in Denmark and Norway in “A Growing Security Threat: Iranian Intelligence Operations in Scandinavia,” the first of a two-part series. A former Swedish official, Norell reports that “the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) has a longstanding history of conducting intelligence operations beyond its borders and targeting both political opponents and foreign governments.” “As the IRI continues to expand its global footprint,” he concludes, “it is imperative for Denmark, Norway, and their European partners to adopt a more cohesive and proactive strategy to counter this growing threat.”
In “Iran’s Use of Psychological Warfare Against Its Adversaries and Strategies for Deterrence,” Babak Taghvaee details Iran’s extensive “state directed influence apparatus.” He calls for action against this apparatus, contending that “the imposition of stricter sanctions by Western governments targeting Iran’s propaganda warfare tactics would significantly curtail the regime’s capacity to conduct influence operations and help protect the integrity of democratic institutions and media environments.”
Book reviews by Alex Selsky, Sirwan Kajjo, Jonathan Spyer, Mark Durie, Dexter Van Zile, and others critically examine Islamic apostates, spoken Kurdish, Islamic sects, and much more.
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