Owen Kirby

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The author, a Visiting Fellow at the University of Central Florida’s Office of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives (GPII), was a political appointee at the U.S. Department of State during the George W. Bush Administration, and USAID/OTI Director during the first Administration of Donald J. Trump. The views expressed in this piece are his own.

Exclusive articles:

Why US Middle East Policy Keeps Failing, From Iraq to Iran

The Middle East - for many Western observers - is something akin to Long Covid. One day you believe you are through the worst...

The Legacy of Afghanistan

Since the triumph of World War II, the United States has waged two drawn-out, unsuccessful wars halfway around the world. Both were plagued by...

Alarm Bells Sounding in Syria

Since the collapse of the Assad regime in December, Syrians have been free to breath and dream, again. This moment, however, did come cheaply,...

Post Pax Americana Disorder

If one wonders what the world might look like absent U.S. leadership, welcome to the Middle East, where the global future has been playing...

Foreign Assistance Review: It’s the Policy, S_ _ _ _ d!

The world is a fluid place. In September 2024, Joe Biden was president, struggling like many a predecessor to manage the volatile Middle East,...

Does Calling it Western Sahara Solve Anything?

If you are nostalgic for the old days of empire, call it the Spanish Sahara. But if ambitious development plans – likened by one...

Palestinian Reform Redux

Mark Twain wrote that “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Anyone observing the current unraveling in the Israeli-Palestinian arena would grasp Twain’s...

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Can Macron Restore Order in France as Riots Deepen Political and Economic Pressure?

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US Midterm Elections 2026: Can Democrats Take Control of Congress From Trump?

The United States is heading toward a consequential midterm...
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