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Barak Barfi

Barak Barfi

28 commentaries

Barak Barfi is a former research fellow at New America and a former visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution.

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  1. Syria’s House of Cards
    barfi28_AnadoluGettyImages_hafez_alassad_statue_downed Anadolu/Getty Images

    Syria’s House of Cards

    Dec 9, 2024 Barak Barfi explains why Bashar al-Assad’s government collapsed so quickly, placing most of the blame on Assad himself.

  2. Trumpian Turmoil Is Coming to the Middle East
    barfi27_MANDEL NGANAFP via Getty Images_trumpnetanyahu Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

    Trumpian Turmoil Is Coming to the Middle East

    Nov 13, 2024 Barak Barfi thinks that the regional leaders who are cheering now may soon be pining for a less capricious leader.

  3. What Will Follow Hamas’s War?
    barfi26_MOHAMMED DAHMANMiddle East ImagesAFP via Getty Images_gazahamasisrael Mohammed Dahman/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

    What Will Follow Hamas’s War?

    Oct 9, 2023 Barak Barfi foresees an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza and prolonged occupation of the enclave.

  4. The Hollow Saudi-Iranian Agreement
    barfi25_ ATTA KENAREAFP via Getty Images_china saudi iran ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

    The Hollow Saudi-Iranian Agreement

    Mar 14, 2023 Barak Barfi sees a newly announced Chinese-brokered deal as more glitter than gold.

  5. Biden’s Return to Realism in Saudi Arabia
    barfi24AMER HILABIAFP via Getty Images_saudi us AMER HILABI/AFP via Getty Images

    Biden’s Return to Realism in Saudi Arabia

    Jul 15, 2022 Barak Barfi explains why embracing the status quo in the Middle East, while far from ideal, is the right call for the US.

  1. varoufakis125_NICOLAS TUCATAFP via Getty Images_vonderleyen Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images
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    The Case Against European Rearmament

    Yanis Varoufakis

    If we truly want to strengthen Europe, the first step is not to rearm. It is to forge the democratic union without which stagnation will continue to erode Europe’s capacities, rendering it unable to rebuild what is left of Ukraine once Vladimir Putin is finished with it.

     argues that Europe's security depends above all on forging the democratic union that true strength requires.
  2. rogoff259_Kayla BartkowskiGettyImages_javier_milei Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
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    What Trump 2.0 Means for Africa and Latin America

    Kenneth Rogoff

    US President Donald Trump’s decision to shut down USAID will deal a severe blow to African countries, weakening public-health systems and eroding American credibility. But Trump’s return could trigger a long-overdue rightward shift in Latin America after decades of failed socialist experiments.

     highlights the far-reaching implications of the new administration’s move to slash foreign-aid funding.
  3. madgavkar21_Picture AllianceGettyImages_demographic_crisis Picture Alliance/Getty Images
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    Emerging Economies Must Get Rich Before They Get Old

    Anu Madgavkar & Marc Canal Noguer recommend policies that would mitigate the impact of increased longevity and declining birth rates.
  4. coyle42_Andrew HarnikGetty Images_muskchainsaw Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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    Musk and DOGE Are Doing It Wrong

    Diane Coyle highlights the fundamental flaw in the Trump administration’s push to cut red tape and curb wasteful spending.
  5. buruma224_WPA PoolGettyImages_europe_summit WPA Pool/Getty Images
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    Who Will Lead the Democratic World?

    Ian Buruma thinks the onus of defending our political freedoms will be on two countries that once tried to destroy them.
  6. blanquer1_Leonardo CendamoGetty Images_boualemsansal Leonardo Cendamo/Getty Images
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    The World Must Rally Around Algeria’s Hunger Artist

    Jean-Michel Blanquer calls for global solidarity with the writer Boualem Sansal, unjustly detained and dying for freedom.
  7. marin30_Hu XiaofeiVCG via Getty Images_carproductionrobots Hu Xiaofei/VCG via Getty Images
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    The End of Globalization as We Know It

    Dalia Marin examines how rising uncertainty and progress on automation have changed firms' views on global value chains.
  8. lachman2_Nur PhotoGettyImages_euros Nur Photo/Getty Images
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    Will Trump Trigger a Eurozone Debt Crisis?

    Desmond Lachman hopes the US president recognizes that his proposed tariffs could quickly blow back on the US.
  9. klee24_Andry DenisahSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_indonesianickel Andry Denisah/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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    Indonesia’s Incomplete Industrial Strategy

    Keun Lee & Marco Kamiya point out that, for emerging and developing economies, attracting foreign direct investment is not enough.

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