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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. klee23_Per-Anders Pettersson Getty Images_worldbank Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images
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    Has Escaping the Middle-Income Trap Become Easier?

    Keun Lee urges the World Bank to adopt a more reliable measure of economic development than nominal per capita GDP.
  2. fofack29_eric1513Getty Images_dedollarization eric1513/Getty Images
    1

    Trump Can’t Stop De-Dollarization

    Hippolyte Fofack thinks the benefits of reducing reliance on the greenback will outweigh the costs of retaliatory US tariffs.
  3. yoon32_Han Myung-GuGetty Images_southkoreaimpeachment Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images
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    South Korea’s Constitution Needs Fixing

    Yoon Young-kwan

    South Korea's latest political crisis is further evidence that the 1987 constitution has outlived its usefulness. To facilitate better governance and bolster policy stability, the country must establish a new political framework that includes stronger checks on the president and fosters genuine power-sharing.

     argues that breaking the cycle of political crises will require some fundamental reforms.
  4. vbadre2 image Frédéric BAZILLE, Edouard MANET, L’Atelier de Bazille Studio, 1870
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    The Lost Art of Collaboration

    Vanessa Badré mines a nineteenth-century painting for insights into trust-building, creativity, and cooperation.
  5. op_aschechter2_BRENDAN SMIALOWSKIAFP via Getty Images_trump Brendam Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
    5

    PS Commentators’ Predictions for 2025

    PS editors

    Among the major issues that will dominate attention in the next 12 months are the future of multilateralism, the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the threats to global stability posed by geopolitical rivalries and Donald Trump’s second presidency. Advances in artificial intelligence, if regulated effectively, offer a glimmer of hope.

     asked PS contributors to identify the national and global trends to look out for in the coming year.
  6. adebajo12_FADEL SENNAAFP via Getty Images_USmilitaryafrica Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images
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    What Trump’s Return Means for Africa

    Adekeye Adebajo expects a continuation of America's longstanding attitude of benign neglect toward the continent.
  7. hodgkins1_Ulet IfansastiGetty Images_mine Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images
    Free to read
    1

    The False Promise of “Responsible Mining”

    Chelsea Hodgkins lambasts a corporate-led voluntary global standard that would harm communities and pose risks for automakers.
  8. elerian175_Spencer PlattGetty Images_nyse Spencer Platt/Getty Images
    1

    A Baseline Scenario for the Global Economy in 2025

    Mohamed A. El-Erian offers his predictions for the new year while acknowledging that the range of possible outcomes is widening.
  9. ruto6_LUIS TATOAFP via Getty Images_africafloods Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images
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    A New Deal for Developing Countries

    William Ruto explains what climate-vulnerable Africa will need to strengthen their resilience and sustain economic growth.

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