Dalia Kaye Journalist Profile

Articles

For the Middle East, 2025 Will Be About the Shifting Balance of Power

Dec 26, 2024 | worldpoliticsreview.com | Dalia Kaye

Making predictions about the Middle East can be an exercise in futility. Just weeks before his ouster, for example, few if any analysts had “Assad flees Syria” on their radar. The same can be said for Hamas’ brutal assault on Israel in 2023, which shocked the region and upended its political dynamics. Could another “black swan” event emerge in 2025? At the very least, it seems to be possible, as the Middle East is full of brittle regimes, festering conflicts and ambitious external actors.
No, Trump did not bring peace to the Middle East

Oct 17, 2024 | forward.com | Dalia Kaye

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's death will hopefully energize hostage-release efforts, but it is unlikely to end the war that has been ravaging the Middle East under President Joe Biden's watch. Still, for all the shortcomings of Biden's Middle East policies, he did not inherit a good hand from his predecessor, former President Donald Trump.
Where Will Israel’s Multifront War End?

Oct 2, 2024 | foreignaffairs.com | Dalia Kaye

Israel’s assassination last week of the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah marked a transformative moment for the Middle East. Under Nasrallah, Hezbollahbecame Iran’s closest ally and critical deterrent force, the central pillar of Tehran’s “axis of resistance.” His death was a severe and shocking blow not only to Hezbollah but to the alignment of Iranian-backed forces across the region. For Israel, the killing was a logical, if bold, step up its ladder of escalation.
Where Will Israel’s Multifront War End?

Oct 2, 2024 | foreignaffairs.com | Dalia Kaye

Israel’s assassination last week of the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah marked a transformative moment for the Middle East. Under Nasrallah, Hezbollahbecame Iran’s closest ally and critical deterrent force, the central pillar of Tehran’s “axis of resistance.” His death was a severe and shocking blow not only to Hezbollah but to the alignment of Iranian-backed forces across the region. For Israel, the killing was a logical, if bold, step up its ladder of escalation.
Why Israel Chose to Escalate

Aug 5, 2024 | almendron.com | Dalia Kaye

The ten-month-old war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip long ago escaped its local geography, triggering dangerous military escalations across the Middle East—deadly clashes on the Israeli-Lebanese border, Houthi assaults in the Red Sea and on Tel Aviv, attacks by Iranian-aligned militias against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, and even direct clashes between Israel and Iran.
Why Israel Chose to Escalate

Aug 5, 2024 | foreignaffairs.com | Dalia Kaye

The ten-month-old war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip long ago escaped its local geography, triggering dangerous military escalations across the Middle East—deadly clashes on the Israeli-Lebanese border, Houthi assaults in the Red Sea and on Tel Aviv, attacks by Iranian-aligned militias against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, and even direct clashes between Israel and Iran.
Why Israel Escalates

Aug 5, 2024 | foreignaffairs.com | Dalia Kaye |Daniel Byman

The ten-month-old war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip long ago escaped its local geography, triggering dangerous military escalations across the Middle East—deadly clashes on the Israeli-Lebanese border, Houthi assaults in the Red Sea and on Tel Aviv, attacks by Iranian-aligned militias against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, and even direct clashes between Israel and Iran.
Is an Anti-Iran Alliance Emerging in the Middle East?

Apr 26, 2024 | foreignaffairs.com | Dalia Kaye |Sanam Vakil

When Iran directed over 300 missiles and drones at Israel on April 13, Jordan helped fend off the attack. Initial media reports suggested that several other Arab states assisted in Israel’s defense, efforts they later denied. Nonetheless, a chorus of Israeli leaders, as well as some observers in Washington, interpreted these acts as a sign of a major shift. These Arab states, the argument went, would side with Israel if its conflict with Iran continued to escalate.
Israel Unleashed?

Apr 4, 2024 | almendron.com | Dalia Kaye

On April 1, Israel launched its latest attack on Iran in the two countries’ ongoing shadow war, with an airstrike that flattened a section of Iran’s embassy complex in Damascus and reportedly killed at least 12 people. Among the dead was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who headed Iran’s military operations in Syria and Lebanon, where he worked for decades and became a close interlocutor with Hezbollah and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel Unleashed?

Apr 4, 2024 | foreignaffairs.com | Dalia Kaye

On April 1, Israel launched its latest attack on Iran in the two countries’ ongoing shadow war, with an airstrike that flattened a section of Iran’s embassy complex in Damascus and reportedly killed at least 12 people. Among the dead was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who headed Iran’s military operations in Syria and Lebanon, where he worked for decades and became a close interlocutor with Hezbollah and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.