Sanam Vakil

Jan 20, 2025 | almendron.com | Amjad Iraqi |Sanam Vakil |Yossi Mekelberg

After sixteen months of conflict, death and destruction, the long awaited six-week, three-phased truce agreement brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the US will be implemented on Sunday. The release of Israeli hostages and the delivery of immediate aid and humanitarian assistance for Palestinians could not come soon enough. It is important to stress that the deal is a fragile truce not a cessation of the conflict. It will require continued monitoring and accountability from the negotiating parties.

Dec 10, 2024 | hoover.org | Sanam Vakil

Fourteen months on from the October 7th attacks and Israel’s war against axis of resistance groups in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, and Iran appears to be in a seemingly indissoluble bind of its own making. Tehran has seen two rounds of unprecedented direct military confrontation with Tel Aviv --the latter of which resulted in significant strikes on its military infrastructure.

Oct 18, 2024 | almendron.com | Sanam Vakil

When stability in the Middle East feels so distant, it is much to the dismay of America’s partners that conflict management in the region has fallen down the list of US priorities. As Israel’s war in Gaza has reached its tragic one-year milestone, a new front has opened in Lebanon and further direct escalation between Israel and Iran seems imminent, it is hoped that the next US president will take a bolder role.

Oct 5, 2024 | prospectmagazine.co.uk | Sanam Vakil

Since the 7th October Hamas attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza, the once relatively contained Iran-Israel hostility, ongoing for decades, has become an open and dangerous confrontation. It is driven by Iran’s ideological opposition to Israel’s existence, its broader regional ambitions and the activities of its support groups such as Hamas in Gaza, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, militia groups in Iraq and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad—collectively known as the axis of resistance.

Aug 15, 2024 | almendron.com | Jon B. Alterman |Sanam Vakil

The lot of Iranian presidents is not a happy one. They enter office as heroes, promising big changes to improve the lives of their fellow citizens. Almost without exception, they leave as broken men. Iran’s problems frequently prove more intractable than its new leaders anticipate. But a bigger obstacle Iranian presidents face is that they have responsibility without authority.