Commentary
Issam Kayssi
{
"authors": [
"Issam Kayssi"
],
"type": "commentary",
"blog": "Diwan",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center",
"programAffiliation": "MEP",
"programs": [
"Middle East"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Iran",
"Gulf",
"Saudi Arabia",
"Middle East"
],
"topics": [
"Political Reform"
]
}
Source: Getty
Commentary
Surfing the Black Wave
In an interview, Carnegie’s Kim Ghattas discusses her book on the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
By Issam Kayssi
Published on May 11, 2020
Kim Ghattas is an Emmy-award winning journalist, writer, and Carnegie nonresident scholar who covers the Middle East. She has been published in the Atlantic, the Washington Post, and Foreign Policy. Her first book, The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power (2013), covered her travels with Hillary Clinton during her tenure as secretary of state. Ghattas’ latest book, published in January 2020, is Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East. In early May, Diwan interviewed Ghattas on her new book.
About the Author
Issam Kayssi
Research Analyst, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Issam Kayssi is a research analyst at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.
- World Cup 2026: A Middle East and North Africa Primer
- A Geographic and Social Reconfiguration in LebanonCommentary
Issam Kayssi
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Diwan
- Kurdish Rebel Groups Are Wary of Tehran’s Next MoveCommentary
Following its deal with the United States, Iran may act against Iraq-based dissidents.
Wladimir van Wilgenburg
- The West’s Climate Colonialism in the Greater Middle EastCommentary
There is a disturbing structural parallel between the old global energy economy and the new green transition.
Angie Omar
- World Cup 2026: A Middle East and North Africa PrimerCommentary
This will be the region’s most representative tournament, amid broad changes in its footballing landscape.
Issam Kayssi
- Corrupted by Absolute PowerCommentary
In an interview, Marc Lynch discusses his new book decrying the post-1990 U.S.-dominated order in the Middle East.
Michael Young
- Why Does the Middle East Suffer “Forever Wars”?Commentary
Because perpetual conflict enhances control, offers economic benefits, and allows leaders to ignore popular preferences.
Angie Omar
