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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. toni4_Dominika ZarzyckaSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_cop30 Dominika Zarzycka/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    How to Make COP30 a Climate Turning Point

    Ana Toni sees the main task in Belém, Brazil, as accelerating the implementation of existing agreements.
  2. roach174_Christopher FurlongGetty Images_trump Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

    Trump’s Trade Scam

    Stephen S. Roach points out that the new “External Revenue Service” would target domestic importers, not foreign producers.
  3. mackintosh8_Murat TanerGettyImages_fed_building Murat Taner/Getty Images

    The Fed Is Running Scared of Trump

    Stuart P.M. Mackintosh observes that political pressure is already undermining independent, data-driven decision-making.
  4. buchholz22_Kayla BartkowskiGettyImages_tiktok_ban Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

    Beware the TikTokalypse

    Todd G. Buchholz thinks calls to reverse the app’s ban or forced sale are based on a misunderstanding of its security risks.
  5. slaughter108_Iranian PresidencyAnadolu via Getty Images_BRICS Iranian Presidency/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Middle Powers and the Art of the Deal

    Anne-Marie Slaughter foresees the world under Donald Trump becoming like a bazaar, to the benefit of multi-aligned countries.
  6. op_bivens1_JIM WATSONAFP via Getty Images_bidenworkers Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

    America’s Workers Are About to Be Forgotten Again

    Josh Bivens & Heidi Shierholz

    Whatever his failings, Joe Biden did more for the typical American working family than any other president in at least a generation. Tragically, Americans who remain angry about chronic economic injustices will soon realize that the situation can get much worse.

    contrast the Biden administration's pro-worker policies with what Donald Trump is likely to do.
  7. ghosh84_NurPhotoGettyImages_wind_power_grid NurPhoto/Getty Images

    Decommodify Electricity

    Jayati Ghosh shows why the market cannot mobilize the clean-energy investments needed to accelerate the green transition.
  8. moyo31_VCGVCG via Getty Images_semiconductors VCG via Getty Images

    Three Reasons Why AI’s Momentum Could Stall in 2025

    Dambisa Moyo

    While artificial intelligence has the potential to drive global growth and boost productivity, the industry is grappling with mounting challenges like soaring development costs and energy requirements. Meanwhile, investors are questioning whether AI investments can deliver meaningful returns.

    identifies three negative trends that could stifle innovation and slow the pace of technological progress.
  9. arezki20_Miguel CandelaSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_indiamanufacturing Miguel Candela/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Solving India’s Industrialization Puzzle

    Rabah Arezki & Partha Sen ask why, unlike Bangladesh and Vietnam, manufacturing has not benefited from rising labor costs in China.

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