Gilles Kepel

Gilles Kepel authored more than 20 books on the Middle East, North Africa, Islam in France and Europe, translated in many languages (lastly, Away from Chaos / The Middle East and the Challenge to the West, Columbia Univ. Press). He has taught at Sciences Po in Paris, the LSE in London, Lugano in Switzerland, among others, and advised senior European and Arab political and business leaders.

Turkey | May 19, 2023

Turkey's Erdogan says polls mark East-West fault line

A post-election Turkey may well become the "locus for the fault line between the liberal West and the illiberal East" instead of a bridge, as Erdogan has claimed during his time in office.

Election workers prepare ballots at a polling station in Ankara on May 14, 2023.

Syria | May 12, 2023

Opinion

Assad’s comeback and the Erdogan suspense

Having been rehabilitated by the Arab League, the Syrian president is poised to wield influence in post-election Turkey, regardless of who wins.

May 5, 2023

Opinion

From political Islam to illiberal nationalism: the MENA states' war for hearts and minds

Islamist parties are falling out of favor across the region, as leaders hope to offer economic benefits combined with authoritarianism.

North Africa | Apr 28, 2023

Opinion

Sudan war threatens regional and global alliances

Conflict in Abraham Accords nation demonstrates limits of US power, while Egypt and Saudi Arabia watch anxiously.

Syria | Apr 19, 2023

Opinion

The tipping point of Arab normalization with Syria

If the once-pariah state is welcomed back into the Arab League, the repercussions will stretch across Russia, Turkey, Iran and beyond.

Apr 14, 2023

Opinion

Macron visit to China adds European dimension to Beijing in Middle East

The French president's comments during his state visit acknowledge the reality of Chinese influence in a multipolar world.

North Africa | Apr 7, 2023

Opinion

Tunisia's problems grow worse while Kais Saied avoids public

When President Kais Saied reappeared recently after a two-week absence, he addressed a country whose political, economic and immigration woes grow steadily more intractable.

Iraq | Mar 31, 2023

Opinion

20 years after US invasion of Iraq, what lessons remain?

With the Pentagon now refocusing elsewhere, and with Iran getting closer to nuclear weapons by the day, the widening post-Iraq American boots-on-the-ground Middle East vacuum is cautiously being challenged by China.

Shiite Muslims protest near the local headquarters of the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority on July 20, 2003, in Najaf, Iraq.

Gulf | Mar 24, 2023

Opinion

Assad comeback epitomizes Gulf states' world power ambitions

Visits to Oman and the UAE in recent weeks mark another step in the Syrian president's rehabilitation within the region, and the weakening of Western influence.

Gulf | Mar 17, 2023

Opinion

China’s global brokerage may reshape Middle East relations

The endless war in Yemen, which has devastated one of the poorest countries on the planet, should be the first litmus test for China's mediating capacity between Iran and Saudi Arabia.