Jean-Loup Samaan

Jean-Loup Samaan is a researcher in the Middle East department of the NATO Defense College. His current research projects include the Israel-Hezbollah standoff since their 2006 war, the Syrian civil war and its impact on the region and the evolution of the regional security system in the Gulf. On Twitter: @jlsamaan

Israel | Oct 25, 2013

Israel Looks Beyond the Region For Strategic Partners

Confronted by a gloomy strategic environment, Israel has found new foreign policy partners in Azerbaijan, Greece and India.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Greece's Prime Minister Antonis Samaras shake hands during a Government-To-Government (G2G) meeting in Jerusalem October 8, 2013. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX143OX

Syria | Sep 12, 2013

France Out on Limb Over Syria

An assertive French policy on Syria has revealed the marginalization of France, and the EU, in dealing with Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) hold a news conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris September 7, 2013. U.S. President Barack Obama has made no decisions about waiting for a U.N. weapons inspectors' report on chemical arms use in Syria and he is keeping all his options open, Kerry said on Saturday. REUTERS/Susan Walsh/Pool (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13BSN

Israel | Aug 8, 2013

Is There Role for NATO In Israel-Palestine Peace Process?

Many “ifs” remain about a NATO role in a final Israeli-Palestinian settlement, if there is one, but the option may be there.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (2nd L) gives the opening remarks during the Defense Ministers' Meeting with Deputy Secretary General Alexander "Sandy" Vershbow (L) at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, February 21, 2013. U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is attending the NATO meetings and holding bilateral meetings with other defense officials. REUTERS/Chip Somodevilla/Pool (BELGIUM - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTR3E2RV

Syria | Jul 7, 2013

UN Role in Post-Conflict Syria Depends on Geneva

With no date set for the Geneva Conference, the UN has so far been unable to come up with a peacekeeping plan for Syria.

A newly arrived Syrian refugee receives aid and rations, at Al-Zaatri refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria, on World Refugee Day, June 20, 2013. U.N. refugee chief Antonio Guterres, and the Norwegian foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, along with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) special envoy, actress Angelina Jolie, held a news conference at the camp to commemorate the World Refugee Day, and to urge the world to support refugees in Syria and around t

Israel | Jun 23, 2013

The Pakistani Test Of the Israel-India Partnership

The recent controversy over potential Israeli arms sales to Pakistan is unlikely to undermine the Israel-India partnership.

Israeli air force jets fly in formation during an exhibition as part of a pilot graduation ceremony at the Hatzerim air base, southern Israel June 25, 2009. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL MILITARY TRANSPORT) - RTR251A0

Originals | Jun 14, 2013

UNIFIL’s Uncertain Future

UN forces in Lebanon face challenges that could undermine the force’s credibility and status.

A U.N peacekeeper of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on an armoured vehicle secures the area near the site of an explosion in the southern Lebanese town of Tair Harfa December 17, 2012. The big explosion rocked the southern Lebanese town of Tair Harfa on Monday, five km (three miles) from the border with Israel but there were no casualties, residents said. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3BO9R

Lebanon | May 28, 2013

EU Puts Hezbollah on Notice

The European Union moves toward designating Hezbollah a terrorist organization as its arms embargo on Syria is allowed to lapse.

The Syrian flag is seen as people watch Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as he appears on a screen during a live broadcast to speak to his supporters at an event marking Resistance and Liberation Day, in Bekaa valley May 25, 2013. The event is to commemorate the 13th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY) - RTX100E4

Gulf | May 23, 2013

The Limits to Europe's Pivot to the Gulf

As the US strategic posture pivots toward Asia, Europe is looking again at the Gulf.

Smoke is seen after United Arab Emirates F-16 fighter jets fired missiles during joint military manoeuvres with the French army in the desert of Abu Dhabi May 2, 2012. REUTERS/Ben Job (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) FOR BEST QUALITY IMAGE SEE: GM1E85G1LE201 - RTR31I22

Saudi Arabia | May 15, 2013

The Limits of Asia-Gulf Ties

Gulf-Asian economic relations will likely continue to grow while national security considerations are ignored.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (2nd L) inspects a guard of honour during his ceremonial reception at India's presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi April 9, 2012. Sheikh Hamad is on a three-day state visit to India. REUTERS/Stringer (INDIA - Tags: POLITICS) FOR BEST QUALITY IMAGE ALSO SEE: GM1E84H05M001 - RTR30ISQ

Saudi Arabia | May 10, 2013

US Arms Sales All About Iran

The novelty of the latest US arms sales to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates was not their scale or content, but the sign of a US realignment of allies to deter Iran, explains Jean-Loup Samaan.