Aaron J. Shuster

Articles by this Author
A file photo of the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt.
Middle East Forum Observer
Be Worried About Mission Creep After Rafah’s Opening
Reconstruction Talk That Races Ahead of Security Realities Risks Freezing Conflict Rather than Resolving It
February 18, 2026
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Aaron J. Shuster
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, in a file photo.
Middle East Forum Observer
Is the Palestinian Authority Still a Legal Entity?
The Authority No Longer Functions as a Governing Entity, Does Not Police Territory, and Struggles to Collect Revenue
January 30, 2026
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Aaron J. Shuster
Israel's Iron Dome fends off terrorist attacks. The Iron Beam laser system augments this defense.
Middle East Forum Observer
Iron Beam and the End of Cost-Imposition Warfare
Saturation Attacks Depend on the Assumption That Defenders Will Deplete Their Interceptors or Face Unsustainable Financial Strain
January 26, 2026
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Aaron J. Shuster
Palestinians fill pots with potable water from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Gaza Strip.
Middle East Forum Observer
Why Western Enforcement Frameworks Fail Against Ideologically Aligned NGOs
Governments Must Recognize That Ideological Alignment Can Be as Corrosive to Enforcement as Criminal Conduct
January 19, 2026
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Aaron J. Shuster
An Israeli settlement on a hill overlooks Ramallah in the West Bank.
Middle East Forum Observer
The Strategic Legal Affirmation of Israeli Settlements
An Unresolved Legal Assertion Continues to Be Treated as Settled Law
January 15, 2026
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Aaron J. Shuster
Arab governments are signaling they have interests more urgent than the Palestinian issue.
Middle East Forum Observer
Arab State Fatigue with the Palestinian Cause
In a Region Dealing with Civil Wars, Islamist Insurgencies, and More, ‘Palestine’ Is No Longer the Motivator It Once Was
January 9, 2026
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Aaron J. Shuster
A restricted military zone along the border between Israel and Egypt in a remote part of the Negev and the Sinai deserts.
Middle East Forum Observer
Egypt and the Erosion of Camp David
The Treaty Remains Intact on Paper, but Its Deterrent Logic Has Weakened in Practice
December 19, 2025
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Aaron J. Shuster
Ramallah, in the central West Bank, serves as the administrative capital of Palestine.
Middle East Forum Observer
Palestinian Independence Is a Fantasy. External Control Is Essential
Arab Communities in the West Bank and Gaza Need to Be Decentralized Arab Emirates with Internal Autonomy, Under Overarching Israeli Control
December 12, 2025
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Aaron J. Shuster
The International Criminal Court building at The Hague, Netherlands.
Middle East Forum Observer
Why the International Criminal Court Cannot Deliver Neutral Justice
Evidence Shows That Judges Tend to Vote in Accordance with Their National Alliances and Regional Blocs
December 10, 2025
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Aaron J. Shuster
Modern buildings combine with the old in the Hague city, Netherlands.
Middle East Forum Observer
How International Justice Lost Its Moral Core Between Nuremberg and the Hague
Today’s International Court of Justice Draws Judges from Legal, Cultural, and Political Traditions with No Common Philosophical Core
December 1, 2025
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Aaron J. Shuster
Palestinians carry food supplies in the central Gaza Strip in August 2025.
Middle East Forum Observer
Western Ambivalence on a Palestinian ‘Right of Return’ Encourages Intransigence
Washington’s Mixed Signals About Core Issues Encourage Islamist Groups to Expand Their Influence and Test Boundaries
November 26, 2025
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Aaron J. Shuster
Members of the Israel Defense Forces are shown at the Gaza border in 2023.
Middle East Forum Observer
The Strategic Risk Exposed by the Sde Teiman Leak
An Internal Failure Amplified External Efforts to Constrain Israel’s Operational Freedom During Wartime
November 24, 2025
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Aaron J. Shuster