Research Library

Gene editing in humans raises ethical and safety issues that require further discussion to identify a responsible way forward.

King Abdullah announced that Jordan will not renew the annex to the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty that created special governing areas in Naharayim and Zofar. Gilead Sher, the Brochstein Fellow in Middle East Peace and Security, and Mor Ben-Kalifa explore this decision and the conditions that led to it in The Institute for National Security Studies: https://bit.ly/2Pvag58

The connection between Texas H.B. 810, which allows clinics to provide investigational stem cell treatments to certain patients, and a deregulation movement to increase patient access to unproven stem cell treatments is described in this report.

The role social media can play in the Middle East peace process is examined in this article through an assessment of social media peace campaigns in Israel and the Palestinian territories and an analysis of social media campaign design. 

Private cord blood banking is more widespread than public banking in Jordan, contributing to misinformation and unequal access to resources. The authors conducted surveys with women in Jordan to examine perspectives toward cord banking in the country in order to inform policymaking, ethics and education about the practice.

A series of converging trends provided political cover for reforms of long-standing energy subsidies launched by oil-exporting states in the Middle East and North Africa, but the new policies appear to be designed to update — rather than jettison — rent-based autocratic governance.

The authors conducted mobile phone surveys on energy supply, demand and quality in 12 sub-Saharan African countries, finding that current grid and off-grid electricity supply is inadequate to meet consumers' demands.

The United States appears less exposed to geopolitical risks affecting its oil supply than at any time since the early 1970s due to fracking, climate change and a more diverse energy supply, according to research by energy fellow Jim Krane and Kenneth B. Medlock, senior director of the Center for Energy Studies.

A combination of factors is encouraging Saudi Arabia to consider raising crude oil production capacity beyond the current ceiling of 12.5 million barrels per day. However, an increase in Saudi crude oil production would have consequences for markets and competing forms of energy, as well as for the kingdom's geopolitical stature, writes fellow Jim Krane in an article for Energy Policy.

A growing number of stem cell clinics treat a variety of illnesses and injuries, yet few have conducted the necessary clinical research to ensure safety and efficacy. The authors highlight the importance of collaboration between scientists, regulators, patients and patient advocates in developing effective policies and practices for unproven stem cell-based intervention clinics.