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Ksenia Svetlova

Ksenia Svetlova

Executive Director ROPES (Regional Organization For Peace, Economics & Security); Senior non-resident fellow Atlantic Council; former member of Knesset (Hatnua)
Analyst Ksenia Svetlova, a former MK, joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's Daily Briefing podcast. (Courtesy/ToI)
April 28, 2026, 1:30 pm
Daily Briefing Apr. 28 – Untangling the Iran-Russia-Hezbollah web
Mideast expert Ksenia Svetlova gives deep context for the Tehran-Moscow relationship and assesses that Gulf countries are at a crossroads as they plan for a potential nuclear Iran
By Amanda Borschel-Dan and Ksenia Svetlova
A visitor walks past a US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft as it on display at the World Defense Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Baraa Anwer)
March 25, 2026, 2:09 pm
Daily Briefing Mar. 25 – Are Gulf states poised to enter Iran war?
Mideast expert Ksenia Svetlova gives deep context for Iran’s relationships with its Arab neighbors and assesses whether the Islamic Republic is anywhere near regime change
By Amanda Borschel-Dan and Ksenia Svetlova
Protesters in Baghdad wave Iranian flags and hold a portrait of Iran's late supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son Mojtaba Khamenei to support his selection as the new supreme leader, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
March 10, 2026, 3:56 pm
A long road to the end: The death throes of Iran’s regime could last for years
Washington and Jerusalem hope the bombing and protests will destabilize Tehran. But experts believe that even weakened, the regime could take a long time to collapse while still remaining a global threat
By Ksenia Svetlova
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, near the Kremlin Wall during the national celebrations of the "Defender of the Fatherland Day" in Moscow, Russia, on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)
February 24, 2026, 4:56 pm
Four years after invading Ukraine, Russia is isolated and broken – but not done
Despite a shattered economy, severe labor shortages and a failed pivot to Asia, Putin refuses to yield, dragging the entire region deeper into a bloody war of attrition
By Ksenia Svetlova
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani gestures next to US President Donald Trump at Al Udeid Air Base, May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
September 30, 2025, 5:33 pm
Why Qatar is the big winner of Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza
The failed Israeli attack in Doha and Netanyahu’s apology have boosted the clout of the tiny, immensely wealthy Gulf state, while Trump has handed it carte blanche for deeper involvement in Gaza and the region
By Ksenia Svetlova
A woman holding a rifle borrowed from a Syrian opposition fighter poses for a picture, next to a government forces tank that was left on a street, at the Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, December 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
December 14, 2024, 4:22 pm
Daily Briefing Dec. 14: Day 435 – How women are the canary in the Mideast coal mine
As the rebel factions in Syria fight to wrest control, the world looks at their treatment of women. Middle East analyst Ksenia Svetlova, a former MK, ranks Israel and its neighbors
By Amanda Borschel-Dan and Ksenia Svetlova
A woman holding a rifle borrowed from a Syrian opposition fighter poses for a picture, next to a government forces tank that was left on a street, at the Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, December 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
December 13, 2024, 8:50 am
What Matters Now to Ksenia Svetlova: Women are the canary in the Mideast coal mine
As the rebel factions in Syria continue to fight to wrest control, the world looks at their treatment of women. Middle East analyst, a former MK, ranks Israel and its neighbors
By Amanda Borschel-Dan and Ksenia Svetlova
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his office in Jerusalem, February 5, 2024 (Haim Zach/GPO)
May 20, 2024, 1:49 am
Beyond Israel’s borders: Netanyahu’s arrogance risks Israeli-Egyptian relations
India signs port agreement with Iran * Kuwait goes back to autocracy * Atrocities continue in Sudan civil war
By Ksenia Svetlova
A supporter of the Shiite Houthi rebels with an ammunition belt placed on his head attends a celebration in Sanaa, Yemen, November 9, 2019. (Hani Mohammed/AP)
February 12, 2024, 7:16 pm
Beyond Israel’s Borders: Is Iran actually able to control its proxies?
This week in the region: Sudan loses internet connection, America continues to target Shiite Iraqi militias, and Turkey and Syria still feel heavy damage from last year’s earthquake
By Ksenia Svetlova
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, right, shakes hands with the new United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Syria Hassan Ahmad al-Shihi and receives his credentials, in Damascus, Syria, January 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
February 5, 2024, 4:45 pm
Beyond Israel’s borders: Why did Abu Dhabi return its ambassador to Damascus now?
Even as Israel’s far-right celebrates at a conference on resettlement of Gush Katif, Arab countries work to restore ties with Syria and an economic crisis deepens in Egypt
By Ksenia Svetlova
Aleksandr 'Shura' Uman, left, and Egor Bortnik perform during the Bi-2 rock band concert in Moscow, Russia, December 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
February 1, 2024, 3:00 am
Russia is intimidating its expat celebrities in an attempt to silence them
Alt-rock band Bi-2, which has Israeli-Russian members, was nearly deported from Thailand. After a week in detention, Israel’s Foreign Ministry succeeds in flying group to Tel Aviv
By Ksenia Svetlova
A Kuwaiti man holds a placard bearing the portrait of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a rally in solidarity with the people of Gaza at Iradah Square in Kuwait City on January 14, 2024. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
January 29, 2024, 4:49 pm
Beyond Israel’s borders: Middle Eastern diplomatic ties under strain amid war in Gaza
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tests Abraham Accords allies’ patience, the US considers withdrawing from Syria, and Egypt’s relations with Russia grow warmer
By Ksenia Svetlova
A civil defense team carries out search and rescue operations in a damaged building following a missile strike launched by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Arbil, Iraq, on January 17, 2024. (Safin HAMID / AFP)
January 22, 2024, 1:01 am
Beyond Israel’s borders: Iran runs amok as Israel’s neighbors continue to face crises
In this round-up of current challenges facing the Mideast, Iran attacks Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan while Lebanon’s leadership calls for peace – but is unable to control Hezbollah
By Ksenia Svetlova
Houthi supporters burn the American flag during a rally to mark the seventh anniversary of the Houthis' takeover of the Yemeni capital, in Sanaa, Yemen, September 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File)
December 28, 2023, 4:29 pm
The power behind the power: How Qatar helped the Houthis become a threat to Israel
While the militia recently emerged as an unlikely menace to international shipping, its combative influence in the region has long been amplified by Doha
By Ksenia Svetlova
People eat at a fast food restaurant, Vkusno-i Tochka, in a former McDonald's outlet in Bolshaya Bronnaya Street in Moscow, Russia, June 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
December 27, 2023, 1:41 pm
Was Russia’s McDonald’s franchise sold to a straw man for supersized profits?
With sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, burger giant McDonald’s ostensibly retreated. Recordings depicting the chain’s sale suggest it wasn’t all kosher
By Ksenia Svetlova
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