U.S. Policy

Policy Analysis on U.S. Policy

People watch the September 10, 2024 debate between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris - source: Reuters

U.S. Election 2024: Views from the Middle East

A panel of outstanding journalists from across the Middle East offers regional perspectives on the 2024 presidential election in the United States and the next administration's approach to critical issues of war and peace. Watch live starting at 12:00 noon EST (1700 GMT) on Thursday, November 7, 2024.

November 7, 2024, starting at 12:00 noon EST (1700 GMT)

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Nadim Koteich
David Horovitz
Barcin Yinanc

Brief Analysis

How Blinken Can Seize Opportunity After the Deaths of Sinwar and Nasrallah

The United States has a short window to advance crucial goals in Gaza and Lebanon, including efforts to draw in Gulf support, establish a legitimate post-Hamas entity, and urge Beirut to start reasserting its sovereignty.

Oct 22, 2024

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David Makovsky

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking with President Joe Biden

Articles & Testimony

Book Review: “War” by Bob Woodward

The veteran journalist dishes on the Jordanian king’s “man cave,” Biden’s pique at both Netanyahu and Abbas, and Harris’s public versus private diplomatic style.

Oct 21, 2024

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Simon Henderson

U.S. President Joe Biden greets French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House in December, 2022 - source: White House

Brief Analysis

Assessing U.S.-French Cooperation a Year After October 7

Fighting on several Middle East fronts has revealed gaps between the allies, but they have ample room to collaborate in areas that range from ensuring Lebanese sovereignty to delivering humanitarian aid.

Oct 18, 2024

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Souhire Medini

Articles & Testimony

The Real Purpose of a U.S.-Saudi Security Agreement

A treaty would pave the way for better security integration among U.S. partners in the region and reduce the need for direct American intervention.

Oct 17, 2024

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Michael Singh

Secretary of State Antony Blinken places a tile that reads "Light in the darkness" on a wall at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, October 14, 2023.

Video

Brief Analysis

U.S. Policy in the Post-October 7 Middle East: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Three former U.S. officials discuss the challenges—and opportunities—that will greet the next administration in year two of the post-October 7 era.

Oct 7, 2024

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Dennis Ross
Dana Stroul
David Schenker

Men watch as smoke rises after an Israeli bombing of Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon in September 2024 - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Israel Dead Set on Beating Hezbollah Back

With prospects low for a near-term diplomatic breakthrough, the Lebanese group can decide how far this conflict escalates.

Sep 27, 2024

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David Schenker

Brief Analysis

Tunisia Is Holding an Election—But Will Voters Show Up?

To counter President Saied’s electoral manipulation and increased repression, Washington should work more closely with its contacts in Tunisia’s military, civil society, and European partner governments.

Sep 27, 2024

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Sabina Henneberg
Sarah Yerkes

Articles & Testimony

Countering Terrorism in a Period of Great Power Competition

To rebalance limited resources, meet great power challenges, and continue forecasting diverse terrorist threats, the U.S. government will need to invest more in capabilities such as machine learning and AI.

September 2024

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Matthew Levitt

Articles & Testimony

U.S. Policy in the Middle East Amid Great Power Competition

The true U.S. strategy debate in the Middle East is not about whether we should stay or go; it’s about how to continue advancing the interests pursued by successive administrations even as hostile competitors and unresolved threats combine to throw U.S. regional policy off balance.

September 2024

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Michael Singh

UAE President Muhammad bin Zayed - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

MbZ Visits Washington: Meeting Agendas and Regional Implications

The Emirati leader will likely focus on the future of bilateral economic and technological integration, but discussions will also cover sensitive matters such as great-power concerns over China and Russia, regional nuclear proliferation, and a potential role for his country in postwar Gaza.

Sep 20, 2024

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Simon Henderson
Elizabeth Dent

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa in Riffa, Bahrain - source: Reuters

Video

Brief Analysis

U.S.-Bahrain Ties One Year After the Strategic Partnership Agreement

Two veteran ambassadors discuss bilateral efforts in the security, economic, and technology sectors, noting the agreement’s potential as a template for other countries in the region.

Sep 11, 2024

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Steven C. Bondy
Sheikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa

President Joe Biden arrives in Saudi Arabia in July 2022

Brief Analysis

U.S.-Saudi Defense Cooperation: Next Steps

Even if an Israeli-Saudi normalization deal proves unattainable for now, Washington and Riyadh should still seek ways to enhance military and defense cooperation in order to advance common interests and prepare for future security challenges.

Sep 10, 2024

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Andrew G. Clemmensen
Abdullah Hayek

Articles & Testimony

How the U.S. Used Arms Sales to Shift Saudi Behavior

Weapons bans have proven to be a fickle tool historically, so why did they work in Riyadh’s case?

Sep 4, 2024

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Elizabeth Dent
Grant Rumley

Articles & Testimony

Easier Said than Done: Renewing Maximum Pressure on Iran

New strategic realities and the ever-present challenge of enforcement would make it difficult to reinvigorate the heavy international sanctions regimes seen in past years.

August 2024

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Richard Nephew

Brief Analysis

Another One-Day War? What the Latest Hezbollah-Israel Clash Reveals About Deterrence and Escalation

Israeli and Lebanese experts join two former U.S. officials to discuss what each party was thinking before, during, and after this weekend’s exchange of strikes—and whether war in the north has become inevitable regardless of near-term de-escalation.

Aug 27, 2024

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Ben Fishman
Hanin Ghaddar
Assaf Orion
Dennis Ross

Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Bahraini crown prince and prime minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa - source: Department of State

Brief Analysis

One Year of the U.S.-Bahrain C-SIPA: Signs of Progress, Regional Potential

The progress the two partners have made through C-SIPA offers a fresh model for future U.S. cooperation with other Middle East countries in the security, economic, and technology sectors.

Aug 21, 2024

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Elizabeth Dent

President Joe Biden gestures while speaking - source: White House

Articles & Testimony

There Is Still Time to Stop a Wider War in the Middle East

Because the landscape has shifted since April, the Biden administration’s previous script for preventing irreversible escalation may no longer work.

Aug 15, 2024

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Dana Stroul

◆ Risks and Opportunities in the Post-April 13 Middle East

Photo of a woman walking in front of a mural that shows missiles being launched from Iran.

Video

Brief Analysis

On the Brink? The Potential for a Broader Conflict in the Middle East

An Israeli general and two former U.S. officials discuss the prospects of an imminent Iranian attack and what can be done to deter it.

Aug 14, 2024

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Amir Eshel
David M. Satterfield
Dana Stroul

Articles & Testimony

Biden’s Middle East Moonshot

Reaching a Gaza ceasefire and Israeli-Saudi normalization deal will require intense, well-coordinated diplomatic efforts in a condensed timeline, but the administration can do it with help from the “Arab Quint.”

Aug 7, 2024

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Dennis Ross

Supported by the

Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East

The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East focuses on the region as a setting for heightened competition between the United States and other world powers, such as China and Russia.

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Featured experts

Robert Satloff

Robert Satloff is the Segal Executive Director of The Washington Institute, a post he assumed in January 1993.

Dennis Ross

Dennis Ross, a former special assistant to President Barack Obama, is the counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute.

Michael Singh

Michael Singh is the Managing Director and Lane-Swig Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.

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U.S. Policy

Policy Analysis on U.S. Policy

Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East

Featured experts

Regions & Countries

Issues

U.S. Policy

Policy Analysis on U.S. Policy

Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East

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Featured experts