Policy Analysis

Turkey's unique combination of Islamic and Western influences is hardwired into its institutions and citizenry, making a drastic turn in either direction both unlikely and inadvisable.

During the past few years, Lebanese Hizb Allah's global operations increased markedly, but until recently its efforts yielded few successes.

U.S. policymakers once lamented that Washington needed Turkey more than the other way around, but this is no longer true.

The Obama administration should respond to the Assad regime's reported use of chemical weapons and its obstruction of UN investigators by ratcheting up support for the opposition.

While surface-to-surface missiles have not changed the course of the war, their introduction is in line with past regime escalation -- a pattern that will likely to apply to chemical weapons use if the international reaction remains muted.

Despite concerns about stability, oil, and Islamism, Beijing will continue to let Washington underwrite security in the Gulf.

To avoid upsetting the kingdom's stability, Washington should be more discreet about U.S.-Jordanian security cooperation on Syria.

Now that Iran is capable of circumventing the nuclear weapons red line, the new U.S. and Israeli defense ministers must coordinate closely to avoid being further outflanked.

Alleged chemical weapons use by Syria is pushing the United States toward action, but Russia, China, and Iran might have something to say about that.

During his Cairo visit, Secretary Hagel should press the Egyptian military for a franker exchange of views, including on aid, the Sinai, and political transparency.

Qatar, an often-difficult ally, has been actively aiding the Syrian opposition and the Egyptian government, and Washington will likely press Doha to coordinate better on both issues.

Although the U.S. military now has a more competent royal defense partner in Prince Fahd bin Abdullah bin Muhammad, his appointment could provoke destabilizing countermoves within the House of Saud.

Changing Tehran's strategic calculus requires a firm set of nuclear red lines, a more credible U.S. military threat, and, most important, greater involvement in Syria.

FPA blogger Reza Akhlaghi interviews Mehdi Khalaji on Iran's ideological crisis and its effect on the upcoming presidential election.

The political wrangling that effectively forced Fayyad to step down raises serious questions about the PA's economy, security cooperation, and political transparency, as well as U.S. efforts to revive the peace process.

Azerbaijan has ample, independent strategic reasons for its cooperation with Israel and poor relations with Tehran, notwithstanding the recent spike in Iranian tensions.

A closer look at Turkey's motivations for normalizing relations with Israel.

To keep yet another Syrian frontier from spiraling downward, Washington should urge Israel and the mainstream Syrian opposition to focus on keeping Hizballah and jihadist groups away from the border.

Amid embassy warnings and an uptick in violence, Washington should urge the Bahraini government and mainstream political groups to avoid worsening the situation ahead of the upcoming auto race.

The next six months could see either a game-changing strategic energy compact between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds or movement toward a more sustainable Ankara-Baghdad-Erbil relationship. Washington has a strong interest in encouraging the latter.