Policy Analysis

Concerns have risen in Bahrain following a lethal clash between police and Shiite demonstrators.

Of the six segments in Monday night's presidential debate on foreign policy, two will be focused on the Middle East. Robert Satloff poses a dozen questions for consideration.

A mix of both defensive and offensive capabilities is needed in the Persian Gulf to counter the substantial Iranian rocket and missile threat.

Online forums offer a great deal of information about the small but growing jihadist role in the Syrian conflict.

If the Iranian nuclear program is not stopped by sanctions, military threats, other means of pressure or diplomacy, Israel will return to the point of decision beginning in the spring -- and accompanied by Netanyahu's public commitment.

Hizbullah has significantly expanded and institutionalized its drug trafficking enterprises to the point where the group may soon raise more money through cross-border illicit narcotics activities than all its other funding streams combined.

The depreciation of the rial is unlikely to change Iran's foreign-policy calculations.

On October 10, 2012, Ehud Yaari and Nathan Brown addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Ehud Yaari is a Lafer international fellow with The Washington Institute and Middle East correspondent for Israel's Channel Two television. Nathan Brown is a professor of political science and international affairs at George

The cost of intervention in Syria may be high now, but the price will only increase for all nations if civilian massacres continue unabated. If Syria radicalizes, becoming a jihadist safe haven, normalizing it could become a Sisyphean task.

The emptying of prisons in countries affected by the Arab Spring has often been a good thing but, unfortunately, jihadists have also been part of this wave of releases.

The lack of a clear challenger is just one of the many reasons why a confident Netanyahu is calling for early elections.

As Iran makes continued progress toward a nuclear weapons capability, defining our red lines takes on increasing importance.

Recently, red lines both figurative and -- since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's prop-assisted speech to the United Nations two weeks ago -- literal have come to dominate the Iran policy discussion. While Netanyahu was as explicit as possible in his delineation of Israel's red line regarding Iran's nuclear status

Syria's errant mortar strike is an opportunity for Washington to support Turkey in a more aggressive approach to the ongoing crisis next door.

The Ahmadinejad era has taught Supreme Leader Khamenei to never again let a politician use elections and the office of the president to establish independent authority.

Since early January 2011, Jordan has witnessed the rise of a reform movement that has demanded political and social change. While the movement has not requested regime change, it seeks profound constitutional reforms that would strip the King of Jordan of his executive and legislative authorities. Above all, the movement

Syria's errant shelling of Turkey has weakened the regime, and Ankara is paving the way for action against Assad one strike at a time.

The imminent rallies could test both the opposition's strength and the palace's willingness to tolerate dissent.

Given Obama and Erdogan's divergent policies on Syria, a storm between them appears almost unavoidable.

The regime is relatively sheltered from the current crisis, so Washington should be careful not to count on the sanctions alone to resolve the nuclear impasse.