Policy Analysis

When Abdul Fattah al-Sisi became president in 2014, Egyptians were clamoring for stability after the chaos of the post–Arab Spring years and the failed leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood government. Emblematic of this stability, Sisi was at one point so highly regarded that his face adorned chocolate bars. Although he

The Houthis are more than capable of becoming a ‘southern Hezbollah’ on the Red Sea, a threat that continues to drive the Gulf coalition’s coastal campaign.

Putin gives nothing away without a price. To protect America’s interests, neither should Trump.

While propaganda plays a major role in forming local and international public opinion, it may also be deployed as a tool of “soft deterrence,” designed to tilt the calculations and military strategies of other countries in another country’s favor. Iran’s financial investment in its media presence, with dozens of satellite

Almost forty years after its inception, the project of the Islamic Republic has failed. Ayatollah Khamenei has in essence admitted that an Islamic state is not complete in Iran. Nor is Iranian society unequivocally Islamic in the manner that the revolution intended: rather the Iranian government merely follows and applies

A former Treasury official discusses how governments, banks, and other entities need to adapt constantly just to keep up with the evolving financial tactics used by terrorists and their supporters.

Environmental concerns, uncertainty over export routes, and future security risks overshadow the latest progress in bringing the Leviathan field online.

Despite the attendant risks and public outcry, Washington’s decision to halt all aid to the agency could spur some reform without drastically affecting its core humanitarian services.

The continually escalating war of words between Iran and the United States suggests that the Middle East will have much at stake in the coming months as sanctions take effect. The U.S. administration has made repeated assertions that “regime change” and “military action” against Iran are not on the agenda

Despite the appointment of a radical anti-American commander, Iran’s naval forces are unlikely to resume frequent provocations without a strategic shift at the very top of the regime.

President Trump is likely expecting some progress to emerge from this week’s diplomacy, but ongoing concerns with Islamabad’s stances on terrorism, Iran, and other issues mean he shouldn’t hold his breath.

Washington needs to do a better job of defeating the group's local political strategy and fighting the war holistically.

As authorities consider correcting a past mistake and designating the group in its entirety, long-held assumptions about its European activities must be put to rest.

What happens when private Middle Eastern firms have cyberweapons as powerful as those owned by governments?

An in-depth look at the terrorist group's ongoing activities in a multitude of countries, and the steps that government agencies are taking to counter them.

The nuances of jurisprudential difference between Sunni and Shi’a concepts of jihad have been more or less shaped by the history of the Shi’a community and by the approach of the Shi’a religious scholars to politics. Though the Shi’a concept of jihad has not infrequently aligned with that of Sunnism

The concepts of jihad and the charge of unbelief on a Muslim or non-Muslim known as takfir have evoked mixed and dreaded reactions among many in Western countries, where the concepts often make headlines and are presented without context to those who may not have personal interactions with mainstream interpretations

Besides raising security concerns, rushing to reopen the crossing would yield far fewer economic benefits than implementing recommended IMF reforms.

The current Iranian narrative—that economic problems stem from domestic mistakes rather than foreign pressure—complicates the U.S. policy of using sanctions to force change.

Top IDF officials believe cuts could deepen the economic crisis in the West Bank and Gaza, put thousands of Palestinians out of work, and ultimately lead to violence.