Policy Analysis

A dedication to rural residents, more-efficient farming techniques, and a focus on cities other than Damascus will be necessary to build a new Syria.

August 9, 2017 The Islamic Republic of Iran and the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq maintain cordial relations, and the two neighbors have publicly cooperated in battling the Islamic State (IS). However, this might change soon. The authorities in Tehran are increasingly frustrated with the Kurdish leadership’s decision to hold

August 9, 2017 To wish for change is very hard in a culture that fears transformation. For almost three decades Iraqi Kurdistan has seen the same government, the same faces, and the same ideas, with only the slightest changes in leadership or policies. Who is accountable for the crisis in

Watch an international panel of experts discuss the alarming increase in so-called lone wolf terrorism.

A discussion of Ankara's strained relationship with the European Union, its a la carte approach to NATO, and the weakening of formerly solid U.S.-Turkey military-to-military ties.

Watch an expert conversation about the fight against Taliban forces in Afghanistan and the lessons for battles against extremists elsewhere in the region.

The KRG must commit, as its statehood referendum nears, to an independent judiciary, a strong parliament, and other hallmarks of a democratic society.

Despite collusion between the LAF and Hezbollah, the United States may still have an interest in funding the Lebanese military.

IRGC hardliners have pushed for an aggressive response to U.S. measures, but they will have to convince the Supreme Leader that escalation does not pose too great a risk.

The cost-effective, nonpartisan institute can help promote broader reconciliation in Mosul and other areas now retaken from the jihadist group.

As the Islamic State devolves from governance to insurgency, NATO should stay close to its traditional role as a military alliance, not a counterterrorism agency.

Rather than seeking indiscriminate cuts to Palestinian aid, U.S. legislators must craft a bill that encourages the PA to reform its behavior.

To preserve his credibility as a diplomat, the secretary of state needs to put a win on the board.

The reported failure of the July 27 launch offers little solace to Western observers, since it likely anticipates future attempts as well as the potential for more-advanced technologies.

The Palestinian president has maneuvered his way back into the political discussion -- partly as a result of Israel's failure to act promptly on diplomatic understandings with Jordan -- but his call for "escalatory measures" could carry dire consequences.

July 27, 2017 In his July 13 Fikra Forum article, “The United States and Saudi Arabia Have More In Common Than Mere Common Interests,” Fahad Nazer makes the jarring claim that U.S.-Saudi relations are now based not only on well-known security and economic interests, but also on shared “core values”

The Kuwaiti emir helping to mediate the conflict is regarded as one of the region's wise, experienced figures, but the country must demonstrate sensitivity to both sides as it continues to seek a resolution.

July 26, 2017 On June 14 the Egyptian parliament approved the agreement delimiting the maritime borders between Egypt and Saudi Arabia as well as the transfer of the two disputed islands of Tiran and Sanafir, fueling anger among opponents of the agreement, with terms such as “treason” and “setback” making

The Institute's leading counterterrorism expert discusses Washington's ties with the Gulf country, contending that Qatar must take substantive, verifiable steps to address the shortcomings in its posture toward Islamist extremism.

July 25, 2017 Despite the numerous incubators of radicalism, such as the internet, social media networks, mosques and other religious or social centers, it may be said that a major factor at the root of rad-icalism is the educational curricula in the Arab and Islamic world. Words like “jihad,” “killing