Policy Analysis

I should feel complimented by Paul Pillar dredging up a piece I wrote for the Washington Post a year ago in his quest to calumny anyone ever recommending use of military force. I had written that, given the impact of ISIS including the threat of more terrorist attacks, the Administration

Where does the Middle East fit into America's global strategy, and is the rise of Russian and Chinese great-power competition in the region a permanent new reality or an anomaly that the next president can reverse? This episode of the Institute's Near East PolicyCast podcast features a conversation with Michael

The right question is not whether Americans still believe in U.S. global leadership, but whether policymakers do -- and, if so, how they plan to restore it.

An in-depth look at where Iraqi military, Peshmerga, and Shiite militia forces have wound up in their push toward Mosul, and what sort of resistance they are encountering along the way.

Although security cooperation tends to get the headlines, the two countries have been quietly pursuing other initiatives that could provide a desperately needed boost to Egypt's trade, tourism, and energy sectors.

Is Russia's recent military foray into the Middle East a permanent move, and what if anything can the 45th president of the United States do to limit Moscow's mischief in the region without risking open confrontation and war between the world's leading nuclear powers? In this episode of the Institute's

Watch an expert discussion of the jihadist challenges the next president will inherit even after the Islamic State's territorial 'caliphate' is defeated.

The devastation of Aleppo, Idlib, and Tikrit may motivate the Sunni leaders in Mosul and Raqqa to think and act politically rather than violently.

Although filling the long-vacant office could help pull the country out of its political stagnation, Hezbollah and Iran will continue undermining Lebanese state institutions unless the situation next door in Syria changes significantly.

What is striking today are the historical similarities between the first Ottoman venture in Northern Iraq and the current deployment of Turkish troops in Bashiqa and other areas of Iraqi Kurdistan.

While at first sight appealing, the notion of moderate Islam constitutes an undue concession to the argument that individuals and societies who hold Islam as part of their faith defined primarily by their religious affiliation.

From al-Qaeda to the Islamic State, the global terrorist threat has evolved rapidly in recent years, and will likely change further still in the next president’s term. In this episode of the Institute's Near East PolicyCast podcast, counterterrorism expert Matthew Levitt looks ahead to the next administration and the choices

As Hamas prepares to elect a new leadership, its outward show of unity masks deep internal divisions that will likely perpetuate its regional isolation.

How does misinformation arise and become accepted as fact by citizens and leaders? Three scholars discuss the origins and costs of erroneous information in the Middle East.

Despite agreeing on an action plan, Tehran has far to go to meet international standards aimed at countering money laundering and terror financing.

Publicly blaming Tehran for the recent missile strikes would be a serious matter, so U.S. officials need to go through several preparatory steps before deciding whether that is the best course of action.

Diyala offers a look into the near-future of Iraq’s security situation in areas where ethnosectarian tensions are neglected or even exacerbated by government policies and the presence of uncontrolled militias.

With most of the leaders of the conservative Arab Gulf states old or in poor health, abdication in favor of a younger generation may invigorate moribund hereditary leaderships, though a one-size-fits-all solution is not feasible.

Hezbollah's broad web of shady 'facilitators' provide an attractive means of quickly moving and laundering massive amounts of illicit money, but they also reveal the supposed 'resistance' group as the criminal enterprise it has become.

As Turkey looks for alternative partners, it is not Russia or Iran but China that offers the most promise, so the United States should shore up its own ties with Ankara in response.