Policy Analysis

In ordering limited airstrikes in Iraq, President Barack Obama has reluctantly become involved in a crisis he wished to avoid. Given that Iraq's leaders seem too diverted by the political turmoil in Baghdad to address the grave threats to their country, one can perhaps understand his hesitation. Nevertheless, his narrow

Given the consolidation of jihadist gains and the lack of interest and capacity among neighboring states to uproot ISIL in Iraq and Syria, the group is likely to endure absent a more assertive U.S. policy involving military and political operations.

Erdogan has the political and constitutional wherewithal to transform Turkey into a presidential system, and he will likely do just that.

When Hezbollah declared its support for the Assad regime against the Syrian rebels, the group damaged its credibility as a voice against oppression. Yet Hezbollah’s recent successes in Syria have allowed it to strengthen its domestic political position. By strategically partnering with the Shiite Amal Party and the Christian Free

Amid deterioration in Libya and militant attacks in Egypt's Western Desert, resuming U.S. military aid to Cairo is more crucial than ever.

Hamas is incapable of changing, so Washington and its allies should work to discredit and disarm the group as one of several measures aimed at managing the conflict.

BICOM senior research fellow Alan Johnson interviews Matthew Levitt about a new proposal for disarming Hamas to prevent future military clashes with Israel.

The international community should focus on systematically rolling back Hamas political and security control while opening Gaza to the outside world -- beginning with a reestablished PA foothold at the Rafah crossing.

Erdogan holds several trump cards that make him the unquestioned front-runner in a landmark election.

While the Kurds could use more ammunition and weapons, they also need coordination, air support, and logistical help -- all of which the United States can provide on short notice.

The jihadist elements in Gaza are far fewer in number than Hamas members, and they lack the group's deep social roots and capacity for control through governance.

Full and timely U.S. military cooperation could help the Kurds and Baghdad split the would-be ISIS caliphate in half and spark tribal uprisings against the group.

Factional fighting in Tripoli and the declaration of an Islamic emirate in Benghazi suggest a bleak future for Libya. Can the new House of Representatives right the country's course?

Across the Middle East, a critical question for regimes and peoples alike is "Are Islamists rising or fading?" Egypt under President al-Sisi is one story; Iraq and Syria facing the ISIS challenge is another. In Morocco, the banned but highly influential Islamist opposition group al-Adl wal-Ihsan (Justice and Benevolence) is

The United States should be launching selective airstrikes on ISIS sooner rather than later, particularly where the movement attacks key dams and minority populations.

While the long-term sustainability of the "Islamic State" is in doubt, Baghdadi has clearly steered the group back to prominence.

The Obama administration's approach to Gaza needs to take account of new realities in the region.

Doha's involvement in ceasefire diplomacy reflects its ambition for a wider regional role that Washington should challenge.

A good deal with Iran is one that clearly advances U.S. interests -- not only the interest in nuclear nonproliferation globally, but in the stability of the Middle East and U.S. prestige and influence in the region.

The escalation in and around Tripoli holds troubling parallels with the tribal divisions that precipitated Libya's bloody 1936 civil war.