Policy Analysis

A moderate Islamist party governing in coalition with secularists will offer Tunisia a reasonable chance at real democracy.

If Washington is not going to compel Asad to step down, the least it can do is help protect those Syrians brave enough to continue to call for change themselves.

On October 14, 2011, Robert S. Ford and Andrew J. Tabler addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Mr. Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Syria and a career member of the senior foreign service, joined the discussion from Damascus via Skype. He has visited cities under siege by Syrian

Ankara and Tehran appear locked, once again, in their centuries-old competition to become the region's dominant power.

Although the Shalit deal may help Netanyahu, the massive prisoner release will backfire on him if there is a spate of terrorist attacks.

U.S. policy toward the Asad regime could be affected by the recent indictment of a Syrian American for spying on U.S.-based opposition figures, especially if both governments respond with diplomatic expulsions.

Mustering an effective response to Iran's assassination plot is critical for U.S. national security as well as our already damaged credibility in the Middle East.

The Egyptian military's deadly crackdown on Copt protestors marks a turning point in its post-Mubarak rule. Is this what democracy looks like?

Iran's willingness to use brutal means to achieve its foreign-policy goals is nothing new: since the creation of the Islamic Republic, U.S. intelligence agencies have repeatedly identified terrorism as one of the regime's signature calling cards.

The use of violence by Egypt's military rulers against Coptic protestors undermines the rulers' international legitimacy and damages their domestic viability.

Why would Tehran have wanted to carry out the Saudi assassination and related actions on U.S. soil, where its fingerprints on any such plot were sure to have a major impact on U.S. policy toward Iran?

Turks judge the world through the prism of the PKK.

On October 3, 2011, Abdel Monem Said Aly, David Schenker, and Nabeel Khoury addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Dr. Aly is president of the al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo and a Senior Fellow at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis

Ankara may soon slap the Asad regime with mild sanctions, but most of its Syria policy will remain just rhetoric in the absence of international consensus regarding stronger action.

Progress on the economic and political fronts is helping to insulate the monarchy from the instability currently sweeping the region.

Whether U.S. forces in Iraq withdraw or not, Iran is expected to continue backing its proxies there in order to influence the political situation and retain an ability to strike Western assets.

The growing nexus between Yemen's antigovernment rebels and AQAP presents a thorny dilemma for the United States.

Washington needs to deepen its involvement in an increasingly unstable Yemen.

Washington should not allow its differences with Israel to define the bilateral relationship, much less highlight them in the vain hope of winning the esteem of Israel's foes.

It is important -- for both the future of the bilateral relationship and the economic and political success of Egypt -- that the legal process surrounding Mubarak's trial is transparent, credible, and not driven by mob justice.