All Policy Analysis by Robert Satloff

Despite well-meaning concerns about civilian casualties, pushing Israel to pursue a premature and false “calm” is more likely to widen the conflict in the long term.

The war triggered by the shocking Hamas assault will be the first zero-sum conflict in the Arab-Israeli arena since 1948, and U.S. policymakers should prepare accordingly.

It’s not too early to think about the “day after” the war—even preliminary planning to create an interim administration will help clarify objectives for Israel’s leaders, sustain U.S. support, provide a more positive alternative future for Palestinians, and give Arab allies a rationale to play a more constructive role.

In its scope, depravity, and national reach, the Hamas assault was a much greater shock to Israelis, and their response should be viewed through that lens.

Veteran U.S., Palestinian, and Israeli experts and policy practitioners explore the broader strategic repercussions of the unfolding war, as well as the factors that enabled Hamas to reach its current level of malign regional influence.

The October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel represent a turning point that should bring home oft-overlooked realities about the Middle East and compel U.S. policymakers to rethink preconceptions about the region and America's role and interests in it.

The history is clear—well-intentioned intervention in an ally’s domestic politics often triggers bigger problems, and the president’s stance could conjure a self-fulfilling prophecy about the erosion of U.S.-Israel ties.

Opposition leader and former defense minister Benny Gantz discusses Israel’s domestic political challenges, the triggers for action against Iran’s nuclear program, the prospects of normalization with Saudi Arabia, and more.

A recent essay touting a “one-state” approach to Israeli-Palestinian issues is more about eliminating the world’s only Jewish state than offering real solutions to complex regional problems.

A near-term breakthrough may be unlikely, but President Biden is well positioned to apply his energy toward negotiating a historic deal that establishes peace and advances American interests.

The vow of “never again” taken by virtually all nations after the Second World War remains unfulfilled.

The second week of November 1942 has much to tell us about the region’s geopolitical centrality, its enduring political currents, and its role in the future of the Jewish people—not to mention the evolution of American foreign policy.

After leading an extensive group visit throughout the kingdom, Washington Institute scholars offer insights from their encounters with leaders in government, religion, business, and culture.

Tehran's program continues to gallop ahead, and the United States is doing very little about it.

A panel of veteran diplomats and scholars from the Gulf, Israel, and Washington discuss the trip’s goals and risks, as well as the president’s chances for success.

President Biden has a powerful moral imperative for ending his feud with the crown prince: to ensure that the kingdom’s gradual pivot away from extremism doesn’t falter.

“This will not stand,” the president said after Iraq invaded Kuwait, but no such fortitude has been evident in response to Iran’s continued aggression.

News reports of a nearing breakthrough in the Iran nuclear talks will trigger sighs of relief, but the deal will likely prove disappointing on many fronts.

The head of the first Arab party to join an Israeli governing coalition answers questions about the country’s domestic and foreign policies, including its approach to Palestinian issues and diplomacy with Arab states.

The Washington Institute’s executive director reflects on this year’s wave of remembrance events in the region, including his remarks at two landmark programs in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.