Policy Analysis

Loosening the ties that bind Iraq together is a risk, but holding too tightly is the greater danger.

Whichever way the latest tensions unfold, Tunis is unlikely to return to its "light touch" of old, and further confrontations with the Salafists could become the norm.

Turkey can continue its economic rise and become a regional power so long as it remains a democracy.

Increased U.S. support for the opposition and credible threats of military force are vital to altering the calculations of other parties and advancing diplomacy.

While taking action in Syria will not be simple or cheap, it will ultimately be less costly than losing control of chemical weapons or letting Jordan and other neighbors be destabilized.

The Obama administration has made intervention in Syria dependent on the Arab League, which is utterly unprepared to act.

Two leading scholars of Russian and Chinese foreign policy explored Moscow and Beijing's evolving interests and approaches to the Middle East at the Institute's 2013 Soref Symposium.

The Washington Institute convened a broad array of policymakers, activists, scholars, and journalists from around the world for The Washington Institute's annual policy conference in Washington, DC.

Three of journalism's leading observers of Washington and U.S. national security shared their insights into Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's keynote remarks at the Institute's 2013 Soref Symposium.

Anwar E. El Sadat, president of Egypt's Reform and Development Party, joined Institute counselor and former White House Middle East advisor Dennis Ross at The Washington Institute's 2013 Soref Symposium for a conversation on Egypt's ongoing transition to post-Mubarak rule.

Israel's airstrikes were intended to prevent Hezbollah from upgrading its arsenal, not to influence Syria's civil war.

The May 16 summit provides an opportunity to strengthen cooperation on Iraq, Syria, Israel, and Iran.

As the regime narrows the list of approved candidates for the upcoming presidential election, Washington should criticize Tehran for limiting who is permitted to run.

Given Turkey's longstanding fear of Russia, it is unlikely to take action against the Assad regime without full NATO involvement.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel delivered keynote remarks at the Institute's 2013 Soref Symposium in Washington, DC, on May 9, 2013. Download Secretary Hagel's prepared remarks (PDF) Download a transcript of Secretary Hagel's conversation with Institute executive director Robert Satloff (PDF)

Tzachi Hanegbi, member of the Knesset, Likud, and former Israeli minister of intelligence, addresses The Washington Institute's 2013 Soref Symposium on May 9, 2013.

On April 25, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) announced that it would withdraw its militants from Turkish soil after more than four decades of fighting against Ankara, including carrying out terror attacks inside Turkey. The announcement follows recent news that Ankara has begun official peace talks with PKK leader Abdullah

President Morsi and the Brotherhood are deploying Islam primarily as a rhetorical device for maintaining internal unity and distinguishing themselves from their rivals.

In late April, the Obama administration blacklisted two Lebanese money exchanges for allegedly facilitating Hezbollah's use of narcotics trafficking profits to fund terrorist activities. In an email interview, Matthew Levitt, director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute and author of the forthcoming Hezbollah: The

If it is to be a catalyst for action, the API will require a more direct approach with Israel.