Policy Analysis

In a positive development for Turkey's fragile democracy, the ruling AKP fell short of retaining its parliamentary supermajority.

The Security Council has changed its sanctions regime, encouraging the Taliban to end its alliance with al-Qaeda and reconcile with the Afghan government.

Iran's inability to aid Bahraini protestors could reduce its political influence among Shiite Arabs.

The June 22 announcement that a youth wing of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is splitting off to form its own secular party is emblematic of the unprecedented political activity in post-Mubarak Egypt. June 21 saw the second meeting of the National Democratic Alliance for Egypt, with fourteen smaller parties

Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs. Events of recent weeks -- intensified attacks on U.S. civilian and military personnel in Iraq, ongoing political and terrorist violence against Iraqis, and tensions related to the brewing debate in Iraq about the U.S. military presence beyond 2011 --

Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs. Four months ago, I had the privilege of testifying to this committee when the hope and optimism of the potential for democratic change in the region was at its height. Now that we have seen what reactionary forces in

The Israeli-Palestinian portion of President Obama's May 19 speech generated much more attention than his comments on trade, investment, and development initiatives to promote growth and opportunities across the Middle East. Yet without a strong and credible economic program, efforts to advance Washington's political and security agenda in the region

The key battle with al-Qaeda in Yemen is in the countryside, where the U.S. government is paying too little attention.

Within the Islamic Republic of Iran, both the democratic movement and internal conflict raise questions about the regime's stability. Should Ayatollah Ali Khamenei die -- or become unable to carry out his position as supreme leader -- the regime's stability rests on the peaceful transition of power.

Yemen is experiencing a relative lull following the dramatic events of June 3-4, when government forces attacked the homes of senior opposition leaders and President Ali Saleh was seriously wounded in a palace bombing. Although skirmishes continue throughout the country, all sides are saving their strength for the major outbreak

Bashar al-Assad's June 20 speech at Damascus University was another disappointing attempt to quell three months of antiregime protests sweeping Syria.

Iran has been trying to claim credit for the Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt as being inspired by the 1979 Islamic revolution, yet the Syrian case has created the need for Iran to formulate a new narrative to explain why a genuine popular uprising was threatening its closest Arab ally.

For almost two generations, major parts of academe have been alienated from America's exercise of power due to entrenched ideological differences with the federal government. Following President Obama's election, however, signs of a remarkable shift emerged, with more academics serving in policy positions, huddling with top officials behind closed doors

On June 16, 2011, Isaac Herzog addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute to discuss Israel's next steps in the wake of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's recent visit to Washington. A member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Mr. Herzog has served in a number of senior

The conflict in Libya is now dominated by deliberate offensive warfare conducted by the rebels and NATO, and both Muammar Qadhafi and his regime will likely be gone by the end of this phase. The confrontation has been, and will continue to be, a very dramatic event: a once-powerful and

Those who fear Iranian nuclear weapons above all else tend to minimize the risks of using force, while those who fear war tend to exaggerate them.

An Interview by Bernard Gwertzman, CFR.org The Obama administration believes that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria is now in a "downward trajectory" because of the violence against its own people and the failure to undertake reforms, says Andrew J. Tabler, a former journalist in Syria. But the

Given the recent string of Saudi diplomatic failures, this year will be remembered as the moment when the world finally looked elsewhere for Gulf leadership.

On June 14, 2011, Michael Eisenstadt, David Pollock, and Michael Knights addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute to discuss their May 17-24 research trip to Iraqi Kurdistan. Mr. Eisenstadt, the director of the Institute's Military and Security Studies Program, served with the U.S. Army during Operation Provide Comfort

Michael Singh, focusing on the current situation in Lebanon, cautions on the fragility of fledgling democracies.