Policy Analysis

February 26, 2018 The Kurdish factor has become a key element in the Middle East after the war against the Islamic State. However, this new interest in the fate of the Kurds is mainly focused on the Kurds of Iraq, while giving more political visibility to the Kurds of Turkey

By keeping bilateral military operations a secret, the two governments risk perpetuating fundamental misconceptions among Egypt's military ranks.

Without the creation of a new military concept by Israel to counter Hamas, a much bloodier conflict is likely in the future.

By portraying itself as a neutral broker when Israel, Iran, and other parties clash over Syria, the Kremlin seeks to further its own interests in the Middle East.

Washington should adopt a quiet but well-planned approach to Baghdad's demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration of militias, learning when to be flexible and when to stand firm.

As the fight against the Islamic State shifts from retaking territory to preventing regrowth, a jihadism scholar and the former deputy head of AFRICOM discuss what Washington should learn from the group's activities in Libya.

February 21, 2018 Despite the current tactical moves by the Assad regime’s remaining forces to “protect” the Kurds in Syria’s northwestern Afrin province, the regime continues to threaten Syrian Kurds and hint at a restoration of the status quo: a reversal of the federation and self-administration of their areas and

While the occasion of a Palestinian leader addressing the council was novel, the speech itself was classic Abbas: balancing his domestic need to appear defiant, but avoiding irretrievable diplomatic damage.

By focusing on Tehran's struggle to reach an acceptable legal definition of terrorism, Washington can avoid further politicizing the traditionally technocratic effort to bring Iranian banks in line with international norms.

While Assad may nominally hold reclaimed areas in the south, he will never truly control them so long as Tehran tells its militia proxies to secure that corridor for its own purposes.

Given the risks posed by Iran's expanding presence in Syria, Secretary Tillerson should add Israel to his travel itinerary as a signal of support and deterrence.

Erdogan will not declare Islamic law overnight, but his steady empowerment of the country's religious directorate is a disturbing omen.

The gaps between Washington and Europe's positions on the JCPOA remain wide, but the potential price of failure will hopefully provide enough motivation to bridge them.

The strategic interests of Jordan and Israel overlap to a remarkable, multilayered fashion. Both countries have shared the unenviable position of being primary targets of Arab, Islamist, and other radicals since their respective founding in 1946 and 1948. Yet their common challenges have not obviated real and recurring divergences of

With tensions between Turkey and the UAE on the rise, regional conflicts, from Libya to Syria, are now being influenced by the rivalry.

For many Lebanese Shia, blindly accepting the group's narrative may be less emotionally wrenching than questioning whether a youth's death was worth the pain.

This week's unusual public visit to Jerusalem by Omani foreign minister Yusuf bin Alawi called attention to an intriguing recent trend. At the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on December 13, 2017, convened in response to President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the

New corruption charges pose a more serious challenge to the prime minister than past investigations, but public reaction in Israel may determine whether he can stay afloat until the next elections.

The secretary has a chance to turn the deteriorating relationship around if he can convince Ankara that the U.S.-YPG alliance is winding down.

February 14, 2018 With a history of oppression by Damascus regimes, Syrian Kurds have achieved an unprecedented level of de facto autonomy in the past seven years. In the long run, however, these gains are at risk for three related reasons: disunity even within the Syrian Kurdish community; problematic ties