Policy Analysis

A panel of distinguished scholars and former U.S. officials discusses what Washington can learn from the Johnson administration's ambiguous role in a war that reshaped the modern Middle East.

A former Treasury official describes how the group has continued to expand its criminal and operational activities worldwide despite the changes wrought by the Syria war and Iran nuclear accord.

New polling data indicates that West Bank and Gaza residents are not as hostile to President Trump's posture as Americans probably assume.

Since I started researching and polling public opinion in Iraq in 2003, I cannot remember more interesting findings than the ones from the recent nationwide survey conducted a few weeks ago. In general - and as a rule since 2003 - hundreds of previous quantitative and qualitative studies have shown

Considering the current regional situation, the country's first serious terrorist attacks in many years could have major implications for Tehran's policies at home and abroad.

At a forum held by the Washington-based Arabia Foundation, a noted Gulf expert discusses persistent questions surrounding the kingdom's role in supporting terrorism.

To prevent escalation and preserve American interests in the Gulf, Washington should consider various steps on the diplomatic, military, energy, and counterterrorism fronts.

For almost a century, Kurdish national aspirations were thwarted by geo-strategic considerations in which regional and international actors were complicit. Kurdish identity was mostly denied, marginalized, and disparaged, with dominant irredentist formulae — Arab, Iranian, and Turkish — stipulated as more suitable alternatives. In the newly independent North Africa of

More than two weeks after the launch of the Muhammad Rasallah II operation, the Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs, or al-Hashd al-Shabi) reached the Syria-Iraq border west of Mosul on May 29, 2017. Hadi al-Ameri, leader of the Badr Organization and one of the most influential PMU commanders, announced from the

To help a key North African ally preserve its stability, Washington should quietly urge the kingdom to take measures that address the protestors' demands -- and reconsider cutting U.S. assistance.

Although the new legislation constitutes another win for Hezbollah, potential shifts in Lebanese political alignments may not be in the militia's favor.

The Sunni Gulf powers have long been spoiling for a fight with Iran, and this could be just the excuse they need.

For a century now, the landmark British statement on Palestine has been cast as the isolated act of a single nation, but the real story is much different.

As Washington considers its next steps in northern Syria, it will need to weigh the geostrategic consequences of backing local Kurdish forces whose objectives may align or conflict with those of Russia, Iran, and various other actors.

Washington's best option is to let the Assad regime expend its energy pushing out toward the Euphrates while preparing for the advance to stall, as it appears likely to do.

Without a concrete plan for the aftermath of the city's fall, a very complex multilateral conflict may soon erupt in northern Iraq.

Whatever understandings the Trump administration reaches after the Islamic State is defeated, it needs to be clear about the stakes: if America does not stop the Iranians in Syria and Iraq, they will soon emerge as the region's dominant force.

Some U.S. officials share Saudi and Emirati concerns about Qatar's policies toward Islamist groups, Iran, and other destabilizing regional forces.

Depending upon whom you talk to, anywhere from six to sixteen ethnic groups constitute the Syrian population, with the main six groups being: Sunni Muslim; Shiite Muslim (Alawite and Ismaili); Christian; Druze; Kurd; Circassian; and the stateless Palestinian refugees and their descendants. The Christians are not foreign to the Syrian

As the Islamic State attempts to regenerate in tense multiethnic areas, Washington should view Arab-Kurdish dispute resolution as an essential counterterrorism mission, not an uncertain nation-building enterprise.