Policy Analysis

The Turkish president is taking steps to end democracy itself in Turkey, further polarizing an already sharply divided country.

Closer examination reveals that far more refugees are leaving Syria than coming home and that security and corruption represent major obstacles to their return.

In the Egyptian capital, the Sisi government frees a billionaire imprisoned for a sensational murder, for reasons only known to itself.

Because Erdogan's approach delegitimizes all opposition, 40 million of the country's 80 million inhabitants are left on the outside, a recipe for national social upheaval not seen since the late 1970s.

Whatever the two leaders discuss at the G20 summit, the Trump administration must work urgently to develop a new Syria strategy that articulates a clear vision for the country's future and the U.S. readiness to protect it.

A dramatic response by Qatar could entail an appeal to the UN Security Council or, more dangerously, an attempt to play its military cards, both of which would carry risks for the United States.

In recent years, U.S. assistance has played a significant role in bringing Tunisia through its darker moments and helped it sustain a complex transition.

Incidents in the town of al-Awamiyah are creating headaches for the Saudi leadership and adding to regional tensions.

July 5, 2017 Iraqi Kurdistan has finally set September 25 as the date for an independence referendum. After Mosul fell to the Islamic State (IS) in 2014, Masoud Barzani announced that the region will hold a referendum on independence, as Iraq has already essentially partitioned. Barzani renewed his call for

Given recent frictions, the United States should take a number of steps to reduce the potential for escalation with Tehran and to avoid a broader conflict.

July 5, 2017 Iran is creating and reinforcing power centers for its allied forces by implementing its policies across a geographic area that extends from the western borders of Iraq to the shores of the Mediterranean. It is also creating provisional Shiite cells in Sunni Arab regions by employing paramilitary

The Saudi-led bloc has made thirteen demands of Doha, but they're mostly about resolving one issue -- and time is almost up.

Without credible threat assessments, judges and prison wardens are left to rely on their individual perceptions, while worrying what their decisions will mean for public safety.

Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are probably trying to groom an alternative and more pliable al-Thani, as compared to the current emir and "father-emir," for a leadership role.

The United States should work with Muhammad bin Salman, the new crown prince, as he pushes for change.

Anti-Semitic themes appear in a program that nonetheless portrays Mossad officials as serious and smart people.

President Erdogan has catapulted his country into crisis through his attempt to stay in power.

Washington should back the winning side, represented by the new crown prince, but it must also be mindful of shifting family dynamics and tread carefully.

Over the past eight years, al-Qaeda's fortunes have ebbed and flowed. Drones, uprisings, and a challenge from the Islamic State have forced the core al-Qaeda organization—historically based in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region—and its various branches to adapt and migrate outward. In this new Policy Focus, Washington Institute fellow Aaron Y. Zelin

One-third of West Bank and Gaza Palestinians want to “escalate the resistance against Israel, even if that makes life harder right now,” according to a late-May survey conducted by the reliable Palestine Center for Public Opinion. The majority, however, prefer other options: a compromise deal with Israel, a focus on