Policy Analysis

After years of foreign policy setbacks, Ankara is trying to mend fences with Israel, Egypt, Iran, and Russia, and the potential implications for the United States are mostly beneficial -- assuming the Turks can actually pull it off.

Bahrain's action against a high-profile Shiite figure has brought long-simmering tensions with Iran to a boil, and extremists could feel empowered to further escalate the crisis even if officials turn down the dial.

Brexit will likely heighten the sense that the international order is unraveling and complicate U.S. relations with the EU, so Washington should take steps to reassure its fellow NATO governments.

The Kremlin's expressions of sympathy mask its blatantly homophobic policies at home, which are unlikely to change anytime soon given the government's need for conservative straw men.

The Islamic State (ISIS)’s siege of Mare’ in the countryside north of Aleppo near Dabiq has once again brought this Syrian town into the public eye. It is one of ISIS’s latest conquests in a string of newly captured strategic villages such as Kafr Kalbin and Jibrin during the end

Last March, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk announced the launch of a complex operation to liberate Mosul. This announcement, and the United States' subsequent efforts, have suggested that the United States is undoubtedly one of the countries most dedicated to building a successful

While the severity of the Sunni extremist threat inside Iran is debatable, the regime's recent operations against suspected terrorists highlight its pattern of exploiting sectarian sentiment to bolster its regional adventurism.

On the surface, it seems that Lebanon is currently far from descending into civil war. After a string of bombings in southern Lebanon, an unprecedented level of quiet has prevailed in the often-volatile Sunni north and Shiite south. Yet now may be the moment that the United States and the

The organization's forthcoming statement will likely underline the fact that Iran's recent efforts are only the first steps toward complying with international standards.

If Britain were to leave the EU, little would change in its core security and intelligence relationship with Washington, but it could take a serious hit on various economic and diplomatic issues.

While the general uptick in terrorist attacks on Jordan is troubling, perhaps the most disturbing aspect is the manner in which violent extremism is crossing socioeconomic lines.

Recent headlines about political breakthroughs with Turkey and potential future gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean are encouraging, but they must be placed in the context of the steep financial and technological hurdles associated with such projects.

While America's counter-ISIS strategy may end up being the final nail in the group's coffin, it is only the first step in preventing jihadists from exploiting political vulnerabilities in the Middle East to inspire vigilante violence at home.

Washington needs to destroy the group's image and achievements, and give Sunnis reason to help in that effort.

The recent flurry of international and regional activism may ultimately result in parameters and UN resolutions that dictate the agenda for the next U.S. administration, so Washington and other actors should weigh each initiative carefully.

Months after the attack on Ben Gardane, Tunisians and the regional public are still overwhelmed by mixed feelings of pride in the power of Tunisian security forces and the people and fear of the Islamic State’s bold move of attempting to establish an “emirate” in Tunisian territory. ISIS leaders had

It is certainly still premature to engage in a post-mortem for the “Islamic State” in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). While the group has lost two-fifths of its territorial conquests, including Tikrit, Ramadi, Tal Abyad, Sinjar, and Palmyra, ISIS has not yet been put fully on the defensive. Instead, it continues

The deputy crown prince hopes his U.S. visit will help garner support for shifting the kingdom away from oil dependency, but his proposals need more rigorous questioning to ensure they are viable.

Cairo's expensive nuclear deal with Moscow will likely increase the country's economic burden and susceptibility to Russian influence.

In the American policy debates over the causes, consequences, and potential cures of Islamist extremism, institutions of state Islam -- i.e., religious institutions that are formally tied to the states governing their respective countries -- have featured only marginally. Whether due to an understandable ambivalence toward overt engagement with religious