Policy Analysis

The U.S. military has a great track record of winning on the battlefield, but it must do a better job of demanding clearer definitions of strategic victory from the political leadership, along with the means and time needed to achieve it.

The death or incapacity of King Abdullah will exacerbate tensions within the royal family over who should replace him.

Although Washington should have no illusions about resolving the region's wider problems, it can build on early successes against ISIS by making the commitments needed to fully defeat the group in Iraq and Syria, including a modest, enduring U.S. military presence.

The Israeli regulator's decision to reopen a natural gas agreement because of a monopoly issue jeopardizes the country's gas export potential and its ability to attract foreign capital, as well as threatening to complicate relations with Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt.

Conversations with Palestinian, Israeli, and international officials indicate that the simmering stalemate between Hamas and Fatah will not end well.

While Tunisians deserve widespread recognition for achieving a peaceful transfer of power, the need for continued U.S. engagement will only increase after this weekend's ballot.

It is time for Pakistan's military and intelligence leaders to recognize that their preoccupation with India and their willingness to tolerate certain radical elements are not in the country's best interests.

The group's legal challenge will likely succeed for now, but the EU can reinstate the ban by relying on the plethora of evidence from European terrorism cases involving Hamas.

Incitement by Palestinians and Israelis against each other should be penalized rather than explained away or dismissed.

An in-depth conversation on the challenges of battling jihadist ideology in the ISIS era.

A detailed discussion of how to combat both ISIS and the Assad regime, including through diplomacy and other political means as complements to the existing military campaign.

The conservative Gulf Arab states are functioning more cohesively again after a year of diplomatic tensions, but questions persist about political reform, economic integration, and demographic issues.

Absent more robust international intervention, the regime remains essentially unopposed in the air, allowing it to continue pursuing its strategic objectives and killing civilians with relative impunity.

The long-serving prime minister suddenly is no longer the presumptive favorite against a rapidly consolidating opposition, which will likely spur him to shore up his own right-wing base throughout the campaign season.

Patiently rebuilding the Iraqi Security Forces is key to defeating terrorism and cutting militias back down to size, but Baghdad may decide to move on Mosul before it is ready.

The recently announced seven-month extension in nuclear talks grants the P5+1 time to strengthen its negotiating position on a number of fronts, including time to ensure checks on Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities. Here, creating a viable monitoring regime for Iranian missile efforts is essential -- simply limiting Iranian access to

The sudden removal of several ministers is most likely a response to popular dissatisfaction with the government's performance at home.

The decline in oil prices will depress the regime's revenues, and the threat of increased sanctions is newly credible given the composition of the next Congress.

On December 2, 2014, Ambassadors Itamar Rabinovich and Michael Oren were presented with the 2014 Washington Institute Scholar-Statesman Award for their contributions to the academic study of the Middle East and the practice of diplomacy. Oren is the author of two acclaimed books -- Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in

The attack on Kobane, pitting ISIS against Kurdish forces, is a political as well as military battle given its presence on the border between Turkey and Syria.