Policy Analysis

Changing Tehran's strategic calculus requires a firm set of nuclear red lines, a more credible U.S. military threat, and, most important, greater involvement in Syria.

FPA blogger Reza Akhlaghi interviews Mehdi Khalaji on Iran's ideological crisis and its effect on the upcoming presidential election.

Azerbaijan has ample, independent strategic reasons for its cooperation with Israel and poor relations with Tehran, notwithstanding the recent spike in Iranian tensions.

A closer look at Turkey's motivations for normalizing relations with Israel.

To keep yet another Syrian frontier from spiraling downward, Washington should urge Israel and the mainstream Syrian opposition to focus on keeping Hizballah and jihadist groups away from the border.

The political wrangling that effectively forced Fayyad to step down raises serious questions about the PA's economy, security cooperation, and political transparency, as well as U.S. efforts to revive the peace process.

Amid embassy warnings and an uptick in violence, Washington should urge the Bahraini government and mainstream political groups to avoid worsening the situation ahead of the upcoming auto race.

The next six months could see either a game-changing strategic energy compact between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds or movement toward a more sustainable Ankara-Baghdad-Erbil relationship. Washington has a strong interest in encouraging the latter.

Prematurely granting an IMF loan without pressuring the Muslim Brotherhood government to reform and compromise would only accelerate Egypt's descent into failure.

Washington should encourage the UAE to publicly present its evidence against the local Brotherhood group al-Islah, several of whose members are being tried for subversion.

The Institute's counselor testified before the Senate regarding the need for action on Syria. The following is an excerpt from his prepared remarks ; download the PDF to read the full testimony, or read the version republished in Foreign Policy under the title "It's Time to Act in Syria." "...There

A new military takeover would not provide any more of a path to stability than the increasingly autocratic Muslim Brotherhood, yet this may be where Egypt is heading.

The government doesn't want to boost the stature of the military, it has a big Alawite community, and plenty of other reasons.

The open declaration of Jabhat al-Nusra's affiliation with al-Qaeda only reiterates the need for U.S. leadership in helping the mainstream rebels contain the jihadists.

On April 9th 2013, the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin welcomed Institute executive director Robert Satloff for a discussion of the foreign policy challenges and opportunities facing the second Obama administration.

Prince Zeid bin Raad, Jordan's UN ambassador, and veteran U.S. diplomat Ambassador James F. Jeffrey debated responses to the Syrian crisis and the future of the Middle East at the 2013 Lafer Symposium. Watch their wide-ranging discussion.

The following excerpt is from the 2013 edition of the World Almanac of Islamism , a comprehensive anthology on the state of radical Islam in countries worldwide. Download the PDF to read the Libya chapter, or visit the AFPC website to access the full series. The tragic death of U.S

Pro-Assad sentiment and sectarian tensions in the south have made Ankara think twice about intervention and could bring the fighting over the border.

The role of oil in Iran's economy is declining, undercutting Western efforts to press the regime by reducing its oil export revenue.

The number of Europeans joining the Syrian jihad is not as high as some fear, but their impact on the war and potential threat upon returning home could be disproportionately great.