Policy Analysis

Once the military withdrawal is complete, Washington will need to tread gently on Iraqi sensitivities, shrug off snubs, and broaden the range of international voices capable of positively influencing Baghdad.

By telling the Syrian opposition to remain nonviolent and explicitly ruling out military intervention, the Obama administration is laying out unrealistic expectations.

The pullout of U.S. forces in Iraq threatens to unleash a dangerous and deadly struggle with Iran and within the Iraqi army.

Turkey's latest earthquake could be the beginning of the end for the PKK's appeal among Kurds in the southeast, to the benefit of other players.

On October 17, 2011, Dan Schueftan and Michael Singh addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Dr. Schueftan is director of the National Security Studies Center at the University of Haifa and a lecturer at the Israel Defense Forces National Security College and Command and Staff College. Mr. Singh

In the wake of Sultan's death, Prince Nayef is almost certain to insist that he be chosen as the next heir apparent.

Turkey's sustained economic growth since 2002 has cast Ankara as the dominant power in its neighborhood.

A moderate Islamist party governing in coalition with secularists will offer Tunisia a reasonable chance at real democracy.

If Washington is not going to compel Asad to step down, the least it can do is help protect those Syrians brave enough to continue to call for change themselves.

On October 14, 2011, Robert S. Ford and Andrew J. Tabler addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Mr. Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Syria and a career member of the senior foreign service, joined the discussion from Damascus via Skype. He has visited cities under siege by Syrian

Ankara and Tehran appear locked, once again, in their centuries-old competition to become the region's dominant power.

Mustering an effective response to Iran's assassination plot is critical for U.S. national security as well as our already damaged credibility in the Middle East.

Although the Shalit deal may help Netanyahu, the massive prisoner release will backfire on him if there is a spate of terrorist attacks.

U.S. policy toward the Asad regime could be affected by the recent indictment of a Syrian American for spying on U.S.-based opposition figures, especially if both governments respond with diplomatic expulsions.

The Egyptian military's deadly crackdown on Copt protestors marks a turning point in its post-Mubarak rule. Is this what democracy looks like?

Iran's willingness to use brutal means to achieve its foreign-policy goals is nothing new: since the creation of the Islamic Republic, U.S. intelligence agencies have repeatedly identified terrorism as one of the regime's signature calling cards.

The use of violence by Egypt's military rulers against Coptic protestors undermines the rulers' international legitimacy and damages their domestic viability.

Why would Tehran have wanted to carry out the Saudi assassination and related actions on U.S. soil, where its fingerprints on any such plot were sure to have a major impact on U.S. policy toward Iran?

Turks judge the world through the prism of the PKK.

On October 3, 2011, Abdel Monem Said Aly, David Schenker, and Nabeel Khoury addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Dr. Aly is president of the al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo and a Senior Fellow at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis