Policy Analysis

As the Saudi crown prince visits Washington, the United States should use the occasion—as well as American leverage—to roll back China’s influence in the country.

A historic city has fallen, but if the world listens carefully, it may yet rise again as a catalyst for a different path in which power flows from legitimacy, not force.

Instead of pinning a terrorist designation on the entire group, the Trump administration should focus more narrowly on the national security threats presented by individual Brotherhood branches and organizations, especially those funding Hamas.

Sudani did very well at the ballot box, but the peculiarities of Iraq’s long government formation process and the final distribution of parliamentary seats may leave the main Iran-backed coalition in the driver’s seat.

For the United States and Saudi Arabia to both win in today’s competitive global ecosystem, they need each other, and the Trump administration is poised to cap years of bipartisan effort by taking the relationship to new levels.

Recent academic output from both countries reveals joint research efforts in numerous military-related fields and some convergence between their defense innovation ecosystems, posing potential risks to the United States and its partners.

Washington Institute experts discuss each government’s likely agenda for the landmark visit, from dealmaking in the energy and AI sectors to deepening the bilateral defense relationship and taking the difficult next steps in the fragile Gaza ceasefire plan.

An in-depth look at the legal regime that Syria's transitional authorities have put in place to deal with religious minorities, focusing on how its policies have played out in a climate of ongoing violence and public distrust.

The UN Support Mission in Libya and the country’s rival legislatures are pushing to restructure the electoral authority, an effort that risks politicizing one of the country’s few remaining trusted institutions.

The Trump administration’s full-throated assurance of support for Qatar and willingness to pressure Israel on key issues could set a new benchmark for U.S. security relationships with the Gulf countries.

Recent convictions in the Masih Alinejad case represent a win for dissidents everywhere, but a surge in Tehran’s hostile acts abroad requires more aggressive countermeasures, such as those laid out in the bipartisan Transnational Repression Policy Act.

Despite the recent (and likely temporary) pause in ship attacks, various factors point to an enduring threat that will not dissipate until wider action is taken against the group’s far-reaching procurement networks.

With Lebanon’s leaders hinting at reconciliation, U.S. pressure can help turn words into action.

Gaza stabilization must include precise disarmament rules, independent monitoring, and pressure from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey to counter Hamas’s blend of flexibility and intransigence.

Islamic State threats in the border region necessitate shared efforts between Baghdad and Syria’s new leadership as coalition forces withdraw, but Iraq’s November 11 election and internal divisions over engaging with Damascus are blocking progress.

A distinguished panel of experts and veteran diplomats sets the stage for the president’s historic White House visit, examining critical U.S., Israeli, and Syrian issues as well as lessons from past diplomatic efforts.

A Lebanese legislator explains why disarming Hezbollah and discussing peace terms with Israel is so crucial to his country’s future, while a separate expert panel discusses the roadblocks to progress.

Damascus has registered clear gains on arresting and deporting Palestinian militants and cooperating against the Islamic State, though its progress on addressing foreign fighters is mixed, and it has stalled on the more politically complex tracks of normalizing with Israel and controlling IS detention facilities.

Undermining the group in Lebanon requires targeting its networks abroad.

Two regional political experts join a former U.S. ambassador to discuss how the final campaign push is shaping up and what the outcome could hold for U.S. interests.