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Institute Scholar on NPR - Listen

Bernstein Adjunct Fellow Richard Nephew, a former Deputy Special Envoy for Iran at the State Department, spoke with NPR's Morning Edition about the state of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks.

If you give the Iranians significant sanctions relief now, you are propping up the regime. So there's still a question not only of whether or not a deal can be struck, but whether or not it's the right outcome.

Listen to the interview

Recent Institute Analysis

A photo illustration shows US and Iranian flags and an atomic symbol - source: Reuters

A “Good Deal” with Iran? Requirements for Preventing a Future Nuclear Breakout

Setting aside the broader array of deep Western policy concerns about Iran—including its terrorism sponsorship, direct and proxy aggression against Israel and the Gulf states, and brutal violence against its own people—what nuclear terms would negotiators have to insist on to avoid the setbacks of the JCPOA process and keep the regime from acquiring nuclear weapons for the long term?

Feb 12, 2026

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Zohar Palti

Another Iran “Deal” Is Less Important Than Exerting U.S. Leverage

U.S. envoys should be focused less on making a deal and more on how they can use the prospect of imminent military strikes to secure concessions on the nuclear issue, missile threats, treatment of protesters, and other matters.

Feb 4, 2026

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Michael Singh
Richard Nephew

A Palestinian man in Gaza releases pigeons

What the New Gaza Administrative Committee Needs to Succeed

The NCAG’s viability will depend on producing quick, tangible deliverables, so the Trump administration, the Board of Peace, and the High Representative should stand ready to provide the requisite support on staving off Hamas and PA obstructionism and cutting through Israeli red tape.

Feb 5, 2026

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Ghaith al-Omari

Presidents Erdogan of Turkey and Xi of China meet in Beijing - source: Reuters

Throwing Water on Turkey’s Warming Ties with China

Concerns about the Uyghur file, investment risks, and other issues are still constraining the relationship to a certain extent, but fortifying those restraints will require Washington to exert further leverage on several fronts.

Feb 5, 2026

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Soner Cagaptay
Ela Peterson

Peace Through Leverage in Gaza: How to Limit Hamas’s Influence and Ensure Israel’s Compliance

The Trump administration needs to exert pressure on each of the “two Gazas,” pushing Hamas and its regional interlocutors on disarmament while pressing Israel to play a more constructive role and conduct phased withdrawals when merited.

Feb 2, 2026

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Dennis Ross
David Makovsky

Institute Expertise on Israel

Dennis Ross

The Institute's Counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow, Ambassador Dennis Ross played a leading role in shaping U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process from the Reagan to the Obama administrations.

Ehud Yaari

Ehud Yaari, an Israel-based Lafer Fellow at the Institute, is an award-winning journalist and commentator who's been an influential presence in global newsmedia across six decades.

Neomi Neumann

An Adjunct Fellow at the Institute, Neomi Neumann formerly served as head of the research unit at the Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet, and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

David Makovsky

Institute Ziegler Distinguished Fellow David Makovsky is a veteran journalist who served as senior advisor to the State Department's Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations during the second Obama administration.

Institute Scholars Testify before Congress

Video

Syria at a Crossroads: U.S. Policy Challenges Post-Assad

Damascus will not take the difficult steps to reconcile internal animosities and rebuild destroyed infrastructure unless outside supporters—led by the United States—speak with one voice about their expectations and red lines.

Feb 10, 2026

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James Jeffrey

The Ford House Office Building in Washington, DC - source: Architect of the Capitol

Video

Securing Syria’s Transformation by Diminishing Russia’s Influence

Russia has been quietly reconsolidating its military patronage, energy ties, and future business prospects in Syria for more than a year, but Washington has multiple options for countering Moscow’s long game.

Feb 3, 2026

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Video

Cutting Through the Fog of War (and Peace) in Syria

Clear-eyed recounting and a detailed roadmap can give U.S. officials and the American public a better view of what security and governance measures the new Syrian government has taken so far, and what gaps and pitfalls remain in the path of lasting stability.

Feb 10, 2026

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Andrew J. Tabler

Targeting Hezbollah’s Broader Ecosystem of Power

The ongoing disarmament process is crucial, but completing it will be impossible without more attention to Hezbollah’s cash economy, judicial interference, political intimidation, and other elements of domestic power.

Feb 3, 2026

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Hanin Ghaddar

In Lebanon, Pushing the Ball Forward Before the May Election

Without electoral law modifications, sanctions against pro-Hezbollah elites, prosecutions for long-delayed cases like the port explosion, and other urgent measures, the group and its allies could wind up regaining their grip in Lebanon during the next round of nationwide voting.

Feb 3, 2026

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David Schenker

U.S. Policy Toward Lebanon: Obstacles to Dismantling Hezbollah’s Grip on Power

Meeting the moment requires greater investment and attention from Washington, including additional targeted security assistance, robust diplomatic efforts, expansion of the U.S. team tasked with handling the Lebanon file, and more.

Feb 3, 2026

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Dana Stroul

Religious Freedom in Syria’s Post-Assad Transition

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.

Nov 13, 2025

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Study: Russia in the Middle East

Montage: Presidents Sisi (Egypt) and Putin (Russia) at the 2024 BRICS summit; a woman holds a Russian flag in Istanbul; a Russia House cultural center in Syria; a map image superimposing Russian flag over Africa/Middle East.

Maps & Graphics

After Ukraine:

Prospects for a Russian Resurgence in the Middle East

Moscow has cultivated ties with U.S. adversaries and allies alike, and Washington must respond by advancing a holistic policy that empowers Ukrainian commercial interests and addresses deficits in sanctions policy.

Jan 23, 2026

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Anna Borshchevskaya
Matt Tavares

The Washington Institute Congratulates Nickolay Mladenov on His Appointment as High Representative for Gaza

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy congratulates Nickolay Mladenov, the organization’s Segal Distinguished Visiting Fellow, on his appointment as high representative for Gaza and as a member of the Executive Board of the newly established Board of Peace.

Read the full press release.

Who Won the Gaza War? Study

Split screen: (left) Israeli hostage Eitan Abraham Mor after his release by Hamas on October 13, 2025; right: a Hamas militant outside of Gaza City in December.

The Hamas-Israel War: An Early Assessment

Despite rhetoric to the contrary, neither side can claim a decisive win, and an uneasy status quo could persist as long as Trump, the ceasefire guarantors, and Israeli leaders keep a lid on their frustrations.

Dec 23, 2025

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Robert Satloff

Institute Expertise on Iran

Patrick Clawson

The Morningstar Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, Patrick Clawson directs the Viterbi Program on Iran and U.S. Policy. He has authored more than 150 articles about the Middle East and international economics and is the author or editor of eighteen books or studies on Iran.

Holly Dagres

A widely cited scholar, Institute Libitzky Family Senior Fellow Holly Dagres has published groundbreaking scholarship on social media use by young Iranians. Curator of The Iranist Substack newsletter, she has been featured in interviews across radio, television, and print, including the Associated Press, BBC News, CNN, NPR, Fox News, and The New York Times.

Michael Eisenstadt

A speialist in Persian Gulf security affairs, Michael Eisenstadt is the Kahn Senior Fellow and director of the Military and Security Studies Program at The Washington Institute. He has published widely on Iranian strategy, irregular warfare, and nuclear proliferation.

Michael Singh

A former senior director for Middle East Affairs at the National Security Council, Michael Singh is the Managing Director and Lane-Swig Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute. His responsibilities at the NSC included a focus on Iran's nuclear program and its regional activities.

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Interactive Map: ISIS Global Activity

Under the leadership of jihadism scholar Aaron Zelin, a team of researchers at The Washington Institute has built the Islamic State Select Worldwide Activity Map, an interactive tool that provides a more accessible way to search, track, and understand the organization’s global reach. It represents the most comprehensive public archive of the group’s attack data, media output, government designations, and legal cases — information that is becoming invaluable as IS affiliates disperse into a wider range of jurisdictions and the U.S. government continues shifting resources away from the global counterterrorism fight.

Access the interactive map.