A tanker is destroyed as a test target during an Iranian naval exercise

THE IRAN WAR IN ITS FOURTH WEEK

Webcast: How Middle East Societies Grapple with War

Watch a conversation with a trio of leading regional journalists as they discuss how publics are responding to the crisis of the Iran war. Featuring Channel 12 anchor Yonit Levi, Asharq al-Aswat columnist Nadim Koteich, and Jordan Times and al-Ghad columnist Amer Al Sabaileh

 

Learn more about this event.

How China Could Shorten Iran’s Path to Military Recovery After the War
Beijing has been mostly talk and little walk so far, but once the war ends, it may decide to help Tehran rebuild militarily in return for oil.
Mar 17, 2026
  • Assaf Orion
Great Power Competition During (and After) the Iran War
Three experts examine how Moscow, Beijing, and European capitals are navigating the crisis and what their choices reveal about the future of the global order.
Mar 19, 2026
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Souhire Medini
  • Henry Tugendhat
  • Grant Rumley
Syria Is Feeling the Fallout from the Iran Crisis
The war’s effects on Syria have largely fallen below the radar, yet no one should forget how much has changed there since 2024, nor how important it is to preserve the government’s accomplishments against Iran and its partners while acknowledging the conflict’s local economic consequences.
Mar 18, 2026
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Defeating Iran’s Strategy: Energy Security and the “Abraham Shield”
Tehran is targeting the soft underbelly of the U.S.-Israeli campaign—the oil sector and vulnerable Middle Eastern states—but allied officials can counter this strategy by taking concerted steps to bolster their regional partners, stabilize oil markets, and suppress the regime's military capabilities.
Mar 16, 2026
  • Assaf Orion

Interactive Map: Maritime Attacks in the MENA Region

Recent Institute Analysis

Syrian Army recruits attend their graduation ceremony from special forces training - source: Reuters
Syria Is Not Ready to Wage War Beyond Its Borders
The U.S. metric for effective cooperation shouldn’t be whether Syria is willing to fight Iran’s proxies in Lebanon or Iraq, but whether it continues advancing regional stability by securing its borders, limiting the flow of Iranian weapons and fighters, and coordinating politically with neighbors.
Mar 24, 2026
  • Andrew J. Tabler

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:
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
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Matt Tavares

Arab Public Opinion 2014 to Today

Fikra Interactive Public Polling Platform Thumbnail
Maps & Graphics
TWI Interactive Polling Platform
Interactive datasets, from 2014 to today
Jun 30, 2022