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Yemen’s “Southern Hezbollah” Celebrates Coup Anniversary in Deadly Fashion

Bilal Wahab

Houthi fighters parade with their missile systems in Sanaa in September 2023 - source: Reuters

Ending the war and facilitating other U.S.-Saudi diplomatic tracks is crucial, but neither goal will be served by turning a blind eye to the Houthis’ latest jumps in militarization.

Saudi Arabia Signals It Will Accept Stricter Nuclear Inspections

Michael Knights
Farzin Nadimi

Official statements at the latest IAEA meeting are effectively a concession in the kingdom’s negotiating stance on normalization with Israel.

Sep 26, 2023

The Future of Homeland Security: Addressing the Rise of Terrorism in Africa

Simon Henderson

While finding ways to fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of French forces, Washington and its allies must not forget that counterterrorism and great power competition with Russia are inextricably linked in these conflict zones.

Sep 27, 2023

The Palestinian Authority Thirty Years After Oslo

Aaron Y. Zelin

Podcast: New Season Debuts This Week

Breaking Hezbollah's Golden Rule Season 2 Cover Image

Audio

Podcast: Breaking Hezbollah's Golden Rule

Season 2

Listen to the new season of a podcast series shining a bright light on the global terrorist and criminal activities that Lebanese Hezbollah would rather keep hidden from view.

Sep 18, 2023

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Matthew Levitt

In Focus: Oslo at 30

Oslo handshake: Yitzhak Rabin, Bill Clinton, Yasser Arafat

Deep systemic reforms and a credible successor to Mahmoud Abbas could help secure Palestinian as well as Israeli interests.

Sep 5, 2023

The Implications of the Second Intifada on Israeli Views of Oslo

Neomi Neumann

Fikra Forum

The sense of helplessness that deepened during the course of the intifada was also accompanied by the need to find a source of the blame. In the eyes of the Israeli public, that blame was placed squarely on Palestinian leadership.

Sep 8, 2023

30 Years Later, the Oslo Vision Can Still Be Revived

Zohar Palti

Leadership dynamics make a two-state breakthrough impossible at the moment, but an Israeli-Saudi accord could help—so long as everyone honestly acknowledges what the situation would be like without Oslo.

Sep 11, 2023

An Inside Look at Rabin’s Oslo Expectations

Dennis Ross
David Makovsky

A previously classified cabinet transcript reveals a mix of shrewd judgments, prophetic concerns, and miscalculations by the late prime minister.

Sep 15, 2023

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David Makovsky

Oslo at 30-A Personal Perspective

The Oslo Accords were seriously flawed but now must be preserved. Some of the mistakes can probably be fixed over time to make sure the historic agreement does not remain a breakthrough into a dead end, but instead paves the way towards a stable compromise between Israel and the Palestinians.

Sep 5, 2023

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Ehud Yaari

The Palestinian Authority, a Flawed but Necessary Legacy of Oslo

While insufficient, a collapse of the Oslo edifice would come with a hefty price for the Palestinians, not only as individuals but also as a people seeking self-determination.

Sep 7, 2023

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Ghaith al-Omari

Oslo at 30: Looking Back and Ahead

A panel of former Israeli, Palestinian, and U.S. officials discuss the legacy and future of the Oslo Accords as a framework for achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Sep 12, 2023

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Neomi Neumann
Ghaith al-Omari
Dennis Ross
David Makovsky

The Battle for UNIFIL's Independence

United Nations headquarters building in New York - source: Reuters

The Battle for UNIFIL’s Independence (Part 1): Hezbollah at the UN

Renewing the force’s mandate while blocking Hezbollah’s bid to formally hamstring it are welcome developments, but more concerted diplomatic action will be needed to reverse the downward security trend.

Sep 21, 2023

The Battle for UNIFIL’s Independence (Part 2): Facts on the Ground

Assaf Orion
Matthew Levitt

Maps & Graphics

The secretary-general’s latest report documents Hezbollah’s expanding violations—and the growing role that Lebanese government officials and military commanders play in abetting this activity.

Sep 21, 2023

Matthew Levitt
Assaf Orion

Recent Webcasts

A hotel building in Kabul damaged by a bomb claimed by the Islamic State affiliate ISKIP - source: Reuters

The Next Afghan Jihad? Taliban Efforts to Contain ISKP

Three experts discuss how the Islamic State branch’s capacity to operate globally has evolved in troubling fashion since the coalition withdrawal.

Oct 2, 2023

Amira Jadoon
Andrew Mines
Aaron Y. Zelin

Twitter photo showing an Iranian woman standing on top of a car during a protest against the killing of Mahsa Amini.

Woman, Life, Freedom: Iran’s Mass Protest Movement, One Year On

A Conversation with Masih Alinejad

A leading activist discusses the protests and the international response on the anniversary of the movement’s outbreak.

Sep 12, 2023

Oslo at 30: Looking Back and Ahead

Masih Alinejad

Signature page of the Oslo II Accords agreement - source: U.S. Government

A panel of former Israeli, Palestinian, and U.S. officials discuss the legacy and future of the Oslo Accords as a

Sep 12, 2023

Photo showing an Israeli tank and UN peacekeeping forces on the border with Lebanon.

Israel-Lebanon Border Tensions: Hezbollah Provocation, IDF Response, and the Potential for Conflict

Three experts discuss the worsening situation on the ground and assess whether a new war is likely in the near

Aug 25, 2023

New Study: The Definitive Political Biography of Iran's Supreme Leader

Khamenei present day, underneath: as a youth, with clerics, with military

Maps & Graphics

The Regent of Allah:

Ali Khamenei's Political Evolution in Iran

The authoritarian infrastructure honed over decades by the Supreme Leader is designed to outlast his time in office.

Jul 14, 2023

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Mehdi Khalaji

Webcast With Israeli Opposition Leader Benny Gantz

Israeli Minister of Defense Benny Gantz - source: Israeli Ministry of Defense

Video

Israel's Challenges at Home and Abroad: A View from the Opposition

Opposition leader and former defense minister Benny Gantz discusses Israel’s domestic political challenges, the triggers for action against Iran’s nuclear program, the prospects of normalization with Saudi Arabia, and more.

Jun 8, 2023

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Benny Gantz
Robert Satloff
David Makovsky

Jake Sullivan Delivers 2023 Soref Symposium Keynote Address

national Security Advisor Jake Sullivan addresses the Institute's 2023 Soref Symposium

Keynote Address by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan

Watch video or read a transcript of a new Biden administration speech on U.S. policy in the Middle East, delivered at The Washington Institute’s 2023 Soref Symposium.

May 4, 2023

Jake Sullivan

Elise Labott, Dennis Ross, David Schenker, and Zohar Palti speak at the Institute's 2023 Soref Symposium. Source: The Washington Institute

2023 Soref Symposium Post-Keynote Panel

Watch as experts discuss National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's keynote address to the Institute's 2023 Soref Symposium.

May 4, 2023

Access the interactive map.

Zohar Palti
Dennis Ross
David Schenker
Elise Labott

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.

In Focus: U.S. Counterterrorism Policy in Africa

Islamic State forces, in convoy formation, declare allegiance to new caliph, 2023.

Maps & Graphics

Exploiting a "Vast Jihad Arena":

The Islamic State Takes Territory in Mali

The offensive occurred amid a deteriorating security situation across the Sahel that will require creative U.S. responses.

Sep 26, 2023

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Aaron Y. Zelin
Sarah Cahn

Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Coordination Framework Militias Exposed for Stealing Baghdad Real Estate

Pressure from Ayatollah Sistani and Sadrists has put Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq on the defensive over their growing illicit property empire.

Aug 31, 2023

Nujaba Claims Victimization by Coordination Framework Militia-Politicians

Michael Knights
Amir al-Kaabi

Maps & Graphics

Tensions between Iraq's "resistance" groups are on the rise, with Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba claiming that its online platforms and street protests are being targeted.

Aug 21, 2023

Militia Reactions to Iraq's Suspension of Telegram

Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

Netblocks shows Telegram down in Iraq, Aug 6, 2023

The official ban on their favorite social media app may be temporary, but their response has highlighted divisions within the

Aug 9, 2023

Nujaba Leads the "Big Three" Reaction to Iraq's Telegram Ban

While one leading militia spearheaded online vitriol against a social media ban that affected its affiliates, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and

Aug 10, 2023

Recently in Fikra Forum

Fikra Forum

Iraqi Officials Eye a Path for Chinese-Iraqi Development

In Iraq, the precarious reality and confused relationships seem to have driven al-Sudani’s government to attempt to circumvent the traditional binary choice between Washington and Moscow. This new course comes with a distinct and flashy name, the “Development Road” project, and looks to Beijing as a third way forward.

Egyptian Media Reflections on Egypt’s Accession to BRICS

Baraa Sabri

Fikra Forum

Although joining BRICS is an exciting economic prospect for many governments, the addition of new member states has not been without controversy. In Egypt, news of the nation’s accession to this institution has fueled a heated internal media debate on the feasibility of the move and its impact on the deteriorating economic situation in Egypt.