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Webcast Tuesday | Lebanon's Foreign Minister on Sovereignty, Disarmament & Peace

Join us for a special conversation with His Excellence Youssef Raggi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of the Republic of Lebanon. Watch live starting at 12:00 noon EST (1700 GMT) on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.

Learn more about this event.

Recent Institute Analysis

The Middle East’s Most Overlooked Threat

The Houthis, STC, and other players are making moves that could spark a new civil war in Yemen, potentially upending the perceived balance of power ushered in by the Gaza truce.

Dec 18, 2025

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April Longley Alley

Imed Khemiri, a senior official in the Ennahda party and member of the Salvation Front (L) takes part in a protest, demanding the release of imprisoned journalists, activists, opposition figures and setting a date for fair presidential elections in Tunis, Tunisia May 12, 2024 - source: Reuters

Tunisia’s Growing Protests Open a Door for Low-Cost U.S. Initiatives

Amid mounting domestic pressure on President Saied, the Trump administration should take modest but useful and forward-looking steps like lifting tariffs, supporting less-politicized trade projects, and otherwise backing the people’s vision for a more prosperous future.

Dec 17, 2025

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Sabina Henneberg

A money changer counts dollar and euro notes

Cutting Off Hamas’s European Fundraising Spigot

Some European governments have been aggressive in prosecuting the group’s continental financiers, but not aggressive enough, while others have yet to take any substantive action.

Dec 14, 2025

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Michael Jacobson
Matthew Levitt

President Trump and Middle Eastern leaders sign documents relating to the Gaza Ceasefire - source: The White House

Getting to Phase 2 in Gaza: Red Lines and Recommendations

Washington Institute experts and former officials lay out the urgent need for clarity on vital questions related to U.S. oversight, the stalled International Stabilization Force, Israel’s red lines, Hamas opposition to multilateral proposals, the contours of the PA’s role, and more.

Dec 12, 2025

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Dennis Ross
Neomi Neumann
Michael Jacobson
Ghaith al-Omari
Ehud Yaari

A photo illustration shows Egyptian President Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu - source: Reuters

Egypt-Israel Summit: A Springboard to Progress on Gaza?

If Netanyahu and Sisi meet this month, Washington should press both leaders to treat the summit as the beginning of a structured trilateral process on Gaza, not a one-off symbolic encounter.

Dec 12, 2025

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Haisam Hassanein

Study: Inside Look at the New Syria

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa places his signature at a cabinet meeting in Damascus, October 12, 2025.

Institutions and Governance in the New Syria:

Continuity and Change from the Idlib Model

The transitional leadership can claim several successes, but a shadow government, opaque economic practices, and uneven accountability for former regime crimes could undermine progress.

Dec 4, 2025

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Building Peace Between Israel and Lebanon

Flags of Israel and Lebanon painted on hands outstretched to each other, overlaying map of Israel-Lebanon border and beyond.

Maps & Graphics

A Roadmap for Israel-Lebanon Peace

Pursuing even incremental steps will be difficult in a country long dominated by Iran’s chief regional proxy, but the two countries’ leaders have cracked the door open for future diplomacy.

Oct 28, 2025

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Hanin Ghaddar
Robert Satloff
Ehud Yaari

Institute Expertise on Arab-Israeli Relations

Dennis Ross

A diplomat with decades of experience in U.S. Middle East policy in the Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Obama administrations, Ambassador Dennis Ross is the counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Dana Stroul

A policy practitioner with extensive experience within the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government, Dana Stroul is Director of Research and Kassen Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.

Ghaith al-Omari

The former director of the American Task Force on Palestine, Ghaith al-Omari served as advisor to the negotiating team during the 1999–2001 permanent-status talks in addition to holding various other positions within the Palestinian Authority.

David Makovsky

A veteran journalist, author, academic, and diplomat, David Makovsky is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations.

In Focus: How Hezbollah Exploits Financial Corruption in Lebanon

Banque du Liban, BDL commissioner Riyad Salameh, Hezbollah symbol, ATM machine

Maps & Graphics

Cash Cabal:

How Hezbollah Profits from Lebanon's Financial Crisis

The Lebanese economy requires an urgent overhaul, and the international community must press for deep reforms.

Jun 22, 2023

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Samara Azzi
Hanin Ghaddar

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Recent Webcasts: Expert Policy Conversations

Syrian President Sharaa chairs a cabinet meeting in Damascus - source: Reuters

Video

The New Syria, Year Two: Rebuilding Institutions and Governance

A former U.S. envoy to Syria joins an expert on President Sharaa’s ruling faction to discuss how Damascus should approach governance issues one year after the fall of Assad.

Dec 5, 2025

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Aaron Y. Zelin
James Jeffrey

Syria's acting president Sharaa greets U.S. President Trump in Riyadh in May 2025 - source: Reuters

Video

Sharaa Goes to Washington

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.

Nov 7, 2025

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James Jeffrey
Michael Herzog
Michael Jacobson
Anna Borshchevskaya

Video

Is There a Pathway for Lebanon-Israel Peace?

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.

Nov 7, 2025

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Fouad Makhzoumi
Hanin Ghaddar
Eran Lerman

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.

Iranian External Operations Map and Timeline

Access this powerful interactive tool, which maps over forty-five years of Iranian clandestine operations around the globe.

Recently in Fikra Forum

Fikra Forum

Restoring Direction: Iraq’s Renewed Political Path

To prevent hawkish actors from once again seizing the initiative, Kurdish, Sunni Arab, and moderate Shia factions need to come together during the post-election period and work on fundamental tasks like implementing the constitution and strengthening institutions.

Dec 15, 2025

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Hajar Bashir Sadoon
Mohammed Tatarkhan

Armed members of the Iraqi Shiite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq demonstrate at a funeral in Iraq - source: Reuters

Fikra Forum

Pro-Iran Militias Are the Big Winners in Iraq’s Election

For many Iraqis who dreamed of a state built on the rule of law and robust institutions, the outcome of this year’s vote feels like a major setback.

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Khairuldeen Makhzoomi

Photo of refugees at the Sudan-Chad border, July 2023.

Somoud, al-Fashir, and the Battle for Sudan’s Future

A historic city has fallen, but if the world listens carefully, it may yet rise again as a catalyst for

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Libya’s High National Elections Commission Is a Dangerous Gamble

The UN Support Mission in Libya and the country’s rival legislatures are pushing to restructure the electoral authority, an effort

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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

In Focus: Great Power Competition and the Middle East

A model of a B-2 stealth bomber sits next to legislation on the president's Oval Office desk - source: The White House

Closing the Regulatory Gap in Trump’s Middle East Strategy

The success of the administration’s new approach hinges on updating U.S. government tools and structures needed to fuel its ambitions and manage the associated strategic risks.

Dec 16, 2025

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Elizabeth Dent
Dennis Ross

A Russian crude oil tanker transits the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2024 - source: Reuters

America’s Toothless Sanctions on Russian Oil

Moscow won’t feel the pain as long as China keeps buying, but Washington can change Beijing’s calculus by threatening to block access to the U.S. financial system.

Nov 24, 2025

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Erica Downs
Richard Nephew

Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Chinese President Xi in Beijing in 2019 - source: Reuters

Unpacking the China File in U.S.-Saudi Relations

As the Saudi crown prince visits Washington, the United States should use the occasion—as well as American leverage—to roll back

Nov 18, 2025

Perspectives on Muhammad bin Salman’s Visit to Washington

Washington Institute experts discuss each government’s likely agenda for the landmark visit, from dealmaking in the energy and AI sectors

Nov 14, 2025

Regions & Countries

Issues

Webcast Tuesday | Lebanon's Foreign Minister on Sovereignty, Disarmament & Peace

Recent Institute Analysis

Study: Inside Look at the New Syria

Building Peace Between Israel and Lebanon

Institute Expertise on Arab-Israeli Relations

In Focus: How Hezbollah Exploits Financial Corruption in Lebanon

Recent Webcasts: Expert Policy Conversations

Interactive Map: ISIS Global Activity

Iranian External Operations Map and Timeline

Recently in Fikra Forum

Arab Public Opinion 2014 to Today

In Focus: Great Power Competition and the Middle East