Policy Analysis

Watch or read an in-depth conversation with three experts who have spent weeks on the ground in Syria and met with the interim authorities who toppled the Assad regime.

With signs of fewer Iraqis prioritizing their national identity, Iraqis are likely to see another elections cycle shaped by subnational identities in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The president is expected to focus on big investment deals and arms sales during his Gulf tour, but he also needs to address some urgent security issues if he wants to come home with a win.

Asaib Ahl al-Haq continues to battle with Falih al-Fayyadh, this time highlighting the latter's alleged ties to Turkey as a means to undermine the Popular Mobilization Forces secretary-general

Regime officials and the Supreme Leader himself have signaled a willingness to make unprecedented concessions, but taking advantage of this opening will require careful U.S. messaging on counterterrorism, regional deterrence, and human rights.

After a stunning blow to their mutual Iranian enemy, Israel and Turkey should use close defense and intelligence dialogue to navigate Syria’s extraordinary period of flux and craft a new regional order.

As the U.S. administration shifts towards an economics-first approach to foreign policy, Jordan will need to find ways to emphasize the benefits of the two countries' decades-long broader strategic relationship in public messaging—both for its own national security interests and as a way to assuage public concerns.

Watch an expert conversation previewing President Trump's upcoming trip to the Middle East.

Terrorist organizations are exploiting Iraq’s energy sector to the tune of billions of dollars per year, raising the need for more intensive efforts to trace how revenues are routed into oil “voucher” programs and other diversion schemes.

Even if Washington were willing to support indefinite military occupation, escalating in Gaza would increase the risk to hostages, the strain on the IDF’s reserves, and the discord Israel has faced at home and abroad.

Tehran cannot enjoy the economic benefits it seeks while under sanction, but some sanctions will necessarily remain in place as long as it continues sponsoring terrorism, leaving negotiators with little choice but to address issues beyond the nuclear program.

In its first statement since October, a notorious Kataib Hezbollah Telegram account offered a deeper dive into how the "resistance" views a range of new developments in Iraq, Syria, and Iran.

With the group and its Iranian patrons at their weakest point in decades, Beirut has a real opportunity to restore its sovereignty, but waiting for another futile “national dialogue” may close that window.

A year and a half of multifront warfare holds lessons for Israel's approach to regional security, peacemaking, and U.S. relations.

Iraq's self-styled "resistance" had an allergic reaction to the idea of Syria's new president setting foot on Iraqi soil, putting Prime Minister Sudani at odds with some of his terrorist supporters.

Although President Abbas seems more focused on meeting diplomatic expectations abroad than dealing with burning issues at home, officials should still push him to propose something beyond cosmetic change—both to address the reality in the West Bank and, perhaps, to legitimize the PA’s eventual return to Gaza.

Abu Hussein has asked the group's fighters to keep showing restraint, seemingly reinforcing Iran's preference for calm as nuclear talks with Washington proceed.

As revelations continue to unfold about the group’s involvement in militant plots, weapons smuggling, and coordination with foreign accomplices, Amman will likely feel obligated to crack down—the question is how much?

The Iran-backed militia’s disruption of Red Sea shipping is threatening America’s ability to rapidly deploy and supply its forces in the Middle East and beyond, but a combination of logistical workarounds, military measures, and diplomatic efforts may be the answer.

The West Bank has been a relatively minor front in Israel’s post-October 7 war, but if violence by far-right settlers continues to increase, the fallout could be substantial.