Policy Analysis

Given Tehran’s long record of using maritime provocations to counter increased international pressure, the United States and its partners must be ready to respond swiftly and forcefully against ship seizures, mine warfare, suicide drones, and more.

The voting patterns highlight Israel’s worsening international isolation, with even some of its longtime defenders leaving the fold.

Restoring the oil-for-fuel program would avert a near-term crisis and potentially provide a platform for more ambitious reform—though it is unlikely to succeed without greater transparency, international monitoring, and subsidy changes.

Greater U.S. attention to oil and trade dynamics in Syria and Lebanon can help prevent adversarial states like Russia and illicit networks from exploiting weaknesses there.

Watch an expert webcast on the impact and future of the Abraham Accords as the Arab-Israeli agreements approach their fifth anniversary.

The architecture behind Arab-Israel normalization has survived the war years, but expansion to other countries will require a credible embrace of diplomacy, along with regional collaboration to shape Gaza’s future.

A compilation of Washington Institute views on the fallout of the targeted strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, including what the United States and its partners can do to translate this latest Israeli military surprise into beneficial political achievements.

Washington should urgently heed Abu Dhabi’s warning—not only because it comes from such a close U.S.-Israeli partner, but also because of the major regional fallout it heralds if unilateral annexations proceed in the West Bank.

Join us for an expert webcast regarding the latest international push to recognize Palestinian statehood amid the latest UN General Assembly meetings. Watch live starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) on Thursday, September 18, 2025.

The Gulf might be “the New Middle East,” but Washington should not forget that problems in “the Old Middle East” still set much of the regional agenda, raising the need for more consistent American engagement.

After seven months, the administration has shown that it is not isolationist, but it clearly prefers to rely much more heavily on regional partners than its predecessors did.

The government and military’s decision to seize the group’s weapons is unprecedented and welcome—but it won’t mean anything without a clear and viable timeline for implementation, especially as political maneuvering for next year’s election begins.

Despite their confident saber rattling, both sides face real constraints that could impede their operational goals, and their actions increase the risks to maritime security, energy exports, and broader regional stability.

Iran’s leaders have several paths to restoring or reconfiguring their nuclear program—some more realistic or risky than others—so Washington should focus on shaping which route they choose rather than discounting the possibility altogether.

Genocide scholars lent their reputation to an indictment of Israel that was less a serious inquiry than a parade of previously debunked claims and disgraced “experts.”

Actually enforcing them will require hard work by Western diplomats and experts in the face of opposition from Tehran, Beijing, and Moscow.

Although Tunisia's president maintains an illusion of full control, labor unrest and voter apathy are mounting, making him more dependent on a small and potentially fragile circle of internal security institutions.

President Aoun has promised Washington that he will begin confiscating Hezbollah’s weapons soon, but he is delivering a different message to the group and its political allies.

The government’s unprecedented decision to disarm Hezbollah is brave, but as U.S. officials have repeatedly discovered, continual pressure will be needed to ensure that Lebanon and Israel actually implement their obligations under the new plan.

Any proposal for granting citizenship to such fighters must be careful, clear, and firm in how it addresses various complexities, including international concerns about external security threats, Syria’s stability, and the post-Assad accountability process.