Policy Analysis

Given the group's hostile long-term goals, the Trump administration needs an empowered envoy to lead several projects in parallel, from developing a capable Palestinian security force and replacing the PA’s leadership to curtailing Israeli fringe elements and resuming Arab normalization talks.

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.

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.

The process has become less about peace and more about political survival for those spearheading Sudan’s catastrophic war.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Strong outside supervision over Lebanon’s implementation of the Hezbollah disarmament plan could help forestall looming Israeli military escalation and protect recent diplomatic milestones on the road toward an eventual peace treaty.

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.

Although some Christians have been targeted post-Assad, these incidents are hardly an attempted "genocide," but rather part of the broader internal security challenge affecting all communities in Syria, including the majority population.

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.

In addition to providing discounted crude of a quality desired by American refiners, the resumption of oil flows via the ITP is already showing promise of furthering U.S. policy toward partners and adversaries alike.

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

For the Gaza ceasefire to survive, each side will need to address the persistent challenges of West Bank settler violence and Hamas weapons.

Washington and its allies are waiting for Beirut to acknowledge the difficult but unavoidable truth: that war will resume unless serious action is taken to target all the pillars of Hezbollah’s power, bolster Shia political alternatives, and otherwise satisfy the ceasefire’s most important requirement: disarming the group.

Reservoirs are drying up due to systemic mismanagement and other problems, and regime officials do not appear willing or able to undertake the necessary fixes.

Although Washington should keep pressing the Lebanese government to seize weapons and prosecute political assassins, the chances of Beirut actually confronting the militia appear increasingly slim.

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.