Policy Analysis

Despite significant progress, Iraq still has a long way to go to meet the Trump administration’s expectations for reining in Iranian influence.

Former senior U.S. defense officials join a Russia expert to discuss how the Iran crisis is shaping Moscow’s military, political, and economic ambitions in the region.

Even if Washington resumes negotiations, Tehran will keep sending its proxies to commit attacks, buy weapons, and establish sham charities on the continent, so European governments must crack down harder.

Despite other pressing priorities and the imminent end of the coalition mission, Zaidi’s trip is a vital opportunity to make sure Baghdad has the targeted assistance it needs to keep IS from resurging at a time of great domestic and regional turbulence.

Recent crackdowns against Iran's Baloch minority over tensions around mining in the province suggest that the rift between the regime and many Baloch is deepening in the post-war period.

The heftiest portion of the theoretical financial windfall discussed in the U.S.-Iran agreement is unlikely to materialize, let alone have a big economic or political impact inside the Islamic Republic.

The Maghreb can help counter China’s growing pressure on “critical” fertilizer supply chains, particularly if Washington focuses on mutually beneficial economic partnerships rather than democratic conditionality alone.

As UN peacekeepers prepare to depart, an EU mission could help boost Washington’s efforts in Lebanon—provided Europeans can closely coordinate their proposals with the future UN presence and the U.S. focus on sovereignty and disarmament.

Recent Lebanese media engagement with Israelis is a welcome sign, but U.S. mediators should let this organic trend gain momentum for the time being rather than pressuring Beirut to make immediate legislative changes.

Although local religious and social differences would present some obstacles, the proven exportability of Rabat’s deradicalization machinery and the kingdom’s good working relations with the Israeli government make it an intriguing candidate for inclusion in the wider Gaza stabilization effort.

This landmark document offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build real peace between Beirut and Jerusalem, but progress needs to be swift and visible given the threat of violent opposition from Iran and its local allies.

Watch an expert preview of next month's NATO summit in Ankara as the alliance deals with lingering tensions from Ukraine, Iran, and other crises.

The potential upsides of implementing the Trump administration’s poorly conceived idea are negligible at best, while the downsides would be legion, including further damage to Middle East stability and American interests.

Constricted traffic patterns, escalating warnings, uncertain mine threats, and a new drone attack all suggest that Tehran has no intention of willingly going back to business as usual in the Strait of Hormuz, regardless of diplomatic breakthroughs.

Whatever course Iran and the wider Middle East may take following the war, Russia is well positioned for the aftermath.

The task now is not to achieve an unattainable final victory, but to consolidate allied gains, prevent bad outcomes on the nuclear and navigational files, and ensure that Iran remains weaker than when conflict first broke out in 2023.

By incorporating Ukraine and other like-minded states from the Middle East and Asia, the G7 Summit highlighted the net progress made on countering Iranian, Russian, and Chinese threats to the American-led global security and economic system.

Although claimed compromises by some of Iran’s proxies are unlikely to result in actual disarmament anytime soon, Washington can still erode Tehran’s illicit financial networks by carefully exploiting the militias’ desire to be treated as normal political actors.

Three experts discuss the terms, gaps, and wider regional implications of the new MOU, including how it is being received inside the Gulf states and Iran.

An in-depth look at why the board’s lack of progress in Gaza makes it unlikely to serve its envisioned role of resolving conflicts around the world.