Policy Analysis

September 15, 2017 The most interesting election of 2017 may be its least transparent. In October, the United Nations will elect the next Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in a race as wild as any presidential or parliamentary contest. The next director will manage

A comprehensive accounting of naval-basing developments in the Middle East and North Africa, including recommended steps for advancing U.S. regional interests

September 14, 2017 Ever since Hamas violently ejected the Palestinian Authority’s forces from Gaza in 2007, report after report has detailed the degradation of infrastructure and the inevitability of crises. The United Nations has warned that Gaza will become unlivable by 2020 — a warning repeated almost annually since 2012

Local knowledge will be central to any U.S. endeavor to persuade Syrian residents against allying with an ascendant -- and ideologically flexible -- HTS.

In concert with its European allies, the United States should close loopholes, increase intelligence cooperation, and push international inspectors to interpret their mandate more broadly.

September 13, 2017 On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar over allegations that Doha is supporting terrorism and that it embraces Iran and its regional agenda. The Saudi-led quartet (Quartet) also imposed an economic embargo of Qatar — which includes

The refined appearance of Amr Darrag, who served as minister of international cooperation in the Morsi government, belies his extremist views.

September 13, 2017 The first time I was exposed to the work of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Egypt was in the early 1990s. I was a child in Imbaba, one of the most populous, radicalized, and poorest areas in Cairo. The area did not have

September 12, 2017 Syria’s economic and political stability have long been predicated on a grand bargain of water access. Since Hafez al-Assad seized power in 1970, the Syrian government has manipulated public access to water for political ends. The regime uses water to buy and maintain loyalty, intimidate opponents, and

An approach to jihadism rooted in "informed patriotism," a concept introduced by Ronald Reagan, would likely be more realistic and successful than one rooted in absolutism.

As foreign terrorist fighters return home, Western officials must prioritize international information-sharing and cooperation at critical border crossings.

In responding to Tehran's dangerous regional behavior, Washington can pursue measures short of a full-scale JCPOA annulment.

Instead of decertifying the nuclear deal, and thus isolating the United States from its allies, Washington should impress upon Tehran the immense costs of producing a weapon.

To preserve its relations with both Ankara and Rojava, Washington may need to push for military action against the PKK leadership in northern Iraq.

In addition to addressing the Qatar crisis and other regional challenges, this week's bilateral meetings promise to focus on how the United States and Kuwait can expand their economic ties and CT cooperation.

A former Treasury Department official dissects the specific tools the U.S. government should -- and should not -- use to prevent radicalized individuals from launching destructive solo attacks.

September 5, 2017 Recently, another controversy erupted over a one-hour sermon delivered at the Islamic Center of Davis in California by Imam Ammar Shahin. His words sounded hateful and anti-Jewish in tone bidding to "liberate Al- Aqsa mosque from the filth of the Jews. Annihilate them down to the very

September 5, 2017 Mideast pundits often speak in terms of “age-old” ethnic and religious conflicts, or of “deeply entrenched” attitudes or prejudices. A closer look at the evidence, however, reveals that Arab public opinion can sometimes change dramatically, both for better and for worse, in the space of just a

Conflict with Israel might be inevitable, but the context has become more complicated than ever for both sides.

Just as cabinet members once followed Ataturk's sartorial lead, AKP officials today robe themselves in the casual blue tartan suit favored by President Erdogan.