Policy Analysis

Many players in Syria are pursuing a long-term sectarian dehumanization strategy because they view the war as an existential religious struggle between Sunnis and Shiites, indicating that peace conferences are unlikely to resolve the conflict.

Dr. Pollock addresses various facets of the latest peace talks during testimony before the French legislature.

On January 27, 2014, Andrew Tabler, Jeffrey White, and Aaron Zelin addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Tabler is a senior fellow in the Institute's Program on Arab Politics and author of In the Lion's Den: An Eyewitness Account of Washington's Battle with Syria. White is a Defense

The complexities and dynamics of the Syrian conflict make it distinctly possible that Israel could become militarily involved -- even though none of the actors are interested in that outcome.

Regional circumstances point to both the possibility and the need for enhanced Arab-Israeli efforts to address challenges in the security, energy, food/water scarcity, and public-health domains.

Concerned about the possible drift of al-Qaeda affiliates to areas adjacent to the Golan Heights border, Israel finds itself obliged to increase its assistance to local rebel militias in southern Syria.

The ongoing clashes between rival rebel factions will likely be protracted and indecisive, and the resultant diversion of effort is already working to the regime's advantage.

Given the Brotherhood and the military's mutually exclusive aims, Egypt's death-match will continue, with even deadlier stakes once Sisi becomes president.

A deal with Iran may or may not be possible, but convincing Congress to prepare new sanctions without adopting them yet should be much easier.

Washington should focus on shielding U.S. strategic interests in Egypt from the effects of persistent political instability, while also encouraging Cairo to address the root causes of this instability over time.

This paper argues that Turkey only partly fits the mold that describes the rising BRICS countries, and so it is useful to designate Turkey as a special case in the rising powers literature. On the one hand, Turkey has gained from the post-Cold War international structure by expanding its outreach

As the anniversary of the 2011 troubles approaches, Bahrain's political battles are seemingly being fought out in the palaces as much as the streets.

Bribery accusations and construction fatalities are bad enough, but linking Qatar's World Cup to the killing of Israelis does a disservice even to the morally tarnished FIFA.

The controversial Hariri trial will unfold amid growing sectarian violence in Lebanon, the seemingly interminable war in Syria, and a longstanding political stalemate regarding Hezbollah's role in government.

Assad is still standing, but he is not standing alone -- and he likely no longer makes decisions alone either.

Given that Assad and his backers want to gut the transition process called for in the Geneva Communique, Washington should plan to take other steps in parallel to the Geneva process.

The president's fellow party members in Congress are unhappy about his perceived lack of coordination with them on various issues, leading to a potentially damaging impasse on Iran.

With Israeli acquiescence to de facto alterations of the 1979 peace treaty, Egypt has deployed substantial military forces into the Sinai to combat terrorists. But Israel remains hesitant about Cairo's inclination to increase pressure on Hamas in Gaza.

Given the limitations and internal divisions of Egypt's various power centers, neither the military nor any other single institution is solely in charge at the moment.

The international conference on Syria is unlikely to make headway toward a transitional government and might instead undermine U.S. interests in ending the civil war.