Policy Analysis

Given Obama and Erdogan's divergent policies on Syria, a storm between them appears almost unavoidable.

The Ahmadinejad era has taught Supreme Leader Khamenei to never again let a politician use elections and the office of the president to establish independent authority.

The regime is relatively sheltered from the current crisis, so Washington should be careful not to count on the sanctions alone to resolve the nuclear impasse.

Given the strategic issues at stake and Washington's track record with nuclear rogues, Israel and the United States should keep their disagreements to themselves.

Hizbullah’s use of criminal activity to raise funds, procure arms, and provide logistics is part of the secret to the success of its military and terrorist activities. Matthew Levitt examines the nature and extent of these activities, which have exposed the group to additional law enforcement scrutiny in the United

Given Iran's clear rhetorical and military threats to Gulf shipping, the United States and its allies must step up their efforts to improve countermine capabilities and publicly signal the regime against any naval provocations.

To mitigate adverse consequences, Washington would need to take a number of steps before and after an Israeli strike, some of which might run counter to its instincts and preferences.

On September 21, 2012, Patrick Clawson and Dennis Ross addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute to discuss the findings of the soon-to-be-released study Preventing an Iranian Nuclear Breakout: U.S.-Israel Coordination . Dr. Clawson is director for research and head of the Iran Security Initiative at the Institute. Ambassador

Ankara is re-embracing its old allies in Washington at the expense of Tehran and Damascus.

At a time when Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are facing a surplus of bad options, Washington and Israel have ample reason to actively help them emerge from the impasse in as constructive a way as possible. Otherwise, Ramallah could choose a route that leads to increased acrimony, unintended

Although the United States and Israel agree that Iran should not be permitted to have nuclear weapons, they may not see eye-to-eye on how to achieve that goal. In particular, high-profile disagreements have surfaced regarding redlines and deadlines for termination of the regime's nuclear program. In addition to complicating U.S.-Israeli

From Sana to Benghazi, Cairo to Casablanca, new jihadist groups have adopted the same name in recent months. Is it all just a coincidence?

Reporting about violence in the Middle East often focuses on Islamic extremists, and this is increasingly true for much of the coverage of Syria's uprising. But in the Syrian political opposition, Islamic extremism is truly the exception that proves the rule. The vast majority of Syrian opposition activists, according to

Washington should work closely with Amman, providing alternatives to rash changes that some will advocate as a way to stay ahead of the region's political tidal wave.

The United States must avoid the temptation of misapprehending the current spurt of violence in the region or rashly disengaging in frustration over longstanding problems.

Iran's economy has taken a turn for the worse, primarily due to poor domestic policies as well as international sanctions. But it would be unduly optimistic to think this will change the regime's nuclear stance.

In this special feature article, Institute senior fellow David Makovsky draws on interviews with some two dozen Israeli and American officials who knew about the 2007 Israeli attack on Syria and explores what it could mean for potential military action against Iran's nuclear facilities. Included is a behind-the-scenes account of

On September 10, 2012, Andrew J. Tabler and Jeffrey White addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute to discuss their recent trip to Lebanon and Turkey. Mr. Tabler is a senior fellow in the Institute's Program on Arab Politics, where he focuses on Syria and U.S. policy in the

Atlantic correspondent Jeffrey Goldberg continues the discussion of next steps on Iran with scholar Shaul Bakhash and Dr. Satloff.

The United States should engage with the countries that want to work in tandem and tread cautiously where relations will be more problematic.