All Policy Analysis by James Jeffrey

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.

However the conflict ends, it has already delivered pivotal lessons on U.S. military innovation and political strategy, the continued dominance of hydrocarbons, the future posture of regional and external powers, and more.

Trump’s fifteen-point peace proposal suggests that he recognizes the need to find an off-ramp, but Washington must stay committed to that path to avoid a Russian-style quagmire.

If the Iranian threat to the Middle East is brought to an end, the loose alliance of actors who have long sought this outcome must manage their differences to avoid the regional mistakes made after World War I.

By using Syria’s newfound resources as a coalition member and negotiating military assignments at the U.S. embassy, the two governments could offset many of the concerns raised by the withdrawal of American combat units.

Damascus will not take the difficult steps to reconcile internal animosities and rebuild destroyed infrastructure unless outside supporters—led by the United States—speak with one voice about their expectations and red lines.

Full Kurdish integration in Syria is one of the most important projects in the Middle East, but Washington must ensure it is accomplished without further violence, and without blowing the activities of various foreign players out of proportion.

Washington Institute experts assess the immediate fallout of the Syrian government’s advance into SDF-held parts of the northeast, including mutual disinformation campaigns, implications for the Islamic State threat, the terms of new agreements with the Kurds, and the calculus of outside actors like the United States, Israel, and Turkey.

Watch video or read a summary of a special book launch event featuring a former secretary of defense and other veteran officials discussing the lessons learned from decades of American diplomacy and military efforts in the Middle East.

A veteran American diplomat offers a compelling, first-hand account of U.S. foreign policy and crisis management in the Middle East from 2004 to 2020.

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.

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.

Sudani did very well at the ballot box, but the peculiarities of Iraq’s long government formation process and the final distribution of parliamentary seats may leave the main Iran-backed coalition in the driver’s seat.

The Trump administration’s full-throated assurance of support for Qatar and willingness to pressure Israel on key issues could set a new benchmark for U.S. security relationships with the Gulf countries.

A distinguished panel of experts and veteran diplomats sets the stage for the president’s historic White House visit, examining critical U.S., Israeli, and Syrian issues as well as lessons from past diplomatic efforts.

Two regional political experts join a former U.S. ambassador to discuss how the final campaign push is shaping up and what the outcome could hold for U.S. interests.

A powerful new documentary on Henry Kissinger would have benefited much from a deeper assessment of how his overarching foreign policy strategy affected generation-spanning conflicts in the Middle East, Asia, and elsewhere.

Damascus has already taken steps toward this end, but intensive international economic assistance and political mediation will still be vital—the latter drawing on relevant elements from Iraq’s governing model.

Gulf leaders know that neither China, Russia, nor a “Mideast NATO” can replace the scale, capability, and strategic commitments that Washington brings, though they are still looking to recalibrate the partnership somewhat following Israel’s Qatar strike.

A compilation of Washington Institute insights on the profoundly complex tasks ahead—from preventing a Hamas resurgence to promoting Palestinian political reform—and the states and mechanisms likely to carry them out.