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al-Sahaba Mosque, Darnah, Libya

In-Depth Reports

'A Caliphate That Gathered':

Addressing the Challenge of Jihadist Foreign Fighter Hubs

By devoting resources to areas of concentrated recruitment, the Biden administration can reduce the scope of future Middle East conflicts along with the likelihood that U.S. troops will once again be drawn into them.

Nate Rosenblatt

Kokuka Courageous tanker, Gulf of Oman

In-Depth Reports

Deterring Iran in the Gray Zone

Insights from Four Decades of Conflict

The United States has repeatedly failed to understand the unique requirements of gray zone deterrence. A U.S. strategy would not only facilitate more successful diplomacy with Tehran but also enhance efforts to counter other actors such as China and Russia.

Michael Eisenstadt

Satellite map of wider Rea Sea with country names

In-Depth Reports

The Case for a Holistic U.S. Policy Toward the Emerging Red Sea Region

To promote stability and other U.S. interests, Washington must reshape its approach to this increasingly complex staging ground for global competition.

Elana DeLozier

◆ Transition 2021

Soldiers in Africa, in Syria/Iraq, sensors, pen, other technology

In-Depth Reports

Rethinking U.S. Efforts on Counterterrorism:

Toward a Sustainable Plan Two Decades After 9/11

The shift away from a U.S.-led military posture will require that Washington repair its damaged credibility with allies abroad. A major task at home will be disentangling counterterrorism budgets from the military budgets on which they have long been grafted.

Matthew Levitt

◆ Transition 2021

MbS, King Salman, Saudi map, fighter jet

In-Depth Reports

Defining a Mature, Balanced Relationship with Saudi Arabia

An Urgent Task for the Biden Administration

A revamped approach to the alliance should stay focused on shared goals, from ensuring a stable oil market to promoting a more tolerant version of Islam at home and abroad.

Dennis Ross
Robert Satloff

◆ Transition 2021

Map of Israeli bilateral relationships with Arab states

In-Depth Reports

Building Bridges for Peace:

U.S. Policy Toward Arab States, Palestinians, and Israel

The Biden administration can succeed by strengthening and expanding Israeli normalization with Arab states and pursuing gradualism on the Palestinian issue.

David Makovsky

◆ Transition 2021

Women with hands on hearts, Gilroy, California, vigil

In-Depth Reports

Counterterrorism Under the Trump Administration

A Fractured Response to a Diversified Threat

The administration's achievements were counterbalanced by a striking lack of alignment among three U.S. national security strategies and the discouraging rapid rise of far-right extremism at home.

Matthew Levitt

Iran warhead on Iran map

In-Depth Reports

The Coming Iran Nuclear Talks:

Openings and Obstacles

A reimagined approach to Iran nuclear talks could extend the country’s breakout time, preserve U.S. negotiating leverage, and strengthen American alliances in Europe and across the Middle East.

Dennis Ross

◆ Transition 2021

HSI

The Counterterrorism Role of Homeland Security Investigations

Join a live webcast with a senior HSI official, a little-known agency with many unique authorities that is instrumental in solving numerous terrorism cases every year.

Louis Rodi

Articles & Testimony

Bandar Speaks Out: The Changing Landscape in the Mideast

Palestinian leaders previously never had to acknowledge their mistakes or account for missed opportunities, preventing them from learning critical lessons and adjusting their behavior.

Dennis Ross

Risks of the Palestinian Authority’s Outreach to Qatar and Turkey

Recent gestures, which have included reconciliation talks with Hamas, could strengthen the PA’s Gaza-based rival, further strain relations with its traditional Arab allies, and spur elections with destabilizing results.

Ghaith al-Omari

Bahrain Move Toward Israel Risks Domestic Reaction

The announcement of a peace deal between Israel and Bahrain suggests that the Gulf island kingdom has reassessed the danger of opposition from both its majority Shia population and its Sunni community.

Simon Henderson

Qatar Strategic Dialogue Offers Opening to End Gulf Rift

The Washington meeting between the United States and Qatar, overlapping with the Israel-UAE signing ceremony on normalization, creates a unique opportunity to resolve the dispute between U.S. allies.

Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

The Ghost of Annexation Past

King Abdullah's 1950 annexation of “Arab Palestine” shows that a bold leader can play his advantages well, redraw the map, gain some recognition, and still leave only regrets.

Martin Kramer

In-Depth Reports

Wrestling with Annexation:

The Elusive Search for a Policy Rationale

A potential Israeli push to annex parts of the West Bank threatens to upend a reasonably tolerable and surprisingly stable status quo to achieve dubious benefits at significant cost.

Robert Satloff

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

Avoiding an Epic Mistake:

The Case for Continuing the U.S. Mission in Sinai

For almost four decades, the Multinational Force & Observers has protected Israel-Egypt peace and anchored stability in the Sinai Peninsula, but a new Pentagon initiative could end the American contribution by late next year. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has indicated that all military endeavors must now fall within a National

Assaf Orion
Denis Thompson

Articles & Testimony

Baghdadi Is Dead but His Legend Lives On

The Islamic State no longer governs territory, but aspiring jihadists can now point to a caliphate project achieved in their lifetime, a long-held yearning of the international movement.

Aaron Y. Zelin

After Baghdadi: How the Islamic State Rebounds

The back-to-back deaths of the IS leader and allegedly one of his likely successors mark a significant counterterrorism accomplishment, but neither high-profile deaths nor the territorial loss of the so-called caliphate will translate into the organization’s defeat.

Katherine Bauer
Matthew Levitt
Aaron Y. Zelin

Articles & Testimony

The U.S.: Between Being the World’s Policeman and Trusting Regional Partners

Despite long-documented public weariness with Middle East conflicts, Trump’s successor could well recognize the value of reestablishing American credibility in the region.

Dennis Ross

In-Depth Reports

Shifting Landscape:

Russia's Military Role in the Middle East

In September 2015, Moscow made its first push outside former Soviet borders when it authorized airstrikes in Syria. More pertinently, the move—and Russia's broader intervention in Syria—constituted a step toward reshaping the whole regional balance of power, taking advantage of a diminishing U.S. footprint. According to the Russian defense minister

Anna Borshchevskaya

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