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Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

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Photo of a woman walking in front of a mural that shows missiles being launched from Iran.
Articles & Testimony
The Risk and Reward of Preventive Strikes Against Iran
Understanding the background of the twelve-day war and the considerations that shaped Iran’s past nuclear calculus can help illuminate the factors most likely to influence its future proliferation choices.
Sep 30, 2025
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  • Michael Eisenstadt
Israeli and US flags - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Assessing Israel-U.S. Alignment on the Gaza Framework
Prime Minister Netanyahu will likely accentuate the positive in his response to President Trump’s initiative to end the war, but key details—let alone Hamas’s response—could decide whether the plan ultimately succeeds or falls prey to another “yes but” cycle.
Sep 29, 2025
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  • David Makovsky
Articles & Testimony
Trump Holds the Levers to Move Gaza Toward Peace
The 21-point U.S. plan offers an alternative to Hamas governance, but the president will have to ensure an interim administration meets its disarmament commitments—and support Israeli responses if Hamas reemerges.
Sep 28, 2025
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  • Dennis Ross
A U.S. Army soldier on patrol in Iraq
Brief Analysis
After Operation Inherent Resolve: The Future of U.S.-Iraq Security Relations
Whether Washington opts for complete withdrawal, a smaller, Kurdistan-based presence, or a 180-degree shift to business and energy initiatives, it needs to be mindful of the risks and keep the focus on America’s paramount strategic interests.
Sep 24, 2025
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  • James Jeffrey
UN peacekeeping troops serving with the MINURSO mission in Western Sahara - source: United Nations
Brief Analysis
Time to Pull the Plug on MINURSO? Not Quite
Despite Morocco’s growing diplomatic momentum and recent U.S. cuts to the UN peacekeeping budget, prematurely ending the Western Sahara mission would be a mistake given the important practical role it plays in maintaining the de facto ceasefire.
Sep 24, 2025
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  • Souhire Medini
  • Sabina Henneberg
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif embrace each other on the day they sign a defence agreement, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 17, 2025 - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Will Saudi Arabia’s New Defense Agreement with Pakistan Have Proliferation Consequences?
The deal seems mostly symbolic given that Riyadh is a major trading partner with India—Pakistan’s main adversary—but the implications may nevertheless be significant for regional proliferation concerns, nuclear energy ambitions, and related U.S. diplomacy.
Sep 19, 2025
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  • Simon Henderson
Articles & Testimony
How Washington’s Drone Policy Is Catching Up to Reality
To balance competition and global responsibility, the Trump administration should combine its welcome reinterpretation of the MTCR with updated nonproliferation standards and robust safeguards.
Sep 16, 2025
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  • Elizabeth Dent
  • Grant Rumley
Brief Analysis
Toward a More Comprehensive (and Effective) U.S. Policy on Yemen
The Houthis pose even more of a risk to U.S. and Gulf interests than they did before the Gaza war, so Washington and its regional partners need to develop an approach that is more fit for purpose.
Sep 18, 2025
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  • April Longley Alley
Brief Analysis
After Snapback, Washington Needs to Prepare for Iranian Escalation in the Gulf
Given Tehran’s long record of using maritime provocations to counter increased international pressure, the United States and its partners must be ready to respond swiftly and forcefully against ship seizures, mine warfare, suicide drones, and more.
Sep 16, 2025
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  • Farzin Nadimi
Photo of smoke rising over Doha following an Israeli strike in September 2025.
Brief Analysis
Israel Strikes Qatar: Implications for Gaza Diplomacy, Gulf Relations, and U.S. Policy
A compilation of Washington Institute views on the fallout of the targeted strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, including what the United States and its partners can do to translate this latest Israeli military surprise into beneficial political achievements.
Sep 10, 2025
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  • Robert Satloff
  • Elizabeth Dent
  • Simon Henderson
  • David Makovsky
A Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) soldier
Brief Analysis
Without a Hezbollah Disarmament Deadline, Lebanon Should Face Repercussions
The government and military’s decision to seize the group’s weapons is unprecedented and welcome—but it won’t mean anything without a clear and viable timeline for implementation, especially as political maneuvering for next year’s election begins.
Sep 8, 2025
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  • Hanin Ghaddar
Photo of a Houthi funeral in Yemen following an Israeli strike that killed multiple government officials.
Brief Analysis
Israel and the Houthis Are Entering a Dangerous Escalation Cycle
Despite their confident saber rattling, both sides face real constraints that could impede their operational goals, and their actions increase the risks to maritime security, energy exports, and broader regional stability.
Sep 5, 2025
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  • April Longley Alley
Brief Analysis
Iran’s Nuclear Reconstitution Options
Iran’s leaders have several paths to restoring or reconfiguring their nuclear program—some more realistic or risky than others—so Washington should focus on shaping which route they choose rather than discounting the possibility altogether.
Sep 4, 2025
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  • Richard Nephew
An IDF display of weapons seized from a Hezbollah cache in southern Lebanon - source: Reuters
Maps & Graphics
Articles & Testimony
Disarming Hezbollah: Much Talk, Little Action
President Aoun has promised Washington that he will begin confiscating Hezbollah’s weapons soon, but he is delivering a different message to the group and its political allies.
August 2025
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  • Ehud Yaari
LAF soldiers study a map - source: Lebanese Armed Forces
Brief Analysis
Lebanon’s Moment of Truth
The government’s unprecedented decision to disarm Hezbollah is brave, but as U.S. officials have repeatedly discovered, continual pressure will be needed to ensure that Lebanon and Israel actually implement their obligations under the new plan.
Aug 27, 2025
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  • David Schenker
Passports seized from foriegn fighters in northern Syria - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Syrian Citizenship for Foreign Fighters? U.S. Red Lines and Nuances
Any proposal for granting citizenship to such fighters must be careful, clear, and firm in how it addresses various complexities, including international concerns about external security threats, Syria’s stability, and the post-Assad accountability process.
Aug 27, 2025
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  • Devorah Margolin
Somali cadets march during a graduation ceremony following training in Turkey - source: Turkish government
Brief Analysis
To Halt the Jihadist Advance in Somalia, Work with Turkey and the UAE
Overhauled Turkish and Emirati training programs for the Somali army and renewed funding for the African Union mission could provide the boost that Mogadishu needs, and Washington should push for both.
Aug 20, 2025
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  • Ido Levy
UN peacekeepers affiliated with UNIFIL are pictured along the Israel-Lebanon border - source: Reuters
Video
Brief Analysis
The Future of UNIFIL and Hezbollah Disarmament
Former Israeli and Lebanese military officials discuss whether the UN force can play any effective role in the urgent tasks of expanding Beirut’s sovereignty and disarming Hezbollah.
Aug 18, 2025
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  • Khalil Helou
  • Sarit Zehavi
  • Assaf Orion
Kataib Hezbollah troops receiving instruction in Iraq
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah Leader Meets With Coordination Framework, Refuses Government Authority to Censure
KH's secretary-general signaled that his terrorist organization would not face negative consequences for killing an Iraqi policeman. Thus far, he's right.
Aug 18, 2025
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  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Men stand next to exhibits at the International Defence Exhibition in Abu Dhabi - source: Reuters
Video
Brief Analysis
Arms Sales and the Middle East: Another Arena for Great Power Competition?
Security experts discuss Russia and China’s varying approaches to expanding their weapons exports and broader influence in the region and beyond.
Aug 15, 2025
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  • Samuel Bendett
  • Ionela Ciolan
  • Laura Cressey
  • Jake Rinaldi

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Supported by the

Military and Security Studies Program

The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program has established itself as an unrivaled source of reliable, incisive, and forward-looking analysis concerning several of the most critical national-security challenges facing the United States today: The U.S. military role in the Middle East, Iran's nuclear program and its proxy armies, the ongoing conflict is in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, the regional proliferation of missiles and weapons of mass destruction, the security dimensions of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and many other security issues on the frontline of the U.S. policymaking agenda.

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Featured experts

Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt is the Kahn Senior Fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program.
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley is the Meisel-Goldberger Senior Fellow and Director of the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Elizabeth Dent - source: The Washington Institute
Elizabeth Dent
Elizabeth Dent is the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where she focuses on U.S. foreign and defense policy toward the Gulf states, Iraq, and Syria.
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