Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

Biden Needs a Plan B for Yemen If Houthis Win

Ending the war under the current circumstances will generate new problems unless further steps are taken to interdict weapons smuggling and bolster security in Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea.

Nov 4, 2021

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David Schenker

In-Depth Reports

Putin's War in Syria

Russian Foreign Policy and the Price of America's Absence

The Russian leader defied expectations of a quixotic, costly outcome for his country’s 2015 intervention in Syria. As it actually played out, explains Anna Borshchevskaya in her recently published book, Russia leveraged the conflict and U.S. inaction to position itself as a leading power in the Middle East.

November 4, 2021

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Brief Analysis

Militia Rocket Attacks on the Iraqi National Intelligence Service

Such attacks are a specialized subset of violent militia actions, with the most recent incident likely undertaken by Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

Nov 2, 2021

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Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Interpreting the Reemergence of the Allies of Syria Operations Room

The recent attack on al-Tanf base and the identity of the Iraqi factions that reportedly helped carry it out indicate Iran's plans to establish a new "deterrence equation" in Syria.

Oct 28, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Brief Analysis

Turkey’s F-16 Request May Not Stave Off the Inevitable

Washington and Ankara have significant diplomatic and security incentives for considering the deal, while rejecting it outright would likely hasten Erdogan’s drift into Putin’s orbit.

Oct 28, 2021

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Grant Rumley
Soner Cagaptay

USAF ground crew directs a B-1 Lancer bomber

Articles & Testimony

The Threat of War Is the Only Way to Achieve Peace with Iran

Tehran no longer takes Washington seriously, so the Biden administration needs to put the prospect of military escalation back on the table if it hopes to make progress on the nuclear issue.

Oct 27, 2021

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Dennis Ross

In-Depth Reports

Back to Basics

U.S.-Iraq Security Cooperation in the Post-Combat Era

Questions about the viability of the Iraqi security forces—brought into sharp focus by the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan—require a data-led analysis of where the forces are today and what mix of U.S., NATO, and European efforts can help them thrive in the future.

Oct 26, 2021

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Michael Knights
Alex Almeida

Articles & Testimony

A Plan B for Iran

Tehran has seemingly concluded that sanctions relief is no longer worth compromising for, so Washington needs to change that calculus by credibly sharpening the consequences.

Oct 25, 2021

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Michael Singh

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Militia Propaganda Around the Attack on al-Tanf

Iraqi militia actors appear to have had forewarning of the attack, reflecting an increasing focus on anti-coalition operations in Syria.

Oct 22, 2021

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Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

Discordance in the Iran Threat Network in Iraq: Militia Competition and Rivalry

Hardline groups are struggling to satisfy demands for action against American forces while simultaneously de-escalating U.S.-Iran tensions and evolving their non-kinetic wings.

Oct 21, 2021

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Michael Knights
Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Iraqi Militias Show Off Iranian Anti-Air Missile

Iran-backed resistance groups are seemingly staging missile "discoveries" as a way of warning off coalition air forces.

Oct 21, 2021

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Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Figure 2: Ahmad Abdal-Sadah, muqawama-affiliated commentator on al-Etejah TV, May 27, 2021.

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Militias Issue Post-Election Threats Against UNAMI and the UAE

After their humiliating defeat in the parliamentary election, Iran-backed groups launched a bizarre campaign against UN and Emirati officials.

Oct 19, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

In-Depth Reports

A Vanishing West in the Middle East

The Recent History of U.S.-Europe Cooperation in the Region

To encourage a new multilateralism, Europe will need to gain credibility on hard security matters, the United States will need to reimagine how it deals with allies, and both will need to figure out when to let Middle East countries handle Middle East problems.

Oct 19, 2021

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Charles Thépaut

Articles & Testimony

While Washington Argues, Iran Makes Nuclear Advances

A closer look at the technical progress being made under the country’s new nuclear chief—and his potential links with the Pakistani scientist who first gave Tehran weaponization know-how.

Oct 15, 2021

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

What AQ Khan’s Diaries Tell About Pakistan’s Drive for a Nuclear Bomb

The custodian of the infamous scientist’s four-decade-long journal offers new insights into his proliferation role and relationship with Pakistani military authorities.

Oct 12, 2021

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Simon Henderson

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Sabereen News Calls for Beheading of Iraqi Citizens

After the Erbil conference, which called for normalizing ties between Iraq and Israel, the largest resistance social media organ called for beheadings and then tried to cover its tracks.

Oct 3, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

The Hoquq Candidates: Kataib Hezbollah’s Aspiring Parliamentarians

Hoquq is competing head-to-head with other "resistance" factions in key Shia constituencies, especially Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

Sep 30, 2021

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Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Video

Brief Analysis

Affirming U.S. Commitments Abroad: The View from Syria’s Democratic Council

The head of the council joins two Washington Institute experts for a far-ranging conversation on the U.S. role in the northeast, Kurdish threat perceptions, the effect of the Afghanistan withdrawal, and more.

Sep 29, 2021

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Elham Ahmad
Andrew J. Tabler
David Pollock

Articles & Testimony

Beware What You Wish For. Moscow’s Joy over U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan May Be Premature

The coming violence could spill over into Russia, perhaps emboldening terrorist groups to recruit radicalized Muslims there.

Sep 24, 2021

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Anna Borshchevskaya

President Biden addresses the UN General Assembly

Articles & Testimony

Biden UN Speech Misunderstands the Point of ‘Forever Wars’—in the Mideast and Elsewhere

U.S. military deployments create the strong alliances and local partnerships that the president said he wants.

Sep 20, 2021

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Ido Levy

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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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