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Military & Security

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Qais al-Khazali's declassified interrogation file
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Qais al-Khazali Praises His “Honorable” Role in Murder of Americans
The senior political and "resistance" figure is still trying to legitimize the cold-blooded murder of unarmed Americans in the 2007 Karbala raid.
Jun 5, 2025
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
Russia’s Defense Ties in the Middle East Poised to Rebound
Demand for Russian weapons has hardly disappeared—MENA officials would see even a limited or temporary Ukraine deal as a green light to quickly take advantage of Moscow’s new supply chains, so Washington should prepare accordingly.
June 2025
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Matt Tavares
Brief Analysis
Reducing the U.S. Presence in Syria Too Quickly Could Help the Islamic State
Besides testing Syria’s new authorities on a mission they are not yet ready to handle by themselves, Washington also has an unprecedented chance to curtail the group in areas that were difficult to reach under the old regime.
Jun 4, 2025
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  • Ido Levy
Brief Analysis
Nuclear Talks and Iran’s Missile Program: Addressing the Overlooked Arsenal
Given Iran’s unchecked missile buildup since the last nuclear deal, any future agreement should include enforceable limits on the development and stockpiling of long-range missiles to ensure lasting regional security and nonproliferation.
Jun 3, 2025
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  • Farzin Nadimi
Harakat al-Abdal armored vehicles and flags
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Harakat al-Abdal
An inveterate opponent of the United States and Israel, the enigmatic Harakat al-Abdal may have become an entirely Qods Force-operated, Syria-based entity years ago, posing questions about where its fighters now reside and what became of its PMF status in Iraq.
Jun 2, 2025
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  • Sary Mumayiz
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
A man holds a newspaper featuring a photograph of U.S. President Trump and his Middle East advisor, Steve Witkoff, in Tehran - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Is a Good Iran Deal Possible?
If carefully negotiated and given enough time to demonstrate results, a new deal could prevent a crisis in the near term and create a foundation for regional stability down the road.
May 26, 2025
◆
  • Richard Nephew
A United Nations peacepeeker scans the terrain in southern Lebanon - source: Untied Nations
Brief Analysis
UNIFIL’s Fork in the Road
The time for inertia is over—this summer, Security Council members will have a rare and urgent chance to break the spell of illusory “peacekeeping” and advance a model that actually helps keep the peace between Israel and Lebanon.
May 29, 2025
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  • Assaf Orion
Syria's acting president Sharaa greets U.S. President Trump in Riyadh in May 2025 - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Setting Expectations with Syria on Countering the Islamic State
After an encouraging Trump-Sharaa meeting, Washington and its partners must now facilitate the complex work of creating timelines and implementing new security arrangements to constrain the jihadist group.
May 27, 2025
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  • Devorah Margolin
President Donald Trump meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Will Trump Dump Netanyahu? Here's When Israel Will Find Out
A ten-year memorandum of understanding lapses during the president’s term, and he will have to decide whether negotiating a new deal serves American interests.
May 26, 2025
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  • Dennis Ross
An IDF display of weapons seized from a Hezbollah cache in southern Lebanon - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Disarming Palestinian Factions in Lebanon Means Disarming Hezbollah
Given their deep historical and present-day coordination, Beirut needs to change its mindset of treating these groups separately and formulate a unified strategy for disarming them all—and the sooner the better.
May 21, 2025
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  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Ehud Yaari
A masked Hamas fighter brandishes a rifle in Gaza - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Deporting Hamas’s Top Brass: A Path to Ending the War in Gaza
Although Hamas is still unwilling to discuss full disarmament, granting safe passage to hundreds of commanders could have similar effects on the ground while enabling the parties to end the fighting and reach a viable “day after” agreement.
May 20, 2025
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  • Ehud Yaari
Flight deck crew issues commands to a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet prior to launch from the carrier USS Harry S. Truman - source: Department of Defense
Articles & Testimony
What the End of the Houthi Campaign Means for U.S. Power
Despite the embarrassing PR, “mowing the grass” by targeting Houthi capabilities and personnel has value if repeated periodically—perhaps by an Israeli-Arab “Red Sea security group” if Washington is no longer willing to take the lead.
May 19, 2025
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  • Michael Knights
KH-linked Iraqi MP Mustafa Sanad
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Terrorist Wing of the Iraqi Government Opposes Sharaa Visit
Two of Prime Minister Sudani's partners in government—the terrorist groups Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq—have stepped up their efforts to bar Syria's new president from a Baghdad summit.
May 15, 2025
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  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Qais_AAH
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Asaib Ahl al-Haq Accuses Faleh al-Fayyad of Turkish Collusion
The militia continues to battle with the PMF secretary-general, this time highlighting his alleged promotion of Turkish interests in the hope of undermining him.
May 8, 2025
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  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
KH_protest
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Return of Abu Ali al-Askari
In its first statement since October, a notorious Kataib Hezbollah Telegram account offered a deeper dive into how the "resistance" views a range of new developments in Iraq, Syria, and Iran.
Apr 24, 2025
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  • Crispin Smith
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Sharaa_wanted
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Sudani's Invitation to Ahmed al-Sharaa Triggers Militia Backlash
Iraq's self-styled "resistance" had an allergic reaction to the idea of Syria's new president setting foot on Iraqi soil, putting Prime Minister Sudani at odds with some of his terrorist supporters.
Apr 23, 2025
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  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
KH-Prayers
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah Chief Urges Ongoing Caution with the United States
Abu Hussein has asked the group's fighters to keep showing restraint, seemingly reinforcing Iran's preference for calm as nuclear talks with Washington proceed.
Apr 22, 2025
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  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Flight deck crew issues commands to a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet prior to launch from the carrier USS Harry S. Truman - source: Department of Defense
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Is the Houthi Threat a Checkmate for U.S. Military Logistics?
The Iran-backed militia’s disruption of Red Sea shipping is threatening America’s ability to rapidly deploy and supply its forces in the Middle East and beyond, but a combination of logistical workarounds, military measures, and diplomatic efforts may be the answer.
Apr 21, 2025
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  • James E. Shepard
An Iraqi member of a Shia PMF militia
Brief Analysis
The Danger of Letting Iraq’s PMF Authority Law Pass
The Trump administration needs to quietly but firmly signal Baghdad that enshrining the militia umbrella group as a de facto “Iraqi IRGC” would pose an unacceptable threat to U.S. interests.
Apr 8, 2025
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  • Michael Knights
Photo of an F-18 fighter jet launching from a U.S. aircraft carrier.
Video
Brief Analysis
Assessing the U.S. Military Campaign Against the Houthis
Experts discuss how the new campaign differs from previous U.S. strikes in Yemen, what targets are being hit, and whether it can resolve the threat without broader American policy efforts.
Mar 28, 2025
◆
  • Elizabeth Dent
  • Michael Knights
  • Noam Raydan

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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.
Michael Knights
Michael Knights
Michael Knights is the Jill and Jay Bernstein Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and cofounder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to Iran-backed militias.
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 a 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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