Skip to main content
TWI logo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
logo
wordmark
Homepage

Main navigation

  • Analysis
  • Experts
  • About
  • Support
  • Maps & Multimedia
Trending:
  • Democracy & Reform
  • Terrorism
  • Lebanon
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • Syria

Regions & Countries

  • Egypt
  • Gulf States
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Middle East
  • North Africa
  • Palestinians
  • Syria
  • Turkey

Issues

  • Arab & Islamic Politics
  • Arab-Israeli Relations
  • Democracy & Reform
  • Energy & Economics
  • Great Power Competition
  • Gulf & Energy Policy
  • Military & Security
  • Peace Process
  • Proliferation
  • Terrorism
  • U.S. Policy
TWI English
TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية Fikra Forum

Breadcrumb

  • Policy Analysis

Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

Filter by:

A Palestinian woman walks by a mural in Bethlehem
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Avoiding a West Bank Explosion During Ramadan
From al-Aqsa Mosque to the heart of the refugee camps and the barracks of frustrated Palestinian security personnel, the situation remains tense and could worsen dramatically this month if authorities do not tread carefully.
Mar 4, 2024
◆
  • Neomi Neumann
Brief Analysis
The Islamic State on the March in Africa
Local branches now control territory in Mali, Somalia, and Mozambique, setting the stage for new foreign fighter mobilizations, resource extraction opportunities, and perhaps even external operations against the West.
Mar 1, 2024
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
The new IMN Board of Trustees in February 2024
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Iraqi Media Network
The Iraqi Media Network is the latest so-called independent agency to fall under the control of U.S.-designated terrorist groups and human rights abusers, adding a new line of effort to "resistance" attacks on freedom of expression.
Feb 29, 2024
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Jordanian and U.S. forces
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Iran-Aligned Armed Groups Are Endangering Jordan’s National Security
Today, there is a fear of the resurgence of threats to Jordan from its eastern borders, which are de-facto controlled by armed groups loyal to Iran.
Feb 28, 2024
◆
  • Saud Al-Sharafat
Rabee Nadir
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraq's "Resistance" Factions Shift to Major Crackdown on Media Spaces
Having stopped “resisting” U.S. forces (who shoot back), militias are focusing on unarmed activists in what appears to be a coordinated crackdown on freedom of expression.
Feb 28, 2024
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Kataib Al-Imam Ali fighters and an artillery rocket
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Kataib al-Imam Ali
A unique militia that is closer to Lebanese Hezbollah than other Iran-backed Iraqi groups, yet widely resented for prioritizing commercial success over kinetic operations.
Feb 27, 2024
◆
  • Abdullah Hayek
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Articles & Testimony
Leaving Iraq May Be Washington’s Wisest Choice
Most forces could likely be withdrawn or moved to the Kurdistan Region without harming U.S. interests—in fact, Washington might have more leverage in Baghdad without a troop presence.
Feb 26, 2024
◆
  • David Schenker
Ameri
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Hadi al-Ameri’s Bad(r) Month
The Badr Organization leader has suffered bruising blows from other Iran-backed militias seeking to exploit the group's internal dysfunction and divisions.
Feb 21, 2024
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Excerpt from a map of EU maritime missions in the Middle East.
Brief Analysis
The EU’s New Red Sea Naval Mission: Implications and Challenges
The operation is a sign of Europe’s willingness to take action against the current instability, though significant work is needed to coordinate with existing initiatives and convince regional officials of the mission’s usefulness.
Feb 16, 2024
◆
  • Selin Uysal
Articles & Testimony
Libya’s Armed Group Catch-22
Because the government ceded too much authority to local militias and tribal intermediaries, no one can dismantle them without risking their lives.
Feb 15, 2024
◆
  • Ben Fishman
Fayhan and Qassim Solemani in Jurf as-Sakr in 2014.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
AAH Terrorist Planner Adnan Fayhan Takes Over as Babil Governor
A militia figure implicated in the 2007 murder-kidnapping of five Americans in Karbala is now the governor of an Iraqi province.
Feb 12, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Israeli flag, Hezbollah flag, implied Lebanon border
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
Reinforcing U.S. Diplomacy to Stop a Hezbollah-Israel War
Only a comprehensive initiative aimed at curbing Hezbollah’s influence both within Lebanon and in the region stands a chance of delivering peace for the long term.
Feb 8, 2024
◆
  • Hanin Ghaddar
Esmail Qaani with a Fatimiyoun soldier in Syria
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Explaining Apparent Muqawama De-Escalation Since January 28
Since three Americans were killed, the self-styled "resistance" has been almost inactive except for a spate of fake, foiled, and disavowed attacks, pointing to an order from Iran to calm things down.
Feb 7, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Abu Baqr al-Saedi's car, Feb 7, 2024
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Abu Baqr al-Saeedi: Kataib Hezbollah Terrorist, Serving PMF Official
The Kataib Hezbollah leader killed on February 7 in Baghdad was (until now) a living nexus of Kataib Hezbollah, the Popular Mobilization Forces, and the facade group Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq.
Feb 7, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
A Houthi fighter aboard the seized cargo vessel Galaxy Leader - source: Houthi media via Reuters
Video
Brief Analysis
Countering the Houthi Threat to Shipping: Regional Implications and U.S. Policy
Three experts address the thorny strategic questions arising from attacks on global shipping by the Yemen-based group.
Feb 6, 2024
◆
  • Simon Henderson
  • Michael Knights
  • Noam Raydan
Yemen's Houthis in formation.
Articles & Testimony
How Washington Emboldened the Houthis
Greater decisiveness would have shortened the conflict, lessened the toll on global maritime trade, and reassured U.S. partners in the region and beyond.
Feb 6, 2024
◆
  • Noam Raydan
  • Grant Rumley
Liwa al-Tafuf logo
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Liwa al-Tafuf (13th PMF Brigade)
The brigade belongs to the state-funded Popular Mobilization Forces and is a core member of Kataib Hezbollah’s cluster of militias that facilitate anti-U.S. attacks in Iraq’s Anbar province, eastern Syria, and Jordan.
Feb 3, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Articles & Testimony
Iran’s Militant Empire in the Middle East
The more the Islamic Republic and its proxy groups escalate with the United States and Israel, the greater the risks for a misstep.
Feb 2, 2024
◆
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Sabreen claims the reports of drones attack on Harir lies
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
To Resist or Not to Resist: That Is the Muqawama’s Question
After Kataib Hezbollah announced it was suspending attacks on U.S. forces, the self-styled “resistance” became a hot mess of recriminations.
Feb 2, 2024
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
A masked Hamas fighter brandishes a rifle in Gaza - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
The Only Way to Stop Hamas Is to Stop Iran from Rebuilding It
Tehran may simply revive the group or replace it with another terrorist proxy, so Washington and its partners will need to disrupt the flow of Iranian arms and informal financial support to extremist elements in the West Bank and Gaza.
Jan 31, 2024
◆
  • Michael Singh
  • Matthew Levitt

Pagination

  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • First page « First
  • …
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • Page 10
  • Current page 11
  • Page 12
  • Page 13
  • Page 14
  • Page 15
  • …
  • Last page Last »
  • Next page Next ›
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.

Sign Up for Email Updates from The Washington Institute

Never miss a breaking event on U.S. policy interests in the Middle East. Customize your subscription to our expert analysis, op-eds, live events, and special reports.

Sign up

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.
Background image with TWI branding
logo
wordmark
Homepage

1111 19th Street NW - Suite 500
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-452-0650
Fax: 202-223-5364

Footer contact links

  • Contact
  • Press Room
  • Subscribe

The Washington Institute seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.

The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax-deductible.

Footer quick links

  • About TWI
  • Support the Institute
  • Alumni

Social media

  • The Washington Institute on Facebook facebook
  • The Washington Institute on X x
  • The Washington Institute on YouTube youtube
  • The Washington Institute on LinkedIn linkedin

© 2025 All rights reserved.

Footer

  • Employment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rights & Permissions