Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

Something is stirring in Iraq. On July 3, car bombs ripped through mainly Shiite neighborhoods across the country, killing 36 people. It was the latest tragedy in a bloody month -- a prolonged political crisis has weakened the government in Baghdad, giving insurgent groups an opening to expand their operations

Jul 5, 2012

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Mounting Pressure on the Syrian Army

Unless the army finds a way to relieve growing pressure on its capabilities and cohesion, it will likely collapse, sweeping away much of the regime in the process.

Jul 2, 2012

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Jeffrey White

Articles & Testimony

Revolutionary Fallout: Egypt Faces Early Security Challenges

As post-revolutionary Egypt slowly shapes a new political landscape, it faces a resurgent security challenge from extremist groups. David Schenker examines recent incidents, security force capabilities, and the extent to which Islamist political blocs might influence the country's domestic and regional security posture. The following is a summary of the

Jun 30, 2012

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David Schenker

Video

Issues in Syria

David Pollock discussed Saturday's emergency meeting in Geneva on the crisis in Syria on C-SPAN's Washington Journal.

Jun 30, 2012

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David Pollock

Brief Analysis

Not by Sanctions Alone: Using Intelligence and Military Means to Bolster Diplomacy with Iran

To bolster diplomacy with Iran, the United States must intensify intelligence operations and more actively use the military instrument to alter Tehran's threat calculus.

Jun 28, 2012

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Michael Eisenstadt

Brief Analysis

Syria Shoots Down Turkish Jet: Washington's Dilemma

The United States must strongly support Turkey even at the cost of diplomatic cooperation with Russia.

Jun 25, 2012

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Andrew J. Tabler

Video

Brief Analysis

Israeli National Security Strategy in the Expanded Coalition

On June 19, 2012, Shaul Mofaz addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. General Mofaz is vice prime minister of Israel, minister without portfolio, and head of the Kadima Party. A former military fellow at the Institute, he has also served as deputy prime minister, defense minister, and chief

Jun 21, 2012

An Egyptian guard inspects bomb damage near the Gaza border in Sinai

Brief Analysis

Sinai's Emergence as a Strategic Threat to Israel

If international awareness does not spur immediate Egyptian action to address the growing security vacuum and increased terrorist incidents on the border with Israel, the Sinai powder keg may soon explode.

Jun 21, 2012

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Michael Herzog

Brief Analysis

Terror from Sinai: Global Jihadist Groups on Israel's Doorstep

Statements and a video released on an al-Qaeda website are disturbing evidence of the growing lawlessness in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

Jun 20, 2012

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Aaron Y. Zelin

In-Depth Reports

From Crisis to Cooperation:

Turkey's Relations with Washington and NATO

As recently as 2011, most discussions of the U.S-Turkey relationship necessarily focused on discord, disappointment, and growing concern. With memories of the Gaza flotilla incident and Turkish dissent on Iran sanctions still fresh, the horizon was clouded and turbulent. The intervening months have brought a dramatic turnaround, however. In this

Jun 19, 2012

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Rich Outzen

Video

Brief Analysis

Israeli Security in a Changing Regional Environment

Watch the 2012 Zeev Schiff Memorial Lecture on Middle East Security with one of Israel's most experienced military leaders.

Jun 18, 2012

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Yoav Galant

◆ Zeev Schiff Memorial Lectures

Articles & Testimony

Calling Iran's Bluff: It's Time to Offer Tehran a Civilian Nuclear Program

The ultimate goal of the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, the next round of which commences in Moscow on June 18, has always been the same: Determining whether Iran is willing to accept that its nuclear program must be credibly limited in a way that precludes it from being able

Jun 15, 2012

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

Foreign Fighters Trickle into the Syrian Rebellion

Foreign Islamists are beginning to play a role in the fight against Assad's forces, albeit a small one.

Jun 11, 2012

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Aaron Y. Zelin

In-Depth Reports

Russia's Relations with Iran:

Dialogue without Commitments

Under current conditions, it would be naive to expect Russia to severely curtail its relations with Tehran or officially support the West's stance on the nuclear question. Given Iran's importance as a regional player, Moscow simply cannot afford confrontation with its southern neighbor. At the same time, Russia's pragmatic, cost-benefit

Jun 11, 2012

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Nikolay Kozhanov

Articles & Testimony

Why a Syrian Civil War Would Be a Disaster For U.S. National Security

Speaking Thursday before the U.N. General Assembly, just one day after the latest massacre of civilians by government-affiliated forces, Kofi Annan warned that the crisis in Syria was on a disastrous course. “If things do not change, the future is likely to be one of brutal repression, massacres, sectarian violence

Jun 8, 2012

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Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

U.S. Options for Syria: Action vs. Inaction

The Obama administration should take actions to overcome the obstacles to, and mitigate the risks of, bolder international action in Syria.

Jun 7, 2012

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Michael Singh

Brief Analysis

Preserving UN Peacekeeping in the Levant

Violence in Syria and Lebanon coincides with diminished international commitment to UN forces monitoring the borders with Israel.

Jun 6, 2012

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David Schenker

Brief Analysis

The MFO Under Fire in Sinai

Deteriorating security in the Sinai Peninsula threatens not only the peacekeepers based there, but also the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.

Jun 4, 2012

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David Schenker

In-Depth Reports

Beyond Worst-Case Analysis:

Iran's Likely Responses to an Israeli Preventive Strike

Although an Israeli preventive strike on Iran's nuclear program would be a high-risk endeavor carrying a potential for escalation in the Levant or the Persian Gulf, it would not be the apocalyptic event that some foresee. In this Policy Note, two Washington Institute military experts assess the likelihood of various

Jun 1, 2012

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Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

The Turkey-Syria Military Balance

After the number of Syrian refugees entering Turkey reached 25,000 in April, public statements by senior Turkish officials began raising the possibility of military action. Specifically, Ankara has hinted at the possibility of establishing a buffer zone or safe haven inside Syria to defend the civilian population and contain the

May 31, 2012

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Soner Cagaptay
Coskun Unal

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 is the Kahn Senior Fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program.

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 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

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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