Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

Since the beginning of the Syrian uprising, Washington has repeatedly demanded that President Bashar al-Assad desist from employing the most brutal tactics against his own people -- only to see the Syrian regime use them anyway. With the assassination of at least three senior Assad regime members coming only days

Jul 19, 2012

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Andrew J. Tabler

Brief Analysis

After the Damascus Assassinations: A New Phase for U.S. Syria Policy

The United States should take advantage of the latest blow to Assad's inner circle, hastening his demise while preventing worst-case follow-on events.

Jul 18, 2012

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Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

Dealing with Syria's Chemical Weapons: Military Options

Given the complexities of military action, Washington and its partners should pursue a policy of deterrence, assistance, containment, and elimination to prevent the use or diversion of Syria's chemical arsenal.

Jul 17, 2012

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Michael Eisenstadt

Brief Analysis

Can It Get Worse in Syria? It Just Did

Syria's descent into ever-greater violence steepened yesterday. Driven by the regime's desperate attempt to stay in power, an already ugly conflict took an ominous turn with the reported movement of chemical munitions and what appears to be the worst massacre of civilians yet. CHEMICAL WEAPONS MOVEMENT Although details are lacking

Jul 13, 2012

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Jeffrey White

Brief Analysis

Annan's Latest Syria Plan Is a Bad Deal

UN envoy Kofi Annan's latest plan to end the violence in Syria -- perhaps better labeled the Annan-Assad plan -- is a bad one. It extends yet another lifeline to the regime, undercuts the armed opposition's growing effectiveness, and substitutes diplomatic bustle for progress toward ousting Bashar al-Assad. Like Annan's

Jul 11, 2012

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Jeffrey White

Articles & Testimony

How to Advance Transition to a Post-Assad Future

In this paper, the former chief of staff to Israel's minister of defense argues that, in addition to the moral imperative to help the Syrian people, there are also strong strategic reasons for the West and various regional states to be more proactive in bringing about the end of the

Jul 10, 2012

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Michael Herzog

Brief Analysis

Syria's Eastern Front: The Iraq Factor

The United States should use its close relations with Iraq's Sunni Arab tribes to reduce the risk of spillover from Syria.

Jul 6, 2012

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Senior Sunni Defections in Syria

The reported defection of a senior Sunni commander and friend of Assad, if true, would be a blow to the regime and an opportunity for Washington.

Jul 5, 2012

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Andrew J. Tabler
Jeffrey White

Articles & Testimony

Blind in Baghdad

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

Supported by the

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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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Featured experts

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 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 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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