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Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

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March 14, 2023 protest by Christian locals over the Babiliyoun militia seizure of seven NPU soldiers
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Babiliyoun Movement Hijacks All Four Christian Minority Seats
A group led by U.S.-sanctioned figure Rayan al-Kildani escaped accountability from Iraqi Christian communities by abusing the courts and buying non-Christian votes.
Jan 2, 2024
◆
  • Yaqoub Beth-Addai
◆ Militia Spotlight
The bow of a Maersk container cargo ship at sea - source: Maersk
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Better Late than Never: Bahrain’s Attitude Towards the Red Sea Defense Coalition
The multinational security operation Prosperity Guardian—of which Bahrain is a member—has the potential to protect trade in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, curb piracy and armed robbery on commercial ships, preserve supply and energy chains, and enhance regional security and prosperity.
Dec 29, 2023
◆
  • Ahdeya Ahmed Al-Sayed
Nuclear centrifuges in Iran
Brief Analysis
Iran Increases Output of Near Bomb-Grade Nuclear Material
The IAEA’s new uranium revelations are amplifying concerns about a potential multifront war between Israel and Iran.
Dec 27, 2023
◆
  • Simon Henderson
An Iraqi member of a Shia PMF militia
Articles & Testimony
Iraq’s New Regime Change: How Tehran-Backed Terrorist Organizations and Militias Captured the Iraqi State
A comprehensive study of the various institutional, financial, and military levers that have enabled Iran’s “resistance” camp to take over another country even under the international community’s watchful eye.
Dec 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
ADL and Iran flags
Maps & Graphics
Articles & Testimony
Profile: Aleppo Defenders Legion
An Aleppo-based militia umbrella group that serves as an auxiliary unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in north Syria.
Dec 21, 2023
◆
  • Ahmad Sharawi
  • Abdullah Hayek
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Policy Forum cover image for December 14, 2023
Video
Brief Analysis
The Hamas-Israel War: End of the Beginning or Beginning of the End?
Experts discuss the military and political situation at what appears to be a decisive moment in the war, offering insights on Israel’s calculations, the effects of growing foreign pressure, and the need for further international action to address attacks by Iran’s other regional partners.
Dec 15, 2023
◆
  • Assaf Orion
  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Matthew Levitt
  • Robert Satloff
Police walk past the Palestinian Legislative Council in Ramallah
Brief Analysis
Why a West Bank Front Has Not Opened So Far
The older generation remains skeptical of what an intifada might achieve, but Israeli crackdowns and worsening economic conditions could still ignite younger Palestinians and undermine PA security cooperation.
Dec 13, 2023
◆
  • Neomi Neumann
HaN killed fighters covered with their flag in the coffin, Nov 2023
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Overlap Between the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and the Popular Mobilization Forces
The "Islamic Resistance" brand mourned the loss of government-paid PMF personnel who were killed while preparing a terrorist attack on international advisors.
Dec 12, 2023
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Houthis parade through Sanaa to mark anniversary of coup, September 2023
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
An Heir and a Spare?
How Yemen’s “Southern Hezbollah” Could Change Iran’s Deterrent Calculus
Houthi militant activity during the Hamas-Israel war should challenge the perception that the group has a mere “marriage of convenience” with Tehran.
Dec 12, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
Houthi drone aircraft on display in Yemen - source: Reuters
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Under Fire in the Bab al-Mandab: Houthi Military Capabilities and U.S. Response Options
The group is using a wide range of weapons and tactics to escalate its disruption of regional maritime security, establishing selective sea denial against Israeli vessels seeking passage through the strait and threatening U.S. warships that show up to protect them.
Dec 8, 2023
◆
  • Farzin Nadimi
Map showing alternate shipping routes caused by the Gaza war.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Houthi Ship Attacks Are Affecting Red Sea Trade Routes
Industry figures are already rerouting some Israeli-linked ships and expressing concern about the increased attacks, but much wider economic repercussions could unfold if Houthi antishipping activity continues indefinitely or escalates.
Dec 7, 2023
◆
  • Noam Raydan
Houthi threat to global shipping
Brief Analysis
Containing the Houthis in Yemen: Issues and Options for the Policy Review
During the Gaza war, Houthi militia forces have emerged as the most risk-acceptant member of Iran's "axis of resistance" and a demonstrated menace to international freedom of navigation.
Dec 5, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Houthi drone aircraft on display in Yemen - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Iran-Backed Attacks on Ships in the Red Sea Underscore a U.S. Dilemma
Given the lack of a decisive U.S. response, further clashes will likely arise in strategically crucial waterways whenever Tehran sees fit to nudge the Houthis.
Dec 4, 2023
◆
  • Simon Henderson
Funeral for KH operator, November 23, 2023
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah Publicly Mocks Asaib Ahl al-Haq for Cowardice
After AAH officials sought a halt to the verbal attacks, KH doubled down with a cutting public insult.
Nov 30, 2023
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Haider al-Gharrawi
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (19th PMF Brigade)
One of the top Iraqi proxies for Iran's IRGC-Qods Force, this Sadrist breakaway faction has long garrisoned the Syrian border and killed Iraqi protesters to demonstrate its loyalty.
Nov 27, 2023
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Qais al-Khazali
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia Hair-Pulling Over Who Are "The Truest Muqawama"
Amid their ceasefire in solidarity with events in Gaza, Iraqi "resistance" leaders went back to their old habits of diminishing each other and spilling their secrets, with interesting results.
Nov 26, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
U.S. soldiers at an Iraqi base after a rocket attack by Iran-backed militias
Brief Analysis
Will an Iraqi Front Open in the Hamas-Israel War?
The risky tit-for-tat strikes between U.S. and militia forces are one symptom of a wider competition between rival actors in Iraq—one that American and European officials should work together on containing.
Nov 21, 2023
◆
  • Bilal Wahab
  • Selin Uysal
Photo of a blast wall with a drone mural at al-Asad Air Base in Iraq.
Video
Brief Analysis
Iranian Escalation in Iraq and Syria: Implications and U.S. Options
Four experts discuss what Washington can do about the latest spike in militia attacks against U.S. bases and local partners—even as they try to sustain the counterterrorism mission against the Islamic State.
Nov 17, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Wladimir van Wilgenburg
  • Devorah Margolin
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Photo showing flame and smoke rising over Lebanon's border with Israel.
Articles & Testimony
Gaza War Shows Heightened Risk of Escalation in the Region
Although Washington and its partners have kept the war from spreading so far, the lack of clear rules on some fronts—particularly Syria—has created a dangerous environment in which any actor might inadvertently cross someone’s red lines.
Nov 17, 2023
◆
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Abu Alaa al-Walai and Esmail Qaani
Maps & Graphics
Articles & Testimony
OFAC Designates Iraqi Militiamen (Part 2): KSS and Abu Ala al-Walai
Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada's designation for terrorist activities is long overdue, reflecting its important ongoing role in attacks on U.S. forces in northern Iraq and eastern Syria.
Nov 17, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight

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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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