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Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

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Muhandis/Soleimani
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraqi Militias Too Scared to Fully Commemorate Soleimani and Muhandis
In the shadow of Trump's imminent inauguration, Iran-backed terrorist groups were cautious in how they commemorated the anniversary of the January 2020 killings.
Jan 14, 2025
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Video
Brief Analysis
Lebanon Ceasefire: Status and Prospects of the Israel-Hezbollah Truce
Watch or read remarks from a former LAF general, the IDF’s former head of strategic planning, and an expert Lebanon analyst during a new series of virtual panels held by The Washington Institute.
Jan 13, 2025
◆
  • Khalil Helou
  • Tal Kelman
  • Hanin Ghaddar
The Syria Breakdown Series Title Card
Video
Articles & Testimony
The Syria Breakdown, Episode Two: Putin's Playground
In this episode of the Institute’s Syria Breakdown series, Russia analyst Anna Borshchevskaya explains why Russia's long military intervention in Syria failed to protect the regime of its local ally, Bashar al-Assad, from collapse in the face of a stunning rebel advance.
Jan 3, 2025
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
◆ The Syria Breakdown
A photo illustration shows US and Iranian flags and an atomic symbol - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
A Last Chance for Iran
The Trump administration should give nuclear diplomacy a final shot—while preparing to use military force.
Jan 2, 2025
◆
  • Richard Nephew
Iran's president-elect Pezeshkian speaks in Tehran - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
A Fateful Debate in Tehran
After blows to Iranian proxies across the region, reformists led by President Pezeshkian are prioritizing diplomacy and economic recovery, whereas hardliners are lamenting lost battlefield opportunities and seeking to preserve the regime.
Dec 30, 2024
◆
  • Ehud Yaari
Articles & Testimony
The Current and Future Houthi Threat to the Middle East
An effective response to the group's persistent aggression should include strengthening the United Nations verification and inspection mechanism, preparing sanctions against actors who violate UN resolutions, and taking steps to interdict arms transfers.
Dec 29, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
Qais
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
How Long Will Qais al-Khazali Hide in Iran?
The leader of Asaib Ahl al-Haq has been abroad for weeks, and his movements (and those of his deputies back home) are worth watching closely.
Dec 24, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Brief Analysis
Can Iran Restore Its Missile Mojo?
Despite questions about the utility of its huge missile arsenal—whose importance has only increased since the collapse of the “axis of resistance”—Iran will likely double down on this capability to ensure the viability of its military strategy.
Dec 23, 2024
◆
  • Michael Eisenstadt
  • Farzin Nadimi
An Iranian soldier wearing an IRGC uniform salutes in front of an Iranin flag - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Two “Axes” Converging in Iran
Iran’s Middle East “axis of resistance” and the Eurasian axis it shares with China, Russia, and North Korea are increasingly challenging the global and regional order, highlighting the need for more partnerships and a comprehensive counterstrategy with special efforts focusing on Tehran.
Dec 23, 2024
◆
  • Assaf Orion
Brief Analysis
Israel and the Fall of Assad: Rejoice, Repel, Reach Out, Reload
Prompt military action is helping Israel counter the immediate security risks of Syria’s sudden upheaval, but additional efforts will be needed to seize the broader opportunities of this new era.
Dec 18, 2024
◆
  • Assaf Orion
Infographic showing trends in Houthi maritime attacks, 2023-24.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Houthi Shipping Attacks: Patterns and Expectations for 2025
Two experts offer a detailed infographic and accompanying analysis to chart attack trends over the past year and forecast what’s in store for the Red Sea and surrounding waterways.
Dec 16, 2024
◆
  • Noam Raydan
  • Farzin Nadimi
CMC head
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraq's Militia-Led Communications Commission Clamps Down on Press Coverage of Security Issues
The CMC's latest restrictions on press freedoms indicate that Iran-backed groups fear they could be ousted from power much like Bashar al-Assad next door.
Dec 16, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Security forces the Iraqi-Syrian border, after it has been reopened for trade and travel, in Al Qaim, Iraq in 2019 - source: Reuters
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Nujaba Projects Paranoia Over Domestic Security
Nujaba's immediate allergic reaction to regime change in Syria is a bellwether of how vulnerable Coordination Framework militias feel as pro-Iran hierarchies come tumbling down.
Dec 16, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
HH
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Hashem al-Haidari Calls for Preemptive Actions Against U.S. Embassy
One of Iran's most trusted lieutenants in the Iraqi militia scene is loudly rattling his saber against the U.S. presence in the Middle East.
Dec 16, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Map showing areas of control in post-Assad Syria.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Supporting the SDF in Post-Assad Syria
To preserve its only reliable and capable partner in the fight against the Islamic State, the United States must help the SDF deter HTS and fend off Turkey-backed militias.
Dec 13, 2024
◆
  • Ido Levy
Brief Analysis
Don’t Assume Iran’s Supply Lines to Hezbollah Are Cut
Tehran’s past efforts to reconstitute the group have passed through more difficult environments than post-Assad Syria, but an economical U.S.-led effort can complicate future smuggling efforts and further other counterterrorism goals in the process.
Dec 12, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
Articles & Testimony
The Emergence of Two Distinct Jihadist Ways of War
Comparing the offensive that toppled Assad with the Islamic State's 2014 campaign in Iraq shows how HTS has innovated its approach by mixing old and new tactics.
Dec 12, 2024
◆
  • Ido Levy
Brief Analysis
Expanding C-SIPA to Britain Signals Continued Commitment to Integration
By adding Britain ahead of Trump’s inauguration, the parties hope to sustain the agreement’s vision of building an integrated defense structure and forming a network of trusted partners for economic and technological development.
Dec 9, 2024
◆
  • Elizabeth Dent
Members of the Israeli delegation at the Tripartite Conference in 2006 - source: Assaf Orion
Brief Analysis
Back to the Future in Lebanon? Ceasefire Lessons from 2006
The former head of Israel’s “tripartite” delegation reflects on the slow-rolling failures that followed the 2006 ceasefire—lessons that can help authorities overcome similar obstacles to the new agreement.
Dec 6, 2024
◆
  • Assaf Orion
Photo showing Syrian rebels outside Aleppo International Airport.
Video
Brief Analysis
The (Next) Battle for Northwest Syria: U.S. Policy Implications
The director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force joins three Washington Institute experts to discuss the stunning rebel advances in the west.
Dec 6, 2024
◆
  • Andrew J. Tabler
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
  • Mouaz Moustafa

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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
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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