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Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

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Articles & Testimony
Russia’s Strategic Success in Syria and the Future of Moscow’s Middle East Policy
Washington’s tacit acquiescence to normalization with a war criminal has shown the world who won the Syria war—and, by extension, what can be gained from challenging U.S. policy.
Jan 23, 2022
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Pro-government tribal fighters advance in Marib Province, Yeman - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Breaking Point: Consolidating Houthi Military Setbacks in Yemen
Washington can help preserve the recent coalition gains by categorizing the campaign as defensive, deterring further Houthi attacks abroad, and leveraging the next military deadlock to reinvigorate peace talks.
Jan 19, 2022
◆
  • Alex Almeida
  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
Houthi Strikes on UAE Open Another Front in Yemen War
As Emirati-aligned forces gain ground on the battlefield in Yemen, the Houthis are trying to raise the costs of Abu Dhabi’s involvement.
Jan 18, 2022
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  • Elana DeLozier
Brief Analysis
How to Keep the Islamic State Down in 2022 and Beyond
The group and its offshoots pursue conventional warfare campaigns as a rule, not an exception, so the United States needs to enhance its regional military partnerships accordingly.
Jan 13, 2022
◆
  • Ido Levy
Akram and Abu Fadak, Basra, Jan 1, 2022
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Muhandis Replaced by Not One Man, But Two?
Abu Fadak and Akram Kaabi seem to have inherited the PMF and "resistance" parts of the late militia leader's portfolio.
Jan 12, 2022
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  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Abu Fadak
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Abu Fadak Tries to Split the Shrine Units
Recent moves by the senior PMF commander are seemingly aimed at sowing divisions among four key militias that do not answer to the so-called "resistance."
Jan 11, 2022
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  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Brief Analysis
Will the Ukraine Standoff Affect the Iran Nuclear Talks?
Some Western policymakers seem to believe that Russia can be helpful on Iran even as it threatens to attack Ukraine, but they’re missing the bigger picture.
Jan 11, 2022
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
A U.S. military helicopter evacuates personnel from the American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan
Articles & Testimony
Trading Places
After two decades of direct U.S. involvement, what went so wrong in Afghanistan compared to the relative successes seen in Iraq?
Jan 7, 2022
◆
  • David Pollock
Ababil
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Saraya Ababeel Claims Baghdad Drone and Rocket Attacks
A minor sub-group took credit for recent airport strikes, indicating a return to the "facade" strategy and a role for AAH in the latest escalation.
Jan 7, 2022
◆
  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Militia with 23mm driving west outside IZ, May 26, 2021
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Making Sense of Militia Attacks in Iraq and Syria in Early 2022
The process of assuaging the militia support base was carefully stage-managed in the first week of the new year, with Iran and Nujaba setting the ground rules.
Jan 6, 2022
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight
Brief Analysis
Iran’s Law Enforcement Shuffle Reflects Concern About Protests
The Supreme Leader and the IRGC are asserting more control over the task of monitoring and managing protest movements, creating yet another intelligence agency in the process.
Jan 5, 2022
◆
  • Amir Toumaj
US Army soldiers on patrol in Iraq
Video
Brief Analysis
The War on Jihadism: Lessons from Twenty Years of Counterterrorism
Three French experts survey the evolution of twenty-first-century counterterrorism and assess how the struggles against jihadist and far-right violence need to adapt in the coming years.
Dec 22, 2021
◆
  • Marc Hecker
  • Elie Tenenbaum
  • Louis Dugit-Gros
◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series
Brief Analysis
IRGC Conducts “Hybrid” Military Drills as Nuclear Talks Teeter
The timing of the exercise and the types of systems and tactics on display reveal much about Iran’s likely response to any uptick in foreign pressure.
Dec 22, 2021
◆
  • Farzin Nadimi
Islamic State fighters in Iraq
In-Depth Reports
Soldiers of End-Times
Assessing the Military Effectiveness of the Islamic State
The IS military project led not only to the announcement of a “caliphate,” but to the proliferation of jihadist franchises that devastated countries, displaced millions, and killed tens of thousands.
Dec 21, 2021
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  • Ido Levy
Iranian Air Force Su-24 landing
Brief Analysis
Fighter Aircraft Could Give Iran a Nuclear Delivery Option
Newly disclosed interviews indicate that a key Pakistani source of Iran’s nuclear know-how also figured out how to equip F-16s with nukes.
Dec 20, 2021
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  • Simon Henderson
Articles & Testimony
Would Russia Ever Help Syria Break Away From Iranian Influence?
Israel seems to hope that differences between Moscow and Tehran will emerge with greater clarity as the fighting ends, but this view reflects wishful thinking more than reality.
Dec 16, 2021
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Nujana Syria
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia Playground: Kinetic Operations Refocus on East Syria
Iran-backed groups seem to be directing their more dangerous attacks against coalition forces in Syria, not Iraq, and the trend could accelerate in early 2022.
Dec 14, 2021
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  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Brief Analysis
Iran’s Ballistic Missile Arsenal Is Still Growing in Size, Reach, and Accuracy
Tehran has doubled down on the strategic importance of missile systems that can threaten U.S. forces and allies, even as its defensive justifications for such an arsenal ring more hollow than ever.
Dec 13, 2021
◆
  • Farzin Nadimi
Muqawama assassination
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Militia Assassination Surge (Part 2): December Attacks
Desperate militias are now killing Shia civilians in mass-casualty bombings as they try to assassinate Iraqi investigators and intelligence personnel.
Dec 10, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Militia Assassination Surge (Part 1): Sabereen and Unit 10,000 Threaten Iraqi Forces
Both outlets are openly advocating the murder of Iraqi security forces at a time of escalated shootings and bombings.
Dec 10, 2021
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight

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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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