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Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

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AK image
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Ashab al-Kahf's Takeover of the Convoy Strategy
Militia attacks on supply convoys are experiencing a (likely temporary) lull, and the sub-group Ashab al-Kahf appears to have taken the lead.
Nov 22, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight
Fake image of MC-12W Liberty over Baghdad concurrent with Nov 7 attack
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia Technical Disinformation and the Nov. 7 Drone Attack
To deflect responsibility for the assassination attempt on Iraq’s prime minister, self-styled "resistance" groups have assembled a dodgy dossier of convincing-looking disinformation.
Nov 17, 2021
◆
  • Anwar al-Zamani
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
A Turkish soldier stands guard at a rally. Image source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Turkey vs. the YPG: What’s Next?
As Ankara and Moscow mull a potential exchange of Syria border incursions for Idlib concessions, Erdogan risks endangering his intertwined goals of improving Turkey’s economy and minimizing tensions with Washington.
Nov 16, 2021
◆
  • Soner Cagaptay
Articles & Testimony
Helping Syria’s Kurds Weigh Their Options
By reassuring its Kurdish allies via temporary diplomatic, military, and economic measures, Washington can gain greater leverage over Russia and other players at acceptably low risk and cost.
Nov 15, 2021
◆
  • David Pollock
Sabereen logo
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Sabereen News Criticizes Iran for Lack of Support
Elements of Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah are seemingly trying to extract domestic and Iranian support for more forceful pushback against their recent political isolation.
Nov 13, 2021
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Video
Brief Analysis
The Future of Putin's War in Syria
A former U.S. ambassador to Russia joins two experts for a discussion on what the six-year intervention can tell us about Moscow’s broader foreign policy.
Nov 8, 2021
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Lester Grau
  • Michael McFaul
Quadcopters in Syria and Iraq, 2019-2021
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Muqawama Meltdown, Part 2: Drone Attack on the Prime Minister
Militias followed up Qais al-Khazali's threats against Kadhimi by attacking his residence, shattering the narrative of victimhood they had been building through protests.
Nov 7, 2021
◆
  • Crispin Smith
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Sit-in tent, Baghdad, November 6, 2021
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Muqawama Meltdown, Part 1: Protesting the Election
In the wake of their failed election campaigns and other recent setbacks, militias sought to deepen their claims of victimhood and politically damage Prime Minister Kadhimi with protests.
Nov 7, 2021
◆
  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
Biden Needs a Plan B for Yemen If Houthis Win
Ending the war under the current circumstances will generate new problems unless further steps are taken to interdict weapons smuggling and bolster security in Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea.
Nov 4, 2021
◆
  • David Schenker
Putin's War in Syria book cover
In-Depth Reports
Putin's War in Syria
Russian Foreign Policy and the Price of America's Absence
The Russian leader defied expectations of a quixotic, costly outcome for his country’s 2015 intervention in Syria. As it actually played out, explains Anna Borshchevskaya in her recently published book, Russia leveraged the conflict and U.S. inaction to position itself as a leading power in the Middle East.
November 4, 2021
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Rocket
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia Rocket Attacks on the Iraqi National Intelligence Service
Such attacks are a specialized subset of violent militia actions, with the most recent incident likely undertaken by Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
Nov 2, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Nujana Syria 2
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Interpreting the Reemergence of the Allies of Syria Operations Room
The recent attack on al-Tanf base and the identity of the Iraqi factions that reportedly helped carry it out indicate Iran's plans to establish a new "deterrence equation" in Syria.
Oct 28, 2021
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Brief Analysis
Turkey’s F-16 Request May Not Stave Off the Inevitable
Washington and Ankara have significant diplomatic and security incentives for considering the deal, while rejecting it outright would likely hasten Erdogan’s drift into Putin’s orbit.
Oct 28, 2021
◆
  • Grant Rumley
  • Soner Cagaptay
USAF ground crew directs a B-1 Lancer bomber
Articles & Testimony
The Threat of War Is the Only Way to Achieve Peace with Iran
Tehran no longer takes Washington seriously, so the Biden administration needs to put the prospect of military escalation back on the table if it hopes to make progress on the nuclear issue.
Oct 27, 2021
◆
  • Dennis Ross
Iraqi forces marching
In-Depth Reports
Back to Basics
U.S.-Iraq Security Cooperation in the Post-Combat Era
Questions about the viability of the Iraqi security forces—brought into sharp focus by the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan—require a data-led analysis of where the forces are today and what mix of U.S., NATO, and European efforts can help them thrive in the future.
Oct 26, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Alex Almeida
U.S. and Iranian flags
Articles & Testimony
A Plan B for Iran
Tehran has seemingly concluded that sanctions relief is no longer worth compromising for, so Washington needs to change that calculus by credibly sharpening the consequences.
Oct 25, 2021
◆
  • Michael Singh
Tanf
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia Propaganda Around the Attack on al-Tanf
Iraqi militia actors appear to have had forewarning of the attack, reflecting an increasing focus on anti-coalition operations in Syria.
Oct 22, 2021
◆
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
Discordance in the Iran Threat Network in Iraq: Militia Competition and Rivalry
Hardline groups are struggling to satisfy demands for action against American forces while simultaneously de-escalating U.S.-Iran tensions and evolving their non-kinetic wings.
Oct 21, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
Anti air
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraqi Militias Show Off Iranian Anti-Air Missile
Iran-backed resistance groups are seemingly staging missile "discoveries" as a way of warning off coalition air forces.
Oct 21, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Figure 2: Ahmad Abdal-Sadah, muqawama-affiliated commentator on al-Etejah TV, May 27, 2021.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militias Issue Post-Election Threats Against UNAMI and the UAE
After their humiliating defeat in the parliamentary election, Iran-backed groups launched a bizarre campaign against UN and Emirati officials.
Oct 19, 2021
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ 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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