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Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

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Brief Analysis
Don’t Write Off Iraq
Even as Baghdad works to rein in militias that invite outside attacks, Washington needs to be patient with the country’s contradictions in the near term and give space for it to exert sovereignty in the long term.
Sep 24, 2019
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  • Bilal Wahab
  • Barbara A. Leaf
Brief Analysis
Huras al-Din: The Overlooked al-Qaeda Group in Syria
Although it still relies on its stronger rival to operate, the ascendant affiliate has been cementing its presence in Idlib province, attracting other factions to its banner, and potentially setting itself up to lead a future insurgency.
Sep 24, 2019
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
Defeating al-Qaeda's Shadow Government in Yemen:
The Need for Local Governance Reform
Recent U.S. attention in Yemen has focused largely on the war against the Iranian-backed Houthis, but another threat endures: al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. U.S. efforts to confront AQAP have historically relied on counterterrorism approaches such as air and drone strikes, direct-action raids, and partnerships with indigenous and coalition security
Sep 19, 2019
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  • Daniel Green
Brief Analysis
Operating in the ‘Gray Zone’ to Counter Iran
The best way to counter Iran’s asymmetric strategy in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere is a U.S. gray zone strategy, which can help manage escalation and buy time for the administration’s pressure policy to work.
Sep 18, 2019
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  • Michael Eisenstadt
Brief Analysis
A Credibility Test for U.S.-Saudi Defense Relations and Iran Deterrence
The suspected missile attack is the most significant strike on Gulf energy targets in decades, and consequences need to be levied on Iran, whether in the military or diplomatic spheres.
Sep 16, 2019
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  • Michael Knights
Articles & Testimony
The South Caucasus Factor of the United States-Russia-Iran Triangle
Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan still have pro-Western democratic aspirations, so U.S. policymakers should continue engaging them on ways to reduce interference from Moscow and Tehran.
Sep 16, 2019
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Brief Analysis
Iraq’s Air Defense Conundrum: Options for U.S. Policy
Baghdad is under pressure to show it can protect its airspace, but procuring Russian or Iranian equipment might complicate U.S.-Iraq relations without addressing the triggers for Israeli strikes.
Sep 12, 2019
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  • Michael Knights
  • Farzin Nadimi
Articles & Testimony
The North Korean-Israeli Shadow War
Whenever nuclear weapons technology appears in the hands of Israel’s enemies, Pyongyang is usually involved.
Sep 9, 2019
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  • Jay Solomon
Articles & Testimony
Another Conference on Libya? Enforce the Arms Embargo Instead
Without a concerted international effort to ground UAVs and halt the flow of weapons, the UN will have minimal leverage to restart the country's long-stalled political transition.
Sep 9, 2019
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  • Ben Fishman
Brief Analysis
The Campaign Between Wars: How Israel Rethought Its Strategy to Counter Iran’s Malign Regional Influence
The architects of a landmark shift in IDF doctrine explain why the change was necessary, and how it has helped delay full-scale war even while forcefully confronting Tehran’s hegemonic ambitions.
Sep 4, 2019
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  • Gadi Eisenkot
  • Gabi Siboni
Brief Analysis
Yemen’s Fragile Military Balance
The latest string of roller-coaster military developments underlines the need for continued U.S. efforts to guide Saudi, Emirati, and Yemeni officials away from dangerous choices.
Sep 3, 2019
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  • Alex Almeida
  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
How Will Hezbollah Respond to Israel’s Drone Attack?
With the IDF seemingly expanding its missile hunt to Lebanon and Iraq, the actions of Iran’s proxies, their host governments, and U.S. officials will do much to determine if wider escalation is in the cards.
Aug 28, 2019
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  • Hanin Ghaddar
Brief Analysis
Iran Develops Air Defense Capability for Possible Regional Role
A newly announced system could further the regime’s longstanding desire to create an A2AD umbrella in the Gulf and forward-deploy antiaircraft missiles in other countries.
Aug 27, 2019
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  • Farzin Nadimi
Articles & Testimony
Lessons from the UAE War in Yemen
The Emiratis may be able to guide events with a lighter footprint, but the more likely outcome of their departure is a complete collapse of government authority in the south.
Aug 18, 2019
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  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
Militias Are Threatening Public Safety in Iraq
Exploding ammo dumps are only one of many problems posed by out-of-control militias, making it more urgent than ever to warehouse heavy weapons, halt mass detentions, and protect Iraqis and Iraq’s investors alike.
Aug 14, 2019
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  • Michael Knights
  • Alex Almeida
Brief Analysis
Time to Change Course on the UN’s Lebanon Policy
Serious change is required to avoid decisions that accommodate Hezbollah’s ends, ways, and means, and a vital first step is to look at current policy mechanics with a clear eye.
Aug 13, 2019
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  • Assaf Orion
Articles & Testimony
Iran’s Expanding Militia Army in Iraq: The New Special Groups
Tehran-backed militias must be monitored more closely on a host of destabilizing activities, though policymakers should be careful not to lump them in with the many PMF factions that don't support Iran.
Aug 9, 2019
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  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
U.S. Safe Zone Deal Can Help Turkey Come to Terms with the PKK and YPG
Checking the YPG’s ascendance in Syria could bring the PKK back to the negotiating table, ultimately making Turkey more amenable to Kurdish enclaves across the border.
Aug 7, 2019
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  • Soner Cagaptay
Brief Analysis
Houthis Kill Top UAE-Backed Separatist Yemeni Commander
Coming just weeks after Abu Dhabi's drawdown from the anti-Houthi fight, the provocative attack could be a pivotal moment for Yemen’s future.
Aug 1, 2019
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  • Elana DeLozier
Brief Analysis
Twenty Years Under King Mohammed VI (Part 2): Foreign Policy Developments
The king has invested considerable diplomatic capital in Africa, Europe, the United States, and China, but the longstanding Western Sahara dispute remains a source of tension with neighboring Algeria.
Jul 29, 2019
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  • Sarah Feuer
  • Reda Ayadi

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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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