Skip to main content
TWI logo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
logo
wordmark
Homepage

Main navigation

  • Analysis
  • Experts
  • About
  • Support
  • Maps & Multimedia
Trending:
  • Military & Security
  • Proliferation
  • Israel
  • Iran
  • Lebanon
  • Syria

Regions & Countries

  • Egypt
  • Gulf States
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Middle East
  • North Africa
  • Palestinians
  • Syria
  • Turkey

Issues

  • Arab & Islamic Politics
  • Arab-Israeli Relations
  • Democracy & Reform
  • Energy & Economics
  • Great Power Competition
  • Gulf & Energy Policy
  • Military & Security
  • Peace Process
  • Proliferation
  • Terrorism
  • U.S. Policy
TWI English
TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية Fikra Forum

Breadcrumb

  • Policy Analysis

Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

Filter by:

Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
What Is Iran Up To in Deir al-Zour?
Tehran and its proxies have been exerting hard and soft power in northeast Syria, combining military consolidation with economic, social, and religious outreach in order to cement their long-term influence.
Oct 10, 2019
◆
  • Oula A. Alrifai
Turkey’s Syria Offensive Puts Alliance with U.S. Near Breaking Point
Erdogan is relying on his personal relationship with President Trump to stave off congressional anger, but bilateral ties cannot function if civilian and military agencies lack faith in each other.
Oct 9, 2019
◆
  • Soner Cagaptay
Articles & Testimony
Trump’s Troop Withdrawal Gives Turkey Access to Syria—and ISIS Space to Rebuild
If the president insists on removing U.S. forces before conditions on the ground are sufficiently stable, he will clear the way for a terrorist resurgence.
Oct 8, 2019
◆
  • Dana Stroul
Brief Analysis
Hezbollah Prioritizes Its Own Interests, Putting Lebanon at Risk
As demonstrators rail against economic problems, corruption, and sectarianism, the group’s role in undermining the public’s financial and physical security is coming under greater scrutiny.
Oct 3, 2019
◆
  • Matthew Levitt
IDF commandoes engage in a rescue mission
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
Guidelines for Israel's National Security Strategy
This new study examines the current map of Israel’s threats and proposes principles to address them as the basis for a comprehensive national security strategy.
Oct 2, 2019
◆
  • Gadi Eisenkot
  • Gabi Siboni
Saudi ARAMCO oil storage facility
Video
Brief Analysis
Responding to the Saudi Oil Attack: A Challenge for U.S. Policy
Three experts discuss Washington’s potential reaction, which will have powerful implications not only in the Gulf states, but everywhere that America and its allies face off against Iran and its proxies, from Iraq to Lebanon to Gaza.
Oct 1, 2019
◆
  • Suzanne Maloney
  • Norman Roule
  • Michael Singh
Brief Analysis
Helping Iraq Take Charge of Its Command-and-Control Structure
Recent organizational shifts offer a glimmer of hope that Baghdad will stand up to Iranian influence, but implementation will be the test of their actual merit.
Sep 30, 2019
◆
  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
How to Present Evidence of Iranian Involvement in the Saudi Attack
By working effectively with the UN, Washington and Riyadh can help foster global consensus on Iran’s culpability, creating a firm basis for multilateral censure that could induce caution in Tehran.
Sep 26, 2019
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Tim Michetti
Brief Analysis
Plugging the Gaps in Saudi Arabia’s Air Defenses
The kingdom already has much of the equipment needed to intercept Iranian air attacks, but it needs Washington’s help on reacting more quickly, deterring Tehran, and establishing joint defense networks with other Gulf states.
Sep 25, 2019
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Conor Hiney
Articles & Testimony
Iran Is Surviving, in Spite of Trump's 'Maximum Pressure'
Regardless of the Hormuz initiative's supposedly peaceful intent, foreign officials should be careful not to give Tehran any rights in the strategic waterway that don’t have to be given.
Sep 25, 2019
◆
  • Simon Henderson
In-Depth Reports
Shifting Landscape:
Russia's Military Role in the Middle East
In September 2015, Moscow made its first push outside former Soviet borders when it authorized airstrikes in Syria. More pertinently, the move—and Russia's broader intervention in Syria—constituted a step toward reshaping the whole regional balance of power, taking advantage of a diminishing U.S. footprint. According to the Russian defense minister
Sep 25, 2019
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
In-Depth Reports
Syria Study Group 2019:
Final Report and Recommendations
A comprehensive, bipartisan look at how the U.S. government can still achieve important objectives on various fronts, from countering terrorist groups and Iran to addressing refugee and humanitarian issues.
Sep 24, 2019
◆
  • Michael Singh
  • Dana Stroul
Articles & Testimony
Seven Black Swans in the Middle East
Events considered impossible tend to happen in the region with unusual frequency, so when will the next one appear?
Sep 24, 2019
◆
  • Martin Kramer
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
◆
  • 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
◆
  • 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
◆
  • 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
◆
  • 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
◆
  • 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
◆
  • 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
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Farzin Nadimi

Pagination

  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • First page « First
  • …
  • Page 54
  • Page 55
  • Page 56
  • Page 57
  • Current page 58
  • Page 59
  • Page 60
  • Page 61
  • Page 62
  • …
  • Last page Last »
  • Next page Next ›
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.

Sign Up for Email Updates from The Washington Institute

Never miss a breaking event on U.S. policy interests in the Middle East. Customize your subscription to our expert analysis, op-eds, live events, and special reports.

Sign up

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.
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 the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner 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.
Background image with TWI branding
logo
wordmark
Homepage

1111 19th Street NW - Suite 500
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-452-0650
Fax: 202-223-5364

Footer contact links

  • Contact
  • Press Room
  • Subscribe

The Washington Institute seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.

The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax-deductible.

Footer quick links

  • About TWI
  • Support the Institute
  • Alumni

Social media

  • The Washington Institute on Facebook facebook
  • The Washington Institute on X x
  • The Washington Institute on YouTube youtube
  • The Washington Institute on LinkedIn linkedin

© 2025 All rights reserved.

Footer

  • Employment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rights & Permissions