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Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

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PMF Human Rights
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Human Rights Abusers Set Up PMF Department of Human Rights
UN officials should not be holding events hosted by Iraqi militia figures responsible for the deaths of protesters and other gruesome offenses, yet that is precisely what is happening under a new militia "human rights" bureau.
Sep 17, 2024
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
A masked Hamas fighter brandishes a rifle in Gaza - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Hamas Is Weakened, But a Prolonged Guerrilla Conflict Looms
The group maintains significant control over Gaza’s population despite its considerable losses, and removing it from power will necessitate a long campaign that no actor seems willing to undertake.
Sep 12, 2024
◆
  • Ido Levy
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa in Riffa, Bahrain - source: Reuters
Video
Brief Analysis
U.S.-Bahrain Ties One Year After the Strategic Partnership Agreement
Two veteran ambassadors discuss bilateral efforts in the security, economic, and technology sectors, noting the agreement’s potential as a template for other countries in the region.
Sep 11, 2024
◆
  • Steven C. Bondy
  • Sheikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa
President Joe Biden arrives in Saudi Arabia in July 2022
Brief Analysis
U.S.-Saudi Defense Cooperation: Next Steps
Even if an Israeli-Saudi normalization deal proves unattainable for now, Washington and Riyadh should still seek ways to enhance military and defense cooperation in order to advance common interests and prepare for future security challenges.
Sep 10, 2024
◆
  • Andrew G. Clemmensen
  • Abdullah Hayek
Saraya Talia al-Khurasani (STK) fighters
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Saraya Talia al-Khurasani
A longstanding partner to Iran's Qods Force and Lebanese Hezbollah, this militia is one of Iraq's most notorious in terms of human rights abuses and rampant criminality.
Sep 6, 2024
◆
  • Abdullah Hayek
  • Sary Mumayiz
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Articles & Testimony
How the U.S. Used Arms Sales to Shift Saudi Behavior
Weapons bans have proven to be a fickle tool historically, so why did they work in Riyadh’s case?
Sep 4, 2024
◆
  • Elizabeth Dent
  • Grant Rumley
Articles & Testimony
Israel Turns Up the Heat on Hezbollah
As the war in Gaza seemingly winds down, the old rules no longer apply in the north.
Aug 29, 2024
◆
  • David Schenker
The crude oil tanker Sounion burns in the Red Sea after an attack by Houthi forces in Yemen - source: EUNAVFOR
Brief Analysis
Five Lessons from the Sounion Salvage Crisis in the Red Sea
The United States and its partners should take several immediate steps to avoid an environmental disaster, counter the Houthi spin about the incident, and prevent the group from creating other hazmat emergencies in the Red Sea.
Aug 29, 2024
◆
  • Noam Raydan
Brief Analysis
Another One-Day War? What the Latest Hezbollah-Israel Clash Reveals About Deterrence and Escalation
Israeli and Lebanese experts join two former U.S. officials to discuss what each party was thinking before, during, and after this weekend’s exchange of strikes—and whether war in the north has become inevitable regardless of near-term de-escalation.
Aug 27, 2024
◆
  • Ben Fishman
  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Assaf Orion
  • Dennis Ross
A Russia-linked ship on the Red Sea.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Even After Houthi Attacks, Russia-Linked Tankers Return to Red Sea
The operators are either accepting risk on a vital transport route or else no longer concerned about perceptions about their vessels’ past links to Britain.
Aug 22, 2024
◆
  • Noam Raydan
◆ Maritime Spotlight
Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Bahraini crown prince and prime minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa - source: Department of State
Brief Analysis
One Year of the U.S.-Bahrain C-SIPA: Signs of Progress, Regional Potential
The progress the two partners have made through C-SIPA offers a fresh model for future U.S. cooperation with other Middle East countries in the security, economic, and technology sectors.
Aug 21, 2024
◆
  • Elizabeth Dent
Brief Analysis
The Pros and Cons of Salvaging (or Ditching) UNIFIL
Given the current lack of viable security alternatives on the Israel-Lebanon border, Washington may try to patch up UNIFIL’s many deficiencies—but it must do so with a clear understanding that the force has repeatedly failed its mission and squandered its credibility.
Aug 20, 2024
◆
  • David Schenker
  • Assaf Orion
Diyala governor Adnan al-Jaber with U.S.-designated terrorist Qais al-Khazali.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Diyala Governorship Shows Badr Leaning on Maliki to Remain Competitive
As Militia Spotlight previewed, the tussle in Diyala shows that Badr's slow political descent is encouraging various militias and tribal elements to scramble for power.
Aug 19, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Asad attack
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militias Signal De-Escalation with the U.S., Return to Cosmetic Israel Strikes
The self-styled Iraqi "resistance" has hinted at a desire to end the tit-for-tat sequence of strikes with the United States and return to cost-free counter-Israel operations.
Aug 18, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Brief Analysis
Countering Iran in East Syria Means Moderating the SDF
Groups supported by Iran and the Assad regime have found some local traction due in part to grievances against the Kurdish-led SDF’s governance strategy in Arab tribal areas.
Aug 16, 2024
◆
  • Andrew J. Tabler
President Joe Biden gestures while speaking - source: White House
Articles & Testimony
There Is Still Time to Stop a Wider War in the Middle East
Because the landscape has shifted since April, the Biden administration’s previous script for preventing irreversible escalation may no longer work.
Aug 15, 2024
◆
  • Dana Stroul
◆ Risks and Opportunities in the Post-April 13 Middle East
Photo of a woman walking in front of a mural that shows missiles being launched from Iran.
Video
Brief Analysis
On the Brink? The Potential for a Broader Conflict in the Middle East
An Israeli general and two former U.S. officials discuss the prospects of an imminent Iranian attack and what can be done to deter it.
Aug 14, 2024
◆
  • Amir Eshel
  • David M. Satterfield
  • Dana Stroul
An unexploded missile fired by an Israeli aircraft lies among the rubble, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in the northern Gaza Strip - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Explosive Remnants: Gaza’s Literal Ticking Bomb
Reconstruction can’t happen until thousands of dud bombs and other explosives are cleared from the urban rubble—a task that faces formidable shortfalls in funding, manpower, and other resources.
Aug 12, 2024
◆
  • Andrew G. Clemmensen
The US Navy carrier Abraham Lincoln sails alongside an escort destroyer - source: U.S. Navy
Brief Analysis
Only a Credible Offensive Threat Can Deter Iran from Climbing the Escalation Ladder
Amid a flurry of U.S. military deployments and allied diplomacy, it is uncertain if an embarrassed Tehran will attack Israel, but one thing is clear: allowing it to do so again without meaningful consequences would set a dangerous precedent.
Aug 9, 2024
◆
  • Farzin Nadimi
Iraqi cabinet meeting, August 6, 2024
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Extent of Terrorist and Militia Fuel Oil Diversion Exposed in Iraq
A mechanism for diverting Iraqi government oil to militias through non-operational factories was recently exposed, creating a panic shutdown of asphalt plants run by Iran-backed terrorists.
Aug 7, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ 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.
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.
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