Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

Iran Still Looms Large in Israel's Threat Perception

Israel and Washington should jointly address the perceived lack of U.S. deterrence against persistent Iranian and proxy threats, conclude the ten-year military assistance package as soon as possible, and launch a strategic high-level dialogue under the next administration.

Jul 15, 2016

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Michael Herzog

Brief Analysis

Closing Loopholes in the Proposed U.S.-Russian Agreement on Syria

The agreement's currently proposed terms have far less chance of stemming the international terrorist threat, helping the Syrian people, or turning the cessation of hostilities into a viable ceasefire.

Jul 14, 2016

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Andrew J. Tabler

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

The Islamic State Threat in the Golan Heights

Using both carrots and sticks, Israel has so far managed to prevent attacks against the Golan, but the danger is growing as jihadist movements increase their presence in southwestern Syria amid setbacks on other fronts.

Jul 14, 2016

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Fabrice Balanche

Articles & Testimony

Will Turkey and Russia Make Up?

On June 27th, the Kremlin announced that Turkey had apologized to Moscow for downing a Russian jet, which had violated Turkish airspace while flying over Syria in November 2015. The following day, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had expressed his regrets to Russian President

Jul 13, 2016

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Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

Defeating the Islamic State in Sirte: Secondary Effects and Remaining Challenges

While recent battlefield successes against the group's Libyan stronghold are encouraging, the threat persists, and political dysfunction remains a significant obstacle to stabilizing the country.

Jul 8, 2016

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Andrew Engel

Brief Analysis

Will the PKK and the Islamic State Bring Turkey and Russia Closer Together?

If Ankara wants to intervene against the Islamic State in Syria, block Kurdish advances, and defeat the PKK at home, it may decide to do whatever is necessary to placate Moscow, perhaps even cutting off support for certain anti-Assad rebel groups.

Jul 7, 2016

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Andrew J. Tabler
Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

Russia's Cooperation on the Iran Deal Is No Favor to Washington

Moscow only agreed to the nuclear deal out of self-interest, and the JCPOA has allowed Russia to expand ties with Iran while positioning itself as a regional counterweight to the West.

Jul 7, 2016

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Brief Analysis

Who Is Iran's New Armed Forces Chief of Staff?

The appointment of one of the IRGC's youngest generals can be seen as a sign of the Guards' growing primacy in future Iranian military thinking, and perhaps an urgent push toward improving interoperability between often-competing armed services.

Jul 5, 2016

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Farzin Nadimi

Articles & Testimony

Iraqi Security the Day After Mosul

Despite much progress on the ground against the Islamic State, missteps by the Iraqi government, political parties, and security forces could breathe new life into the group.

Jul 4, 2016

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Shaping U.S.-Russian Cooperation Against Jabhat al-Nusra

Helping Russia target the jihadist group will only benefit the Assad regime unless Washington ensures that such efforts are carefully targeted, strictly conditioned, and accompanied by additional reinforcement of the moderate opposition.

Jul 1, 2016

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Fabrice Balanche
Andrew J. Tabler

Video

Brief Analysis

Rethinking the U.S. Military Role in the Middle East

Three experts assess the past and future of American military involvement in the region and discuss whether it is possible to defend U.S. interests without creating open-ended quagmires.

Jun 30, 2016

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James Jeffrey
Michael Eisenstadt
Gideon Rose

Articles & Testimony

As the ISIS Tide Recedes

The beginning of the end of ISIS's dominance over the Sunni Arab region of Iraq is at hand, following the Iraqi security forces' clearance of ISIS from most of Fallujah, the first Iraqi city to fall to the terrorist group. Only one major Iraqi city remains in ISIS' hands: Mosul

Jun 29, 2016

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James Jeffrey

Articles & Testimony

Turkey's Istanbul Attack Vengeance Will Be Like 'Rain From Hell'

ISIS may be trying to sow domestic suspicion by not claiming responsibility for the airport attack, but the incident could still spur Turkey into full-scale war against the group.

Jun 29, 2016

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Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

Turkey's Regional Charm Offensive: Motives and Prospects

After years of foreign policy setbacks, Ankara is trying to mend fences with Israel, Egypt, Iran, and Russia, and the potential implications for the United States are mostly beneficial -- assuming the Turks can actually pull it off.

Jun 27, 2016

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Soner Cagaptay
James Jeffrey

Brief Analysis

Takfiris in Tehran: The Sectarian Face of Iranian Counterterrorism

While the severity of the Sunni extremist threat inside Iran is debatable, the regime's recent operations against suspected terrorists highlight its pattern of exploiting sectarian sentiment to bolster its regional adventurism.

Jun 24, 2016

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Mehdi Khalaji

Brief Analysis

Russian Views on the Middle East: A Trip Report

Two Washington Institute experts share their findings from recent visits to Russia, where they discussed a wide range of regional issues with current and former officials, leading analysts, and other citizens.

Jun 3, 2016

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James Jeffrey
Anna Borshchevskaya

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Raqqa Will Not Fall Until Arab Tribes Fight the Islamic State

The tribes in eastern Syria have been driven in different directions by the Assad regime, outside actors, and their own self-interest, leaving the coalition with a complex web to untangle before it can fully uproot IS.

Jun 3, 2016

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Fabrice Balanche

Brief Analysis

Iran's Air Force Overshadowed by the IRGC

A recent crash highlights the air force's struggles to maintain its readiness and budget at a time when Revolutionary Guard leaders are pushing for a deterrence posture based solely on their own ballistic missile arsenal.

May 27, 2016

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Farzin Nadimi

Brief Analysis

The Aerial Delivery of Humanitarian Aid in Syria: Options and Constraints

While airlift operations may provide temporary relief for a number of besieged and hard-to-reach communities, urgently enhancing the military capabilities of moderate opposition groups is ultimately the only way to effectively counter the Assad regime's use of food as a weapon.

May 27, 2016

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Michael Eisenstadt

Brief Analysis

The PKK Could Spark Turkish-Russian Military Escalation

Russia and Syria's dormant ties with the group have been reawakened by the civil war, raising the prospect of dangerous weapons proliferation and potential escalation into direct conflict with Turkey.

May 25, 2016

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Andrew J. Tabler
Soner Cagaptay

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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 is the Kahn Senior Fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program.

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 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

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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