U.S. Policy

Policy Analysis on U.S. Policy

Protesters hold Syrian and Hezbollah flags

Assad Is Giving Biden Every Reason to Prioritize Syria

Even if the growing regional and geopolitical stakes were not sufficient on their own, the regime’s domestic negligence, illegitimacy, and criminality provide ample reason to shake up Washington’s approach.

Mar 3, 2021

◆

Aaron Y. Zelin
Oula A. Alrifai

Articles & Testimony

How Russia Is Responding to Joe Biden’s Syria Airstrike

The omissions in Moscow’s statements on the U.S. operation are as revealing as the predictable hyperbole and hypocrisy.

Mar 1, 2021

◆

Anna Borshchevskaya

Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Saudi Arabia

Articles & Testimony

For Better or Worse: Which Way Will US-Saudi Relations Go Under Biden?

The new administration seems to regard Khashoggi’s death as merely the best known of the crown prince’s sins, but it is hard to see an alternative successor in the House of Saud.

Feb 26, 2021

◆

Simon Henderson

U.S. soldiers at an Iraqi base after a rocket attack by Iran-backed militias

Articles & Testimony

Why Biden’s Airstrikes on Iran Militias Matter

The operation on the Iraq-Syria border could prove more significant than critics allow, but only if the administration keeps showing that there are limits to what it will tolerate in pursuing a new nuclear deal.

Feb 26, 2021

◆

Phillip Smyth

Brief Analysis

Biden’s Warning to Iran and Its Proxies: Implications of the Syria Strike

The administration’s early recourse to armed force may have surprised Tehran, but the proxy tests will continue, suggesting the need for sustained U.S. intelligence support and multilateral engagement with partners.

Feb 26, 2021

◆

Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Reframing Libya for a Reluctant Administration

By treating the conflict as a matter of Mediterranean security, President Biden’s team can better assist the new Libyan government and demonstrate its commitment to revitalizing alliances.

Feb 25, 2021

◆

Ben Fishman

Articles & Testimony

Balancing Act: Biden Must Redefine the US-Saudi Relationship

The administration’s instinct to cancel Riyadh’s blank check is right, but engaging a flawed partner is not the same as confronting a determined adversary.

Feb 25, 2021

◆

Dennis Ross
Robert Satloff

U.S.-Israel cooperation images: in agtech, medicine, military, etc.

In-Depth Reports

Asset Test 2021:

How the U.S. Can Keep Benefiting from Its Alliance with Israel

Areas for especially timely U.S.-Israel cooperation include climate resilience, agtech, and medical research, as well as longstanding work in the military and security arenas.

Feb 24, 2021

◆

Michael Eisenstadt
David Pollock

◆ Transition 2021

MbS, King Salman, Saudi map, fighter jet

In-Depth Reports

Defining a Mature, Balanced Relationship with Saudi Arabia

An Urgent Task for the Biden Administration

A revamped approach to the alliance should stay focused on shared goals, from ensuring a stable oil market to promoting a more tolerant version of Islam at home and abroad.

Feb 22, 2021

◆

Dennis Ross
Robert Satloff

◆ Transition 2021

Brief Analysis

Israel Braces for U.S. Revival of the JCPOA

The best approach for both governments is to internalize lessons from 2015 and enter a comprehensive, discreet discussion focusing on constructive ideas and realistic outcomes.

Feb 22, 2021

◆

Michael Herzog

Video

Brief Analysis

Countering and Exposing Terrorist Propaganda and Disinformation

A senior U.S. official discusses how the government and its partners are using technological innovation, social media engagement, and other tools to challenge false narratives spread by state and nonstate actors.

Feb 19, 2021

◆

Daniel Kimmage

◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series

President Joe Biden speaks on the phone in the Oval Office of the White House

Articles & Testimony

Iran Just Handed Biden His First Credibility Test

Proxy rocket attacks in Iraq require a clear response, otherwise the safety of U.S. troops and the prospect of nuclear negotiations will both be in doubt.

Feb 17, 2021

◆

Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Rockets over Erbil: How to Respond to an Iraqi Militia Outrage

Iran-backed militias took the unprecedented step of rocketing a major city and U.S. base in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the Biden administration must quickly find its own formula for restoring deterrence.

Feb 16, 2021

◆

Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Biden’s Iran Dilemma

Tehran’s nuclear and regional activities are part of a single strategy that aims to paralyze stronger foes, so Washington’s policies for responding to each challenge should likewise overlap considerably.

February 2021

◆

Michael Singh

Brief Analysis

Iran’s New Narrative: The Regime Is Not in a Hurry, But Washington Should Be

By steadily implementing parliament’s anti-JCPOA law and making public statements about “cornered cats” and “closing windows,” Tehran has sought to give Washington a sense of urgency, but this approach could be a double-edged sword.

Feb 11, 2021

◆

Omer Carmi

Syria chessboard international and local players

In-Depth Reports

Syria at the Center of Power Competition and Counterterrorism

Even as U.S. policymakers must stay focused on the Assad regime’s culpability, they also face a complex web of power dynamics in which Russia, Turkey, Iran, Israel, and other actors are attempting to secure their various interests.

Feb 8, 2021

◆

Aaron Y. Zelin

Articles & Testimony

Blinken Picks Up the Phone to Firm Up Alliances—Except with Most Gulf Countries

The change of administrations and the realities of COVID-era diplomacy may give Gulf leaders a sense that they are being kept at a distance on key issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.

Feb 5, 2021

◆

Simon Henderson

In-Depth Reports

Seizing Opportunities and Strengthening Alliances in Northwest Africa:

Ideas for Policy Toward Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia

Modest investments of U.S. diplomatic capital, economic aid, and security assistance can help these three countries and advance American interests.

Feb 3, 2021

◆

Robert Satloff
Sarah Feuer

◆ Transition 2021

Israeli and Palestinian children join the mayor of Jerusalem to release doves.

Video

Brief Analysis

U.S. Policy Toward Arab States, Palestinians, and Israel: Ideas and Approaches for the Biden Administration

Officials, business leaders, and experts explore the economic, political, and human impact of regional normalization efforts, including their potential to reinvigorate peacemaking with the Palestinians.

Feb 3, 2021

◆

Yousef Al Otaiba
Samer Khoury
Fleur Hassan-Nahoum
David Makovsky

Brief Analysis

Moving Israel to CENTCOM: Another Step Into the Light

The new command shift, which is rooted in years of growing collaboration away from the limelight, promises to facilitate bilateral and regional security cooperation and burden sharing, while the IDF-EUCOM-CENTCOM experience sets the stage for the next frontier: U.S.-Israeli military dialogue on the China-Iran partnership.

Jan 28, 2021

◆

Assaf Orion
Mark Montgomery

Supported by the

Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East

The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East focuses on the region as a setting for heightened competition between the United States and other world powers, such as China and Russia.

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.

Featured experts

Robert Satloff

Robert Satloff is the Segal Executive Director of The Washington Institute, a post he assumed in January 1993.

Dennis Ross

Dennis Ross, a former special assistant to President Barack Obama, is the counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute.

Michael Singh

Michael Singh is the Managing Director and Lane-Swig Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.

Regions & Countries

Issues

U.S. Policy

Policy Analysis on U.S. Policy

Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East

Featured experts

Regions & Countries

Issues

U.S. Policy

Policy Analysis on U.S. Policy

Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East

Sign Up for Email Updates from The Washington Institute

Featured experts