U.S. Policy

Policy Analysis on U.S. Policy

How the U.S. and India Can Move from Rhetoric to Reality

In Washington, communiques that purport to cover everything usually, in reality, address nothing. This is the sense conveyed by the "vision statement" issued in the wake of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the White House... Read the full article on the Wall Street Journal website.

Oct 1, 2014

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Michael Singh

Video

Brief Analysis

Keynote Address: Samuel W. Lewis Memorial Symposium

The deputy secretary of state speaks about Sam Lewis's diplomatic legacy and the lessons it holds for today's most pressing regional issues.

Sep 29, 2014

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William J. Burns

Brief Analysis

President Obama Should Meet with Sisi

The two leaders could discuss ISIS, Libya, and other regional issues, but the act of meeting alone would do much in terms of improving bilateral relations.

Sep 22, 2014

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Eric Trager

Articles & Testimony

Iran Remains Our Biggest Challenge

The coincidence of mutual opposition to a radical Sunni terrorist group should not blind Washington to the enduring threat that the Iranian regime represents.

Sep 19, 2014

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Eric Edelman
Dennis Ross
Ray Takeyh

Articles & Testimony

This Photo Explains the United States' Relationship with Saudi Arabia

The kingdom's existential struggle with Iran could have drastic implications for the Middle East.

Sep 15, 2014

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Simon Henderson

Video

Brief Analysis

Samuel W. Lewis Memorial Symposium

America and the Challenges of a Turbulent Middle East: Looking Backward, Looking Forward

The Washington Institute hosted a special symposium honoring the life and legacy of the late Ambassador Samuel W. Lewis. Watch complete video, including a keynote address from Deputy Secretary of State William Burns. Speakers include Paul Wolfowitz, Jessica Tuchman Matthews, Ambassador William Brown, and Ambassador Dennis Ross.

Sep 12, 2014

From Gaza to ISIS: A Trip Report Assessing the Arab-Israeli Arena

Conversations with senior officials in Egypt, Jordan, and Israel highlight the complexities of -- and potential links between -- the region's latest crises.

Sep 12, 2014

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Robert Satloff

In-Depth Reports

How Iranians Might React to a Nuclear Deal

As the P5+1 and Iran negotiate about the nuclear impasse, Iranian factional politics has heated up. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has made disparaging comments about the nuclear negotiations, yet supported continuing the talks. The Rouhani government is facing a variety of criticisms: it is vigorously defending its record at

Sep 11, 2014

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Patrick Clawson
Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

Islamists Are Not Our Friends

Despite tensions stemming from their domestic policies, non-Islamist actors such as Egypt and the Gulf monarchies are America's natural partners in the region because they favor stability and the free flow of oil and gas while opposing terrorism.

Sep 11, 2014

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Dennis Ross

Articles & Testimony

We Need a Middle East Strategy, Not Just an Anti-IS Strategy

In Washington, foreign policy crises are covered as breaking news, but in reality, they develop over years and require just as long to resolve.

Sep 10, 2014

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Michael Singh

Israel, America, and the Long War

The Washington Institute's executive director addressed the ICT’s 14th International Conference on Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel.

Sep 9, 2014

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Robert Satloff

Articles & Testimony

Why Risk Can Be a Good Thing in Foreign Policy

Much has been made of President Barack Obama's recent admission that he didn't "have a strategy yet" on Syria. With the president scheduled to address the nation Wednesday night about the Islamic State insurgency, the White House appears to be seeking to quash the debate about whether Mr. Obama's risk-averse

Sep 9, 2014

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Michael Singh

Articles & Testimony

Obama's Foreign Policy: How to Rescue It

President Obama is right that diplomacy should be America's lead option. But diplomacy needs help, be it military or economic

Sep 5, 2014

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James Jeffrey

Articles & Testimony

Besieged Iraqi Town of Amerli Desperately Needs U.S. Help

Coordinated U.S. airstrikes with a joint Baghdad-Kurdish offensive could quickly open a humanitarian corridor without pulling American forces into deeper involvement.

Aug 25, 2014

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Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

The Real Middle East Crisis Is Economic

It would be naive to think that economic growth will solve all of the Middle East's thorny dilemmas; but it would be equally naive to believe that they can be solved without it.

Aug 19, 2014

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Michael Singh

Articles & Testimony

The Pinprick President

President Obama needs to go to war with the Islamic State, or it will go to war with America.

Aug 15, 2014

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James Jeffrey

Articles & Testimony

Advancing U.S. Interests in Iraq Will Require More Than Airstrikes

In ordering limited airstrikes in Iraq, President Barack Obama has reluctantly become involved in a crisis he wished to avoid. Given that Iraq's leaders seem too diverted by the political turmoil in Baghdad to address the grave threats to their country, one can perhaps understand his hesitation. Nevertheless, his narrow

Aug 11, 2014

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Michael Singh

In-Depth Reports

Al-Adl wal-Ihsan

Inside Morocco's Islamist Challenge

Across the Middle East, a critical question for regimes and peoples alike is "Are Islamists rising or fading?" Egypt under President al-Sisi is one story; Iraq and Syria facing the ISIS challenge is another. In Morocco, the banned but highly influential Islamist opposition group al-Adl wal-Ihsan (Justice and Benevolence) is

Aug 5, 2014

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Vish Sakthivel

Brief Analysis

ISIS Military Success: A Multiple Threat

The United States should be launching selective airstrikes on ISIS sooner rather than later, particularly where the movement attacks key dams and minority populations.

Aug 5, 2014

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James Jeffrey

Articles & Testimony

How to Think About the New Middle East

The Obama administration's approach to Gaza needs to take account of new realities in the region.

Jul 30, 2014

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Dennis Ross

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.

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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.

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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

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