Policy Analysis

Since 2014, Washington has relied on the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) to defeat ISIS in Syria. Yet Washington’s policy of working with the YPG in Syria, where U.S. support has helped the group soar, has concurrently undermined American policy regarding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey, the

Greater delays, downtime, and problems acquiring new planes have made Iran feel the heat, but its civil aviation sector continues to generate revenue for the regime.

Safeguarding America’s widely agreed interests in the Middle East requires a substantial presence, as does the region’s tendency to export insecurity.

A dramatic rift seems unavoidable unless Ankara delays the arrival of Russian missiles and Washington provides security guarantees against Moscow and the Syrian Kurds.

Israel’s 2019 election proved to be one of the most hotly contested races in recent memory.

The scuttling of a high-profile opportunity for commercial engagement is a reminder that expanding Gulf-Israel ties to the public realm will be a slow, thorny process.

Washington should accelerate common-sense economic efforts that can help right away, even as the fraught, slow-moving UN peace process continues.

If Haftar does not pull back his forces, Washington and the EU should sanction him for disrupting the UN-backed peace process.

Lost revenue transfers from Israel frame the latest crisis, and Washington can help ease it even without restoring direct aid to the PA.

The Washington Institute has recently been sponsoring a series of discussions about sudden succession in the Middle East. Each session focuses on scenarios that might unfold if a specific ruler or leader departed the scene tomorrow. Questions include these: Would the sudden change lead to different policies? Would it affect

Despite his controversial campaign statements, the prime minister will likely remain cautious about actually seizing West Bank territory or ordering ground incursions into Gaza.

As U.S. pressure on Tehran heats up, many in Beirut, Washington, and Europe will argue that the group is still an independent actor, but past and recent evidence shows otherwise.

Facing multiple indictments, Netanyahu may try to keep himself out of jail by annexing the West Bank, but what happens to the 2.5 million Palestinians living there, and to Israel’s identity?

To forge a better future, the country must break the vicious cycle of military rule followed by incompetent, corrupt rule under the same tired political class.

Is a major national leader's departure necessarily history changing? This study suggests that paradoxically, the more successful a leader has been in realizing his goals, the less consequential his exit.

The one-man show is set for another term with a similar approach to foreign policy, and indictments are unlikely to cut it short.