Policy Analysis

By adjusting carrier rotations, ISR capabilities, headquarters locations, and other key aspects of its posture, the Biden administration can contribute to regional security and self-sufficiency while still shifting toward great-power competition.

Instead of giving Tehran free carrots, the administration should adopt a clear transactional stance, such as approving sanctions relief only if militias stop their missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia.

Allowing Tehran to whitewash its nuclear activities and sites would set a terrible precedent for other nations who might be tempted to pursue a covert weapons program.

Washington has prioritized counterterrorism for years and is only now shifting to great-power competition, but Moscow has never lost sight of geopolitics, and its actions in the region should be seen through that lens.

The shift away from a U.S.-led military posture will require that Washington repair its damaged credibility with allies abroad. A major task at home will be disentangling counterterrorism budgets from the military budgets on which they have long been grafted.

One obvious remedy involves asking Riyadh to end its production cutback, but any such request could be complicated by the administration’s recent friction with the crown prince.

It is unclear whether those who seek to carry on his foreign policy legacy will embrace wan realism, amoral nationalism, or a more successful conservative internationalism, but either way a clear-eyed evaluation of U.S. challenges and options is crucial.

The former assistant secretary of state in charge of the Middle East portfolio from 2019-2021 discusses his time in office and how the region’s challenges and opportunities are evolving at the start of the Biden administration.

What we learned about the detainee and his description of being recruited by Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

After being struck by the U.S., Kataib Hezbollah dropped the pretense of the coordination committee and acted unilaterally.

Members of the political class and the general public are increasingly anticipating and expecting that Palestinian elections will take place due to an unusual convergence of interests between PA president Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and Hamas.

Given our perpetual crises, we Iraqis rarely look back. But unless Iraqis collectively understand the past and decide how to avoid repeating its mistakes, we are bound to pay these crimes forward as we have in the past.

NATO stands ready to increase its commitment in a slow and steady manner consistent with Baghdad’s needs, but careful communication will be crucial, as will a more strategic discussion on how to combine different assistance efforts.

Three Lebanese experts explore Beirut’s precarious politics, Hezbollah’s continued ability to evade accountability, and the Biden administration’s options.

There are several steps the Biden administration can take to strengthen its allies in Syria and promote a peaceful solution.

Good relations with Iraqi Kurdistan are a valuable strategic asset for the United States, but support from the Biden administration should not be unconditional.

The Vatican’s outreach to Iraq is laudable in its goal of decreasing religious violence, but Western officials should be realistic about what engagement with Shia religious leaders can accomplish in the near term.

Bitter squabbles between the social media platforms of two competing Iraqi militias February 22-23 offer insights into the movements and their relationship.

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.

Iraq's Yazidis need assertive international support to protect their rights and well-being. ​