Policy Analysis

Security issues won’t top Tunisia’s agenda in 2021, but the sheer volume of citizens mobilized into the jihadist milieu over the past decade suggests that the consequences will be felt for years to come.

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.

The U.S. response needs to get more specific, while the KRG and Baghdad need to patch up their urgent security differences and stop entangling them with broader territorial, constitutional, or budgetary issues.

A federalist system is the only viable option for a new government in Yemen.

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.

Facing Turkish, Iranian, and Islamist threats, Kurds in Iraq and Syria are hoping for more U.S. support than they saw under the Trump administration.

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.

The Biden administration and the French government must draw clear redlines, or the group will escalate its campaign of terror.

Kurds in Turkey and Iran could be valuable partners as the United States navigates difficult relations with both countries.

In seeking to salvage the JCPOA, Biden should not assume cooperation from Moscow, but instead focus on building a unified strategy that strengthens the U.S. negotiating position.

The United States and Jordan need to broaden the scope of their security relationship and prepare for a more diverse array of security concerns.

Major muqwama militias are working to expand their youth recruitment operations in Iraq. Kataib Hezbollah's Sharia Youth Gathering is leading the way.

On January 20, 2021, the KH-affiliated media group called Unit 10,000 first planted disinformation about a non-existent U.S. airstrike, stoked the story, and then tried to remove its fingerprints from the origin of this 'fake news'.

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.

Dire circumstances are pushing Lebanese people to the edge, which could bring violent results.

After the UN's failures regarding Assad, Syrians need a more forceful option to restore their dignity and rights.

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.

By ceding control of its borders and airspace to various foreign actors, the regime has essentially resigned itself to a limited but potentially durable existence for the long term.

Militia Spotlight provides rapid high-quality analysis and contextualization of militia activities in Iraq and Syria.

The New Hope party leader and former Likud minister discusses why he is running in Israel’s March election, how his policies differ from Netanyahu’s, and what his approach will be on key issues such as the Middle East peace process and the Iranian nuclear challenge,