Policy Analysis

World leaders need to be clear-eyed about the false facade of Iranian democracy, focusing instead on the regime's chronic regional meddling, terror sponsorship, and human rights abuses.

With Islamic ideology losing its seductive influence, the only way to prolong the regime's life is to reform the economy -- a difficult prospect given the president's weakness and the continued interference of powerful, unaccountable entities.

The upcoming regional tour is an opportunity to begin correcting Washington's flawed foreign policy.

To maintain its dominant position and stay true to its ideological roots, the PYD is pushing socialist policies on a skeptical Rojava populace, with uncertain consequences for the future of the Syrian Kurdish zone.

Washington won't achieve foreign policy successes without better diplomacy, and the first step is to understand what diplomacy can and can't do.

A review of a new book by Itamar Rabinovich, the late prime minister's ambassador to Washington, who details why Rabin preferred peace with Assad over the Palestinians.

Erdogan has always wanted to take revenge on the system that repeatedly persecuted Turkey's Islamist movement, his first political home.

Erdogan may be willing to give President Trump a free hand in Raqqa, but only if Washington supports Turkish action against the PKK in Sinjar and continues the conversation on Fethullah Gulen.

Cairo has demonstrated a stunning lack of will to eradicate ISIS from Egyptian territory and has been losing ground against a virulent but numerically small insurgency in the Sinai.

The administration's plan to retake Raqqa from the Islamic State could further inflame tensions with Turkey and Iran.

The atmospherics surrounding the summit could not have gone better for the Palestinian leader, but reviving substantive peace discussions will require more-concrete follow-on measures.

There is still time to offset the gains that Iran’s proxies have made in the past three years, but only if Baghdad continues resisting the creation of a permanent, well-funded security institution that operates outside the Iraqi chain of command.

May 8, 2017 I had not been to Qamishli for twenty years. As a Ph.D. student at the French Institute for the Near East, I went with two friends in the late 1990s to explore northeast Syria. This journey led us to Raqqa, Deir al-Zour, Hasaka, and Qamishli. Since 1997

The West's relationship with Ankara will become increasingly cold as long as populist leaders on both sides continue polarizing their constituents with anti-Muslim and anti-Western rhetoric.

Watch an in-depth conversation with two intimate observers of the Trump administration on new directions in American Middle East policy.

As clerics are pushed ever further to the political margins, the regime will need to double down on its current strategy: relying more on security measures than spiritual authorities to ensure its survival.

May 5, 2017 A few decades ago, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq were culturally rich and diverse societies, with distinct national identities that acknowledged their pluralism. For much of the twentieth century the Egyptian flag was green with a white crescent encircling three white stars. A relic of Ottoman times, the

The international community's vacillation and vague guarantees in the run-up to the 1967 war taught the Israelis an important cautionary lesson: when the chips are down, they need to be able to defend themselves by themselves.

Despite some positive growth indicators, Rouhani faces an uphill struggle to convince voters that his economic plan is truly best for them.

In this short video, Institute scholars explain the economic, security, and political dynamics shaping Iran's 2017 presidential election and the future of Iranian policy.