Policy Analysis

As Russia, Iran, and Assad fight to carve out their future spheres of influence in Syria, Washington needs to help its Sunni allies establish their own spheres and retake eastern territory from ISIS and al-Qaeda.

For all the praise (and relief) Moscow's deployment is eliciting in Tehran, continued Russian involvement will likely cut into Iran's influence.

The country has seen periods of turmoil before, but this time may be different.

An uninterrupted regional carrier presence would be preferable, given the host of threats, but these heavily used warships must undergo maintenance now to stay effective.

His alarmist declarations at the UN won't make a Palestinian state more likely, but now would be an ideal time to quietly probe key Arab and Israeli leaders on whether their converging regional fears can be used to address the Palestinian issue.

Recent online activities show that various Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militias have greatly expanded their recruitment efforts in support of the Assad regime, including numerous reports of significant battlefield action.

U.S. policy in Syria is failing because the Obama administration is prioritizing the urgent (rolling back ISIS) over the truly important (preventing Iran and Russia from rearranging Middle East security to their benefit).

General Toufik's departure could end the contest of wills between the intelligence and political leadership, but Algeria's democratic transition will likely remain on the back burner amid dire economic and security concerns.

Given the reluctance of Western powers to intervene in today's Middle East crises, hopes and fears regarding a new grand resolution may be overblown.

Whether Iraqi Kurdistan becomes a de facto or de jure nation, it will face the same challenge that all oil-dependent states face: the need to diversify its economy, create good jobs, and live within its means as a hedge against fluctuating oil prices.

The release of a special-committee report to the Majlis will be seized on by hardliners, who will continue to voice their opposition even in the probable event implementation goes forward.

Nearly 48 hours later, Mets fans are still reeling. Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley's filthy, far-to-the-right-of-the-bag slide into Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada during Saturday night's playoff game ended Tejada's postseason and could end his career, while the umpires' boobish mishandling of the ruling on the field cost the Mets the

Following Vladimir Putin's address to the UN General Assembly, a panel of Institute experts detailed the scope of Moscow's military buildup in Syria and its likely objectives and implications.

Since 2011, the Arab Gulf monarchies have likely absorbed several hundred thousand Syrians under temporary circumstances.

Amid growing public concern about their ideological associations with ISIS, Salafist political parties and their 'quietist' critics have been using students and educational institutions as a pulpit for questioning each other's legitimacy.

The first wave of Russian airstrikes seemed to focus on rebel areas that threaten the Assad regime's Alawite heartland, showing that Moscow is more focused on seizing the mantle in Syria's war than fighting terrorists.

Renewed security upgrade talks would go a long way toward mending relations, and Netanyahu could further help matters by engaging members of Congress who may have been rankled by his previous U.S. visit.

Although the president's speech correctly diagnosed the latest grave challenges to the international order, he has yet to acknowledge that belligerent actors will not respond to U.S. diplomatic signals unless they are backed by U.S. military power.

The Russian leader's UN speech repeated his longstanding narrative of moral equivalence, and the blatant hypocrisy of his foreign and domestic policy has gone largely unchallenged by the Obama administration.

If the war and its resultant mass refugee flows continue, economic and social pressures could destabilize Jordan and Lebanon, steering more displaced Syrians toward Europe.