Policy Analysis

Although framed as a government of solidarity between Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish factions, the Sudani government in Iraq gives Iran a significant arena in which to wield its influence.

Despite years of overhauling HTS’s global reputation, al-Jawlani’s strategy in northwest Syria has long been driven by opportunism instead of ideology.

Russia will continue using the Black Sea corridors as leverage, so Western countries and their partners should prepare alternative routes and other assistance as counter-leverage.

Media outlets run by Iran-backed groups have justified the killing by claiming that the targeted civilian was a spy.

As Prime Minister, MbS won't throw out the Arab Peace Initiative altogether, but he will likely reframe it.

The second week of November 1942 has much to tell us about the region’s geopolitical centrality, its enduring political currents, and its role in the future of the Jewish people—not to mention the evolution of American foreign policy.

Recent Chinese and Russian actions have shaken the national security establishment out of its complacency, underscoring how American cooperation with Europe, the Middle East, and other actors will not be so straightforward in this new era of great-power competition.

After leading an extensive group visit throughout the kingdom, Washington Institute scholars offer insights from their encounters with leaders in government, religion, business, and culture.

For the Abraham Accords to be truly successful, cooperation between member countries must necessarily extend to partnerships of more accurate and far-reaching media sources.

The hostile and corrupt forces arrayed behind him might ease their anti-American activities just to reassert their power at home, so Washington should make the new government’s honeymoon a short one—and work around it if necessary to help the Iraqi people.

Rabee Nader has a long history of working with U.S.-designated terrorist groups Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, so appointing him could place Prime Minister Sudani's office at risk of potential sanctions.

Watch an expert conversation on the pivotal week in WWII whose events continue to shape the modern Middle East.

Although the results of the October 2019 protests and the May 2022 elections brought hope to many Lebanese desperate for change, entrenched political deadlock and dysfunction are as bad as ever.

Appointing senior ministers who incite against Arabs would undermine the shared values that buttress the bilateral relationship while giving fuel to Israel’s critics in Washington.

After decades of global and domestic disinformation campaigns, the Iranian regime has only doubled down on media manipulation in response to recent protests.

The jihadist group has been actively plotting against Iran for years, though the recent upsurge in threats from its Afghan branch may presage a new wave of cells and attacks inside the embattled Islamic Republic.

Pollsters are finding little movement between the two main camps, though the dramatic rise of a new hard-right party has many observers on edge.

Watch an expert panel discussion of the political, diplomatic, economic, social, and strategic implications of the 2022 World Cup for Qatar and the wider Middle East.

In this season of the Decision Points podcast, authors of seminal books on the U.S.-Israel relationship and the history of Zionism and Israel join Institute Senior Fellow David Makovsky to unpack their work and engage in striking, insightful conversations.

Although ministry positions in Iraq have long been used as bartering tools, the new government could make a huge difference by supporting key ministries with real solutions and competent appointees.