Policy Analysis

The organization’s latest report showed persistent backsliding last year and since the Arab Spring, along with dramatic drops in a handful of countries and warnings of further drops next year.

Examining CENTCOM’s mix of unilateral and partnered operations against senior ISIS officials in Syria provides useful insights into the group’s current capabilities and the focus of U.S. attention in the region.

Their willingness to stand against perceived threats to their democratic institutions is laudable, but allowing Israel to drift toward a de facto “one-state” peace solution poses serious threats of its own.

Chinese influence extends beyond the economic sphere, posing serious threats to Egypt's security interests and relationship with the United States.

Iraqi militia officials are still regularly praising Putin's invasion of Ukraine and even conferring honorary Shia Muslim status on Russian officials.

In an ungrudging division of labor, senior militia figure Akram Kaabi is being built up by other factions as the main anti-U.S. "resistance" leader in Iraq.

Amman will necessarily continue seeking Chinese direct investment for various purposes, but its rejection of Huawei echoes U.S. concerns about Beijing’s involvement in sensitive sectors.

Syria's rise in the world of drug trafficking has only exacerbated the preexisting drug crisis inside its borders, as a lack of opportunities leaves many vulnerable.

Two experts discuss why Arab governments are increasingly normalizing with the Syrian regime and what consequences this may hold for U.S. policy.

The case of a parliamentarian accused of weapons trafficking is grabbing headlines, but it is just one small part of the sharp increase in gun smuggling across Jordan and Israel’s frontiers.

In its latest threats to U.S. aviation, the oldest militia facade group in Iraq made an interesting callback to a deadly 2006 shootdown of a British helicopter.

A former CENTCOM chief joins two arms experts to discuss the capabilities of Iran’s drones, the gaps in current efforts to curb their proliferation, and the pressing need for a regional air defense architecture that can counter them.

Aware of Azerbaijan's growing economic influence and strength, Iran is taking measures to ensure the tensions remain in its favor.

Even if another civil war is averted, the delay in signing a peace agreement has provided room for the rise of political factions that oppose further relations with Israel.

Lebanon is going through unprecedented circumstances that require joint engagement among all communities to find permanent solutions that ensure peace, prosperity, and unity for the country.

The State Department’s deputy counterterrorism coordinator discusses how governments are addressing the challenges of repatriating detainees in Syrian camps and combating racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism.

Opinion polls offer hope for the challengers, but Erdogan's media control and other factors could foil their efforts to finally topple the president and his ruling bloc.

Much like the Iraqi people are doing, the United States should turn the page on history, engaging on ideas that foster prosperity and enable the relationship’s long-term success.

In the longer term, the increased flow of weapons will likely exacerbate tensions in the region, spur Arab states to enhance their own arsenals, and endanger any U.S. and partner forces that confront Tehran’s proxies.

Amid rising tensions with Tehran and its proxies, the United States is sending a message by openly deploying one of its few guided missile submarines to the region.