Policy Analysis

To mark the tenth anniversary of the start of the Islamic State's campaign of genocide against the Yezidi people, join us for an expert conversation on the IS practices of gendered violence and minority atrocities then and now. Watch live starting at 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on Thursday, August 1, 2024.

Although the mosque shooting was unprecedented in Oman, it fits with the terrorist group’s long practice of massacring Shia Muslims in the Gulf and beyond.

Three veteran diplomats discuss the context and policy content of the prime minister’s visit amid tumult at home and in Washington.

The coming months still hold hope for the president’s dream of Israeli-Saudi normalization, but only if Netanyahu stands up to his far-right coalition partners.

The beleaguered governing body requires an overhaul in order to support West Bank stability, postwar governance of Gaza, and a revived political process with Israel.

The humanitarian consequences of Israel’s port attack are real but should not be overstated, particularly when the true culprits behind Yemen’s persistent fuel shortages and famine risks are Iran and the Houthis.

In this season of Decision Points, Institute Senior Fellow David Makovsky will examine the Hamas-Israel war and its long-term implications for Israeli society, U.S.-Israel relations, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and more.

A student recruitment and indoctrination group tied to a PMF directorate, with a name that eulogizes a slain U.S.-designated terrorist.

Given the tense U.S. election cycle, Biden and Netanyahu will likely keep their policy disagreements within careful bounds, but the visit is unlikely to see immediate progress on the hostage deal or other key issues.

Three experts discuss the domestic and foreign implications of Masoud Pezeshkian’s presidential election victory—including the need to temper any expectations that he is able or willing to pursue substantial change.

The Iranian model of creating and supporting proxy groups is consistent across the “Shia Crescent,” but recently Tehran has begun employing new and troubling tactics that threaten to only expand their influence.

The current cycle of legal actions involving Israel is unprecedented in scope and politicization, but governments are still better off engaging with the process and lodging their objections there than dismissing it outright.

The Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba leader released a corny video for Ashura in which he pretended to help with a drone attack on Israel.

The commander of Iraq's influential "shrine militias" signaled that the religious establishment is still willing to push back against the Coordination Framework and Tehran's other "resistance" proxies.

Although separating fact from fiction inside the Assad regime is often difficult, Luna al-Shibl’s death is likely a harbinger of further internal changes at a sensitive international juncture.

Tracking and accurately assessing the shifts in the group’s activities and command structure over the past five years is crucial to containing the evolved threat.

By firmly resisting the takeover of higher education by pro-Iran faculty and students, the United States can prevent the militias from recruiting the next generation of fighters.

Regional backlash against Washington’s unilateral interventionist policies, viewing the region only through security lenses, lack of social, economic, and cultural policies, and U.S. support for authoritarian regimes has created the conditions for conspiracy theories such as BOP.

The U.S. ambassador to Tunisia joins three Washington Institute experts to discuss the evolution of great power competition in North Africa.

In this compilation, participants discuss the policy challenges associated with an emerging phenomenon, but disabuse readers of any notion that jihadist governance and statecraft should be equated with political moderation.