On August 2, Wa’el Alzayat, Stephen J. Rapp, and Ben Taub addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Alzayat is the senior policy advisor on Iraq and Syria to U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations Samantha Power, and a lecturer at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. Rapp, the former U.S. ambassador-at-large for… Keep reading →
In deciding whether to formally prohibit plane sales that already seem commercially infeasible, Washington should consider one question: if the Islamic Republic is going to shoot itself in the foot, why refuse it the gun? In the continuing debate about the proposed Boeing and Airbus plane sales to Iran, the focus has been on whether… Keep reading →
Two experts discuss how the coup was thwarted, what Erdogan will do next, and how the nascent purges might shift Ankara’s relations with Washington. On July 20, Soner Cagaptay and James Jeffrey addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Cagaptay is the Beyer Family Fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at the… Keep reading →
Just how “Islamic” is the Islamic State? Watch video or read a summary of two scholars discussing how the self-declared “caliphate” uses religious doctrine and potent publishing activities to justify its actions. On July 13, Jacob Olidort and Marcus Sheff addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Olidort is a Soref Fellow at the… Keep reading →
While recent battlefield successes against the group’s Libyan stronghold are encouraging, the threat persists, and political dysfunction remains a significant obstacle to stabilizing the country. The battle to uproot the Islamic State in Libya (ISL) from Sirte, the group’s de facto North African capital, may soon result in victory for the Western-backed Operation Binyan Marsous… Keep reading →
Helping Russia target the jihadist group will only benefit the Assad regime unless Washington ensures that such efforts are carefully targeted, strictly conditioned, and accompanied by additional reinforcement of the moderate opposition. The Obama administration is reportedly considering a deal with Russia to coordinate an expanded bombing campaign against al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra (JN) in… Keep reading →
After years of foreign policy setbacks, Ankara is trying to mend fences with Israel, Egypt, Iran, and Russia, and the potential implications for the United States are mostly beneficial — assuming the Turks can actually pull it off. On June 29, Turkey and Israel are expected to approve a reconciliation agreement that will normalize… Keep reading →
Cairo’s expensive nuclear deal with Moscow will likely increase the country’s economic burden and susceptibility to Russian influence. Egypt is reportedly on the cusp of finalizing a $25 billion loan from Russia to construct a civilian nuclear power facility near Dabaa on the Mediterranean coast. While the new plant will help Cairo satisfy the country’s… Keep reading →
The deputy crown prince’s first solo trip to Washington confirms his preeminence in the Saudi hierarchy but could spur pushback from royal rivals. On June 13, Prince Muhammad bin Salman, known as MbS, arrived in the United States for a visit that will likely include New York and the west coast as well as Washington.… Keep reading →
Two Washington Institute experts share their findings from recent visits to Russia, where they discussed a wide range of regional issues with current and former officials, leading analysts, and other citizens. In May, the authors conducted separate trips to Russia — Ms. Borshchevskaya on an orientation visit and Ambassador Jeffrey as part of the Dartmouth-Kettering… Keep reading →
