Markaz

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on what is expected to be "implementation day," the day the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verifies that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal, in Vienna January 16, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - GF20000096874

“Fix” the Iran deal, but don’t move the goalposts

Robert Einhorn · Thursday, January 18, 2018

A view shows the entrance of a tunnel used by Islamic State fighters as a shelter in the town of al-Mabroukah after the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) they took control of the area May 28, 2015. A Syrian Kurdish militia has captured a town from Islamic State in the northeast, a group monitoring the war reported on Wednesday, compounding recent losses for the jihadists in a strategic corner of Syria. The capture of the town of al-Mabroukah by the YPG militia opens the road for its forces to advance towards the Islamic State's stronghold in Raqqa province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. REUTERS/Rodi Said - GF10000110254

What happens when ISIS goes underground?

Daniel L. Byman

Thursday, January 18, 2018

An Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, January 15, 2016. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger - LR2EC1F0Z4WIW

Iran’s protests and the myth of benign silence

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

A Jordanian woman casts her ballot for municipal elections at a polling station in Amman August 27, 2013. The Muslim Brotherhood, the main opposition party, is boycotting the polls. REUTERS/Muhammad Hammad (JORDAN - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - GM1E98S00ST01

By 2020, will more or fewer Islamist groups participate in elections in the Middle East compared to today?

Thursday, January 4, 2018

FILE PHOTO: Iran's national flags are seen on a square in Tehran

Trump can help Iran’s protesters by rejecting his own Iran policies

Suzanne Maloney

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks during an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Turkey, December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Erhan Elaldi/Pool - RC191B531210

Iran’s foreign policy weaknesses, and opportunities to exploit them

Daniel L. Byman

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

A Palestinian man walks past closed shops after Palestinian secular and Islamist factions called a general strike to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in Jerusalem's Old City December 7, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC178CF28F50

5 reasons the Palestinian reaction to Trump’s Jerusalem announcement has been relatively quiet

Friday, December 22, 2017

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators shout slogans during a protest against the U.S. decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, December 17, 2017. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RC12EABCCA50

The global fallout over Trump’s Jerusalem decision

Hady Amr and Arsalan Suleman

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Houthi fighters attend the funeral of their fellow who were killed during the recent clashes in Sanaa, Yemen December 7, 2017. REUTERS /Mohammed Al-Sayaghi - RC1B26B1C800

Who are the Houthis, and why are we at war with them?

Monday, December 18, 2017

Worshippers sit around before Friday prayers on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, as Palestinians call for a "Day of Rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital December 15, 2017 REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Trump’s Jerusalem decision is a victory for Evangelical politics

Friday, December 15, 2017

Worshippers hold Palestinian flags after Friday prayers on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC1922868190

Jerusalem: After 30 years of hope and failure, what’s next for Israel/Palestine?

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

A member of al Qaeda's Nusra Front carries his weapon as he stands in an olive tree field, near villages which the Nusra Front said they have seized control of from Syrian rebel factions, in the southern countryside of Idlib, December 2, 2014. Picture taken December 2, 2014.

An al-Qaida setback in Syria?

Daniel L. Byman

Friday, December 8, 2017

Worshippers pray during Friday prayers on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC1702E2DE30

Donald Trump’s Jerusalem move may prove too clever by half

Martin S. Indyk

Friday, December 8, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by ?Vice President Mike Pence?, delivers remarks recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at the White House in Washington, U.S. December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC13960599F0

The Jerusalem announcement won’t really hurt America’s Arab alliances

Thursday, December 7, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by ?Vice President Mike Pence?, delivers remarks recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at the White House in Washington, U.S. December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1F9F0D1440

Trump just sabotaged his own peace process

Thursday, December 7, 2017

About Markaz

Check out our other foreign policy blog, Order from Chaos—a how-to guide for managing the end of the post-Cold War era.