Center for Middle East Policy

A smoke cloud rises moments after an air strike on the compound of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the Idlib region of Syria in a still image from video October 26, 2019. Video picture taken October 26, 2019. U.S. Department of Defense/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC179130A4B0

What we can learn about US intelligence from the Baghdadi raid

Eyal Tsir Cohen and Eliora Katz

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

People walk on the street, where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared his caliphate back in 2014, in the old city of Mosul, Iraq, October 27, 2019. REUTERS/Abdullah Rashid - RC1468923010

Worried about an Islamic State comeback? Here’s why that’s unlikely.

Daniel L. Byman

Monday, November 4, 2019

Demonstrators wave Lebanese flags as the pass by Lebanese soldiers during a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, October 31, 2019. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic - RC116FDD2CA0

With Lebanon making fragile progress, now is the wrong time to pull US assistance

Jeffrey Feltman

Friday, November 1, 2019

Smoke raises behind an Islamic State flag after Iraqi security forces and Shiite fighters took control of Saadiya in Diyala province from Islamist State militants, November 24, 2014. Iraqi forces said on Sunday they retook two towns north of Baghdad from Islamic State fighters, driving them from strongholds they had held for months and clearing a main road from the capital to Iran. There was no independent confirmation that the army, Shi'ite militia and Kurdish peshmerga forces had completely retaken Jalawla and Saadiya, about 115 km (70 miles) northeast of Baghdad. Many residents fled the violence long ago. At least 23 peshmerga and militia fighters were killed and dozens were wounded in Sunday's fighting, medical and army sources said. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT MILITARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - GM1EABP0BT301

What America never understood about ISIS

Friday, November 1, 2019

A bearded man with Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's appearance speaks in this screen grab taken from video released on April 29, 2019. Islamic State Group/Al Furqan Media Network/Reuters TV via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. THE AUTHENTICITY AND DATE OF THE RECORDING COULD NOT BE INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED BY REUTERS. - RC1A82D43980

5 lessons from the death of Baghdadi

Daniel L. Byman

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (2nd L), U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (3rd R), along with members of the national security team, watch as U.S. Special Operations forces close in on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in the Situation Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 26, 2019. Picture taken October 26, 2019. Shealah Craighead/The White House/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1CACE38AD0

Al-Baghdadi’s death … and that presidential speech

Daniel L. Byman

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

American soldier reads a newspaper in the shade under a U.S. Marine tank in Beirut, Lebanon. / Library of Congress

Beirut 1958: America’s origin story in the Middle East

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a memorial ceremony held at the supreme court honouring former Supreme Court president Meir Shamgar who died on Saturday in Jerusalem October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC11B6ED8B50

Israel’s government formation: Answering the key questions

Kevin Huggard and Natan Sachs

Friday, October 25, 2019

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a statement on the conflict in Syria as Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House National Security Advisor Robert OBrien stand by in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner - RC1CA1D434F0

Implications of the new order in Syria

Daniel L. Byman

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Demonstrators carry national flags during an anti-government protest in Tripoli, Lebanon October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim - RC1D594342A0

No going back: How America and the Middle East can turn the page to a productive future

Wednesday, October 23, 2019