Center for Middle East Policy

Protesters and militia fighters gather to condemn air strikes on bases belonging to Hashd al-Shaabi (paramilitary forces), outside the main gate of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq December 31, 2019. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili

Around the halls: Experts discuss the recent US airstrikes in Iraq and the fallout

Ranj Alaaldin, Scott R. Anderson, Daniel L. Byman, Ali Fathollah-Nejad, Jeffrey Feltman, Steven Heydemann, Suzanne Maloney, Michael E. O’Hanlon, Bruce Riedel, Natan Sachs, and Shibley Telhami

Thursday, January 2, 2020

The rise of Islamism, a highly politicized interpretation of Islam, since the 1970s only seemed to confirm the same view: that “Islam is resistant to secularization,” as Shadi Hamid, a prominent thinker on religion and politics, observed in his 2016 book, Islamic Exceptionalism.

Shadi Hamid New York Times Monday, December 23, 2019

An Iraqi demonstrator reacts during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq December 3, 2019. Picture taken December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani

Is change likely in Iraq?

Daniel L. Byman

Friday, December 20, 2019

Supporters of former President Pervez Musharraf, head of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) political party, chant slogans during a protest demanding a fair trial for him in Karachi March 9, 2014. Musharraf is facing treason charges in a special court in Islamabad. The charges relate to his imposition of a state of emergency in 2007, when he was manoeuvring to extend his rule in the face of growing opposition from the public and the judiciary. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro (PAKISTAN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW) - GM1EA391JBG01

Why Pakistan’s former ruler Musharraf was sentenced to death, and what it means

Thursday, December 19, 2019

A combination picture shows leader of Blue and White party, Benny Gantz in Rosh Ha'ayin, Israel September 17, 2019, Avigdor Lieberman, head of Yisrael Beitenu party in Tel Aviv, Israel September 5, 2019 and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Jordan Valley, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank September 15, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun, Nir Elias, Amir Cohen - RC17757CDF80

Timeline: A tumultuous year in Israeli politics

Kevin Huggard and Natan Sachs

Thursday, December 19, 2019

U.S. Marines walk around a base in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, September 3, 2009.REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic (AFGHANISTAN CONFLICT POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY) - GM1E593173U01

The lessons of the Afghanistan Papers

Tamara Cofman Wittes and Kevin Huggard

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

An empty speaker's lectern is seen in the rain outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, October 10, 2013. U.S. House of Representatives Republicans are weighing a short-term debt limit increase with no added policy changes, such as deficit-reduction requirements, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - GM1E9AA1RTL01

An up-close look at what impeachment proceedings can mean for foreign policy

Friday, December 13, 2019

Upheaval and repression in Iran: What’s next for the Islamic Republic?

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EST

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attend a meeting in Damascus, Syria January 7, 2020. Picture taken January 7, 2020. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Dreams of Westphalia: Can a Grand Bargain Solve the Middle East’s Problems?

Suzanne Maloney

Foreign Affairs Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Marine Le Pen, National Front (FN) political party leader, and Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon attend a news conference, during the party's convention in Lille, France, March 10, 2018. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol - RC14728484E0

Highlights: Experts discuss the tensions between populist, nationalist, and democratic impulses

Tuesday, December 10, 2019