Middle East & North Africa

Turkish-backed Syrian rebels walk as they hold their weapons in the town of Tadef in Aleppo Governorate, Syria January 3, 2019. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC1F885BB650

Trump is making the mess in Syria even messier

Thursday, January 17, 2019

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to students at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC15D1E44B00

Around the halls: Brookings experts react to Secretary of State Pompeo’s speech in Cairo

Natan Sachs, Tamara Cofman Wittes, Sharan Grewal, Jeffrey Feltman, Hady Amr, Suzanne Maloney, Ranj Alaaldin, Shadi Hamid, Eric Rosand, and Omar Rahman

Thursday, January 10, 2019

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud receives Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa ahead of the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 9, 2018. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC195CDB5F00

Where is King Salman?

Israa Saber and Bruce Riedel

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

U.S. forces are seen at the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) headquarters after it was hit by Turkish airstrikes in Mount Karachok near Malikiya, Syria April 25, 2017. REUTERS/ Rodi Said - RC12805A1220

Learning from Trump’s Syria debacle—What Congress can do

John R. Allen and Michael E. O’Hanlon

Monday, January 7, 2019

American army vehicles drive north of Manbij city, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC1D16A42820

I was special envoy to fight the Islamic State. Our gains are now at risk.

Sunday, January 6, 2019

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a graduation ceremony for the 95th batch of cadets from the King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 23, 2018. Picture taken December 23, 2018. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1B24ACE450

Shuffling the deck chairs in Saudi Arabia

Tamara Cofman Wittes and Bruce Riedel

Friday, December 28, 2018

A man gestures at U.S military vehicles driving in the town of Darbasiya next to the Turkish border, Syria April 28, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC15AC3FC730

What the U.S. withdrawal from Syria means for ISIS, Iran, and Kurdish allies

Friday, December 21, 2018

A U.S. Soldier surveils the area during a combined joint patrol in Manbij, Syria, November 1, 2018. Picture taken on November 1, 2018. Courtesy Zoe Garbarino/U.S. Army/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC12430AAF20

Trump’s Syria pullout: A quick assessment

Daniel L. Byman

Thursday, December 20, 2018

A man offers prayers inside the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti during the holy month of Ramadan, in Ajmer, India June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Himanshu Sharma - RC1A46586140

Positive branding and soft power: The promotion of Sufism in the war on terror

Thursday, December 13, 2018

View of Bibi Heybat Mosque and a Caspian sea shore with oil rigs inBaku May 20, 2002. Pope John Paul II is going to visit the capital ofex-Soviet state Azerbaijan May 22-23. REUTERS/Shamil ZhumatovSZH/CLH/ - RP3DRHZLHUAB

Religious soft power in the South Caucasus: The influence of Iran and Turkey

Ansgar Jödicke

Thursday, December 13, 2018