Eurasia

Beyond Dayton: Imagining a Better Deal for Bosnia

What, in an ideal world, might the chief international envoys in Bosnia and Herzegovina say to make this week’s 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords really a day to remember? Imagine the scene: It is November 21, 30 years to the day since the Dayton Peace Accords were initialled …

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Syria Needs a Reconstruction Plan

Syria needs an economic reconstruction program. Desperately. Yet nearly a year after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, there is still no talk of putting together a comprehensive economic reconstruction plan, whether in Damascus or among the obvious international stakeholders. Without clarity and wide-based consultation on the country’s new economic …

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What Kind of Future for Iran?

Michael Young: You’ve just written a very interesting essay for Foreign Affairs in which you examine the kind of changes that may be coming to Iran once the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, passes away. Before getting into the piece itself, what immediately hits the reader is that your conclusions …

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Abbas Names a Successor (Again)

On October 27, Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, issued “Constitutional Declaration 1 of 2025.” It is a laconic document that lays out quite clearly that once Abbas vacates his office, his replacement for a brief interim period, renewable once, will be Hussein al-Sheikh. He is identified not …

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Seven Sons and Mullahs: Chinese–Iranian Defense-Linked Academic Collaboration

Background—A Scientific Military-Civil Partnership On March 27, 2021, the People’s Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement.[1] China’s pledge of a $400 billion investment in Iran, which has yet to be fulfilled, attracted significant global attention. Less attention was given to the …

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Perspectives on Muhammad bin Salman’s Visit to Washington

Washington Institute experts discuss each government’s likely agenda for the landmark visit, from dealmaking in the energy and AI sectors to deepening the bilateral defense relationship and taking the difficult next steps in the fragile Gaza ceasefire plan. Normalization Prospects and Gaza President Trump will host Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad …

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Iraq’s Election: Outcomes and Next Steps

Sudani did very well at the ballot box, but the peculiarities of Iraq’s long government formation process and the final distribution of parliamentary seats may leave the main Iran-backed coalition in the driver’s seat. At first blush, the results of Iraq’s November 11 parliamentary election were encouraging, including for U.S. …

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A More Effective Approach to Countering the Muslim Brotherhood

Instead of pinning a terrorist designation on the entire group, the Trump administration should focus more narrowly on the national security threats presented by individual Brotherhood branches and organizations, especially those funding Hamas. On June 1, an Egyptian national carried out an antisemitic firebombing attack targeting a group of peaceful …

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