Middle Orient

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 …

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 …

For over a month now, a tenuous ceasefire has held in the Gaza Strip following intense pressure on Israel and Hamas by the United States and regional partners. U.S. President Donald Trump’s twenty-point plan for ending two years of fighting delivered a welcome respite in a conflict that has seen …

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 …

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 …

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. …

SDF says it struck ISIS launch sites; Damascus accuses Kurdish fighters of “treacherous” attacks as political deal stalls. Two Syrian army soldiers were killed in overnight clashes with Kurdish-led forces in northeastern Syria, both sides confirmed Thursday, in one of the most serious confrontations since a political reconciliation framework was …

Creating a police force is a necessary way to stabilize an area after conflict. The EU can play a role, but it needs to act to do so. The European Union could play a role in training thousands of police in Gaza, according to reports and a statement from the …

Israeli defense officials say Hamas is rebuilding and coordinating with Hezbollah and Iran to challenge the ceasefire across multiple fronts. Hamas is closely coordinating with Hezbollah and Iran to revive and rebuild the “axis of resistance,” while the IDF expanded strikes in Gaza and southern Lebanon, Israeli defense officials said …

Spy agency probe finds that guns seized in Austria last month belonged to son of Hamas political leader, who likely got green-light for attack from his father while in Doha Recently foiled Hamas terrorist plots in Europe were planned in Qatar and possibly Turkey, the Mossad intelligence agency said Wednesday, …