The Middle East region could transition in 2026 to peace and stability or, perhaps more likely, backslide into regional conflagration.Conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen, as well as political divisions in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, are unlikely to fully resolve in 2026 and will require consistent attention from …

It is clear that the counterterrorism focus of the past two decades has become deprioritized in favor of great power competition, reflected in the dwindling resources for kinetic and non-kinetic counterterrorism and prevention efforts and shifting of personnel and bandwidth to other national security priorities.In 2026, al-Qaeda (AQ) and Islamic …

More than a week of protests in Iran reflects not only worsening economic conditions, but longstanding anger at government repression and regime policies that have led to Iran’s global isolation.Regime security forces have thus far failed to quell the unrest with limited use of violence, but leaders have signaled they …