Expert Commentary

As the United States and the world continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the news coverage has rightfully centered on the constant changing situation that Americans face each day. The Foreign Policy Research Institute will continue...

On March 2, 2020, Israeli citizens voted in national elections for the third time in a year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party won the most seats (36), followed by Blue and White (33 seats). The smaller Israeli right-wing...

On March 7, 2020, Saudi Arabia’s de-facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS, as he is commonly referred to) detained and arrested former head of army intelligence Prince Nayef bin Ahmed, along with Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the...

The current international environment is in a state of flux with numerous security threats both present or on the horizon. Whatever future historians call this era, undoubtedly, the present and near future offers threats or challengers from great powers...

On January 7, the Islamic Republic of Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases that host American and allied forces, deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the mission to defeat Islamic State. American —...

Xinjiang is the largest region of China and it borders the countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia. A little less than half of the province’s population (8 million of 19 million people) is made...

Last week, Congress reached consensus on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the $783 billion bill that funds the Department of Defense. To discuss the bill and how it may impact U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, the...

On December 4, 2019, the New York Times reported that the Islamic Republic of Iran had exported ballistic missiles to its non-state clients in Iraq. The news is similar to Tehran’s activities in Yemen, where Iranian forces have sent...

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) receives a lot of attention for its standing within the IC and for its role in conducting sensitive collection and producing analyses used at the highest levels of government. Since its founding in 1947,...

The post-9/11 wars have spurred a lot of attention on the problem of transnational foreign fighters. Such foreign fighters—foreign nationals drawn to intervene into civil conflicts for reasons of religion, ethnicity, or ideology—have been used to generate combat power...