The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

09/03/2026

The UAE’s move to cut economic ties with Iran could be “extremely significant” if fully implemented, but it will require follow-through, something that the Emirates have “not done before very well,” Institute Research Director Dana Stroul told Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2026-08-20/stroul-trump-s-iran-economic-push-needs-partners-video

09/03/2026

On September 23, Moroccans will elect their lower chamber of parliament, the House of Representatives. This will mark the first national election following the “Gen Z 212” protests that erupted a year ago, and the results will test whether elected officials can deliver on the demands that drove the protests, write Institute experts Sabina Henneberg and Salma Annasse.

Although the outcome is unlikely to affect core U.S. policy issues such as the Western Sahara dispute and Morocco’s participation in Gaza peacekeeping efforts, Washington should remain vigilant about the potential political impact of widespread disaffection, especially among the kingdom’s younge...

09/03/2026

“The big pressure on Iran is the naval blockade and the United Arab Emirates recently announcing that they were going to sever economic ties with Iran,” Institute expert David Schenker told Fox News.

Foreign policy expert Harley Lippman and Washington Institute senior fellow David Schenker discuss President Donald Trump’s oil deal with Venezuela and its global implications on ‘Fox News Live.’

09/02/2026

Ukrainian cooperation with Gulf states on drone and counter-drone technologies is expanding as they contend with similar threats and concerns, so Washington should do whatever it can to enable and coordinate this growth, write Elizabeth Dent and Matthew Tavares.

Ukrainian cooperation with Gulf states on drone and counter-drone technologies is expanding as they contend with similar threats and concerns, so Washington should do whatever it can to enable and coordinate this growth.

09/02/2026

📺Tune in on Tuesday, September 8 at 9AM ET for a must-watch webcast featuring three former directors of the National Counterterrorism Center as they look back on a quarter century of combating the global terrorist threat. Institute expert Matthew Levitt will moderate the event.

Join us for a conversation with three former directors of the National Counterterrorism Center as they look back on a quarter century of combating the global terrorist threat. Watch live starting at 9:00 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

09/02/2026

"Washington’s objectives in Syria will be directly affected by how well the new government is able to channel grievances through institutions, apply laws predictably across communities, and give minorities confidence in state protection," writes Institute expert Aaron Zelin.

With Assad-era laws increasingly triggered by private complaints and enforced unevenly, U.S. officials can no longer relegate these issues to secondary tracks or assume that core administration objectives will remain unaffected.

09/01/2026

As the U.S. and Iran trade blows, here are three things Institute Gulf expert Simon Henderson is watching, including traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the potential for Saudi-Houthi conflict, and the Gulf states’ postwar dilemmas.

09/01/2026

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has been resolved. What's next? Institute experts Devorah Margolin and Andrew Tabler explain that Washington can continue to help Damascus by focusing on four priorities:

🔹Ensuring that SDF integration is genuine
🔹Maintaining SDF inclusion in future counter-IS cooperation
🔹Reining in potential spoilers by ensuring that any hiccups in the Turkish-PKK peace process do not undermine Damascus-SDF integration
🔹Encouraging equitable national revenue allocation

If done astutely, absorbing SDF personnel into the central government can preserve years of U.S. relationship-building and institutional knowledge while giving Washington a unique channel to build trust with Damascus.

08/31/2026

“The majority of Iran’s transshipment, smuggling, and shadow banking activity takes place in Dubai, so Washington must do what it can” to help the UAE cut off illicit Iranian transactions, write Matthew Levitt and Maya Chaovat.

In launching its newly announced “Operation Economic Outcast,” the Trump administration’s primary beachhead should be the UAE, which has signaled a shift in the right direction but will need targeted U.S. help with cutting off illicit Iranian transactions.

08/31/2026

"Washington should approach Gulf-Ukraine defense cooperation as an opportunity to shape a more resilient and integrated regional security architecture," write Elizabeth Dent and Matthew Tavares.

Ukrainian cooperation with Gulf states on drone and counter-drone technologies is expanding as they contend with similar threats and concerns, so Washington should do whatever it can to enable and coordinate this growth.