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Middle East

Despite the drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, and desires to “rebalance” to Asia, the Middle East continues to dominate the U.S. national security agenda. CNAS conducts cutting-edge research on the most pressing issues in this turbulent region, including responses to the challenges posed by Iranian nuclearization, the Arab Spring, Syria and Iraq.

 

 

 

 

 

Related Content

  • Syria's Hard Landing
    Syria's Hard Landing
    Author(s): Dr. Marc Lynch
    Type of Publication: Policy Brief
    Date: 02/22/2013

    As the conflict in Syria escalates into an even more brutal civil war, it not only continues to cause great human suffering, but it also threatens to undermine the stability of the country’s regional neighbors. In Syria’s Hard Landing, Dr. Marc Lynch, CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow and Associate Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University, argues that the international response to these developments has been manifestly inadequate. While he writes that the debate over Syria must shift to reflect new realities and that there are actions American policymakers can take in order to prepare for a political transition after Asad falls from power, he maintains that the United States should continue to resist direct intervention or directly arming rebels.

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  • Atomic Kingdom: If Iran Builds the Bomb, Will Saudi Arabia Be Next?
    Atomic Kingdom: If Iran Builds the Bomb, Will Saudi Arabia Be Next?
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 02/19/2013

    It is taken for granted in Washington that Saudi Arabia will inevitably pursue nuclear weapons if Tehran succeeds in its quest for the bomb. However, CNAS Senior Fellow Colin Kahl, Visiting Fellow Melissa G. Dalton and Research Associate Matthew Irvine argue in their new report Atomic Kingdom: If Iran Builds the Bomb, Will Saudi Arabia Be Next? that the prospects for Saudi reactive proliferation are lower than the conventional wisdom suggests.

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  • Iraq in Hindsight: Views on the U.S. Withdrawal
    Iraq in Hindsight: Views on the U.S. Withdrawal
    Author(s): Emma Sky
    Type of Publication: Commentary
    Date: 12/14/2012

    In Iraq in Hindsight: Views on the U.S. Withdrawal, Emma Sky offers a pointed critique of U.S. policy over the last decade, arguing that valuable lessons can be learned from the country's "American era" now that U.S. forces have withdrawn. A senior fellow at the Jackson Institute at Yale and a political advisor in Iraq to General Raymond Odierno from 2007 to 2010, Sky examines these lessons learned and urges U.S. policymakers to set realistic goals for future intervention. 

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  • Revitalizing the Partnership: The United States and Iraq a Year after Withdrawal
    Revitalizing the Partnership: The United States and Iraq a Year after Withdrawal
    Type of Publication: Policy Brief
    Date: 12/14/2012

    As the United States marks the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, in Revitalizing the Partnership: The United States and Iraq A Year After Withdrawal, Senior Fellow Nora Bensahel  and former CNAS Visiting Fellow Melissa Dalton offer a way forward.

     

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  • Saudi Arabia, Karen House, CNAS
    On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines - and Future
    Type of Publication: Book
    Date: 09/18/2012

    In On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines - and Future, member of the CNAS Board of Directors and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Karen Elliott House navigates the maze in which Saudi citizens find themselves trapped and reveals the mysterious nation that is the world’s largest exporter of oil, critical to global stability and a source of Islamic terrorists.

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  • Asad Under Fire: Five Scenarios for the Future of Syria
    Asad Under Fire: Five Scenarios for the Future of Syria
    Author(s): Melissa Dalton
    Type of Publication: Policy Brief
    Date: 09/10/2012

    The brutal conflict underway in Syria jeopardizes key U.S. strategic interests, but leaves Washington with few attractive options to protect them and little leverage over the future of the country. In Asad Under Fire: Five Scenarios for the Future of Syria, Visiting Fellow Melissa Dalton argues that the United States must prepare for a range of potential future scenarios and implement policies now to mitigate future risks to its interests in the event of a transition of power from Syrian President Bashar al-Asad.

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  • Risk and Rivalry: Iran, Israel and the Bomb
    Risk and Rivalry: Iran, Israel and the Bomb
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 06/06/2012

    As Iran's nuclear progress continues and negotiations fail to reach a breakthrough, the threat of an Israeli preventive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities grows. In Risk and Rivalry: Israel, Iran and the Bomb, authors Dr. Colin H. Kahl, Melissa G. Dalton and Matthew Irvine argue that despite the abhorrent threats by some Iranian leaders to "wipe Israel off the map," the actual behavior of the Islamic Republic over the past three decades indicates that the regime is not suicidal and is sufficiently rational for nuclear deterrence.

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  • Strategic Adaptation: Toward a New U.S. Strategy in the Middle East
    Strategic Adaptation: Toward a New U.S. Strategy in the Middle East
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 06/06/2012

    In Strategic Adaptation: Toward a New U.S. Strategy in the Middle East, authors Dr. Bruce W. Jentleson, Dr. Andrew M. Exum, Melissa G. Dalton and J. Dana Stuster chart the fundamentals of a revised strategy for U.S. Middle East policy, starting with a reevaluation of U.S. interests and an assessment of the evolving strategic context. The approach they propose is one of “strategic adaptation” to meet immediate challenges while simultaneously responding to regional trends that will affect the region – and U.S. engagement – for decades to come.

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  • marc lynch, cnas, syria, un, annan plan, us military
    Dr. Marc Lynch Testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia on Syria
    Author(s): Dr. Marc Lynch
    Type of Publication: Congressional Testimony
    Date: 04/25/2012

    In his testimony before  the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow Marc Lynch emphasizes the importance of the international community utilizing diplomacy and pressure thoroughly before engaging in military action.

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  • The Arab Uprising, Marc Lynch, CNAS, Arab Spring
    The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East
    Author(s): Dr. Marc Lynch
    Type of Publication: Book
    Date: 03/27/2012

    In The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East, Dr. Marc Lynch, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at CNAS and Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, discusses one of the most fundamental changes throughout the history of the modern Middle East: the empowerment of a new generation of Arabs who reject the world they inherited.

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  • This Week, Barack Obama Promised to Go to War On a Nuclear Iran. He May Live to Regret It
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Telegraph

    March 9, 2012 — The Telegraph discusses possible steps that would remove Iran's nuclear capabilities, mentioning CNAS Senior Fellow Colin Kahl's observation that the First Gulf War halted Saddam Hussein's acquisition of nuclear weapons in Iraq.

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  • Obama, Netanyahu to Hold Critical Talks on Iran Options
    Type: News Item
    Source: Voice of America

    March 2, 2012 — In Voice of America, CNAS Senior Fellow Colin Kahl discusses potential blowback effects from Israeli pressure against Iran's nuclear ambitions.

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  • Before Attacking Iran, Israel Should Learn from Its 1981 Strike on Iraq
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Washington Post

    March 2, 2012 — CNAS Senior Fellow Colin Kahl compares the arguments surrounding Israel's 1981 attack on the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq to the current prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran in an op-ed for The Washington Post.

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  • N Korea Halts Nuclear Tests for Food Aid
    Type: News Item
    Source: ABC Melbourne

    March 1, 2012 — In ABC Melbourne, CNAS Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program Dr. Patrick Cronin discusses the significance of North Korea's recent actions and increased focus from the international community on Iran.

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  • Iran Nuclear Issue to Dominate Obama Netanyahu Talks
    Type: News Item
    Source: Voice of America

    February 29, 2012 — CNAS Senior Fellow Colin Kahl says a critical component in the current situation between Iran, Israel and the United States is time.

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  • Lynch Responds
    Type: News Item
    Source: The National Interest

    February 28, 2012 — In an essay for The National Interest, CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow Marc Lynch writes on the Obama administration's implementation of a pragmatic, case-by-case approach to unanticipated challenges in the Middle East. 

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  • White House Faces Continuing Questions on Iran, Possible Israeli Action
    Type: News Item
    Source: Voice of America

    February 28, 2012 — In Voice of America, CNAS Senior Fellow Colin Kahl said Israel has been intimating for months that it is considering attacking Iran, although it is unclear if it will give the U.S. sufficient notice of its actions.

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  • New Pressure on Syria
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Diane Rehm Show

    February 27, 2012 — CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow Marc Lynch is interviewed on the Diane Rehm Show, discussing the current challenges facing the international community and the Syrian people, in addition to the serious concerns about the nation's future.

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  • The Economist Debate: Syria
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Economist

    February 27, 2012 — CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow Marc Lynch contributes to the Economist's debate on Syria, writing on the need to step away from military options and focus instead on diplomatic steps to isolate and pressure the Asad regime.

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  • Military Options Likely Wouldn't Quell the Crisis in Syria
    Type: News Item
    Source: The News Tribune

    February 26, 2012 — In The News Tribune, CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow Marc Lynch illustrates his opposition to military intervention in Syria and argues that a political proposal may have a better chance of success in toppling the Asad regime.

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  • Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, USA
    National Security Leaders' Forum with General Raymond T. Odiernio, USA
    April 5, 2013 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted a discussion featuring current Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno on Friday, April 5, 2013. GEN Odierno discussed how the Army is restructuring itself to meet today's security environment while facing the challenges associated with budget cuts and drawdown from two overseas wars.

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  • A Conversation with the Honorable Leon Panetta
    A Conversation with the Honorable Leon Panetta
    November 20, 2012 - 6:45pm - 7:30pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security hosted "A Conversation with the Honorable Leon Panetta, U.S. Secretary of Defense" on November 20, 2012. Secretary Panetta discussed U.S. national security and defense priorities. The event featured an introduction by The Honorable Michele Flournoy, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and member of the CNAS Board of Directors.

    Click Here to View Event Photos

    Click Here to View Event Video

    Click Here to Read the Event Transcript

    Click Here to Listen to the Event Audio

    Click Here to View Video Highlights from the Event

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  • Election 2012 - The Global Challenge for the Next President
    Election 2012 - Informing the National Security Agenda Event Series
    October 10, 2012 - 1:00pm - 2:30pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security, the American Enterprise Institute and the New America Foundation are pleased to introduce Election 2012: Informing the National Security Agenda to this presidential campaign season. The most recent event in the series took place in Washington, DC on October 10.

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  • CNAS 2012 Annual Conference
    CNAS 2012 Annual Conference
    June 13, 2012 - 8:45am - 6:00pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security's 2012 annual conference, "Rethinking U.S. Security: Navigating a World in Transition," took place in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 13, 2012.

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  • The Arab Uprising, Marc Lynch, Center for a New American Security
    The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East
    March 27, 2012 - 5:30pm - 8:30pm
    The W Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On March 27, 2012, the Center for a New American Security hosted the book launch for The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East by Dr. Marc Lynch, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at CNAS and Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

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  • responsible defense, david barno, defense budget, cnas, senate, testimony
    Perspectives on the President’s Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Defense
    March 6, 2012 - 10:00am - 12:00pm
    608 Dirksen Senate Office Building
    Washington, District of Columbia

    CNAS Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.) testifies before the Senate Budget Committee in an open hearing on President Obama's FY 2013 budget request for the U.S. Department of Defense.

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  • colin kahl, center for a new american security, cnas, iran, wmd, israel
    The Iranian Nuclear Dilemma: Risk of an Iraq Sequel?
    February 21, 2012 - 10:45am - 12:00pm
    Rayburn House Office Building
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On February 21, CNAS Senior Fellow Colin Kahl participated in a panel discussion hosted by the National Iranian American Council on the status of the Iranian nuclear program. Dr. Kahl indicated that there are a number of differences between the current situation in Iran and the lead-up to the war in Iraq, and addressed the possibility of an Israeli airstrike on Iranian facilities.

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  • Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro
    Roundtable Discussion with Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro
    September 27, 2011 - 4:00pm - 5:30pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On September 27th, the Center for a New American Security hosted a roundtable conversation with Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro to discuss the future of United States security assistance efforts, the lessons learned from recent events, and the case for establishing the new Fund.

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  • Dr. Kemal Kerkuki, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament
    Roundtable Discussion with Dr. Kemal Kerkuki, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament
    September 20, 2011 - 4:00pm - 5:00pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On September 20, the Center for a New American Security hosted a roundtable discussion with Dr. Kemal Kerkuki and a number of his colleagues on critical issues in the U.S.-Iraqi relationship, along with the Kurdistan regional government’s relationship with the wider world.

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  • Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
    Roundtable Discussion with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
    September 16, 2011 - 2:30pm - 3:30pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On September 16, the Center for a New American Security hosted a roundtable discussion with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic on the key themes that will shape NATO's spring 2012 summit.

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  • Command Post, Center for a New American Security, TIME, Libya
    Command Post: "Why Did It Take the U.S. So Long to Recognize the Libyan Rebels?"
    Date: 08/11/2011
    Media: Video

    After five months of bombing the government of Muammar Gadaffi, the U.S. finally recognized Libya's rebel forces. Was this the right decision, and, if so -- why did it take so long? Paul Hughes, a retired Army colonel now with the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Andrew Exum, a Center for a New American Security fellow who has led combat units in Afghanistan and Iraq, chew over the merits of diplomatic recognition with John Nagl of CNAS and me.

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  • Special Forces
    Elite Forces in Afghanistan
    Date: 08/11/2011
    Media: Audio

    Yesterday, U.S. military officials claimed to have killed Taliban militants responsible for last weekend’s takedown of a Chinook helicopter that killed 38 people, including twenty-two Navy Seals. Matthew Irvine of the Center for New American Security discusses the latest news out of Afghanistan, and the way in which special forces are taking on more military duties as the US prepares to pull troops.

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  • Center for a New American Security, TIME, Libya, Gaddafi
    Command Post: "Why Can't NATO Whup Libya?"
    Date: 08/10/2011
    Media: Video

    As NATO's war against Libya nears its sixth-month anniversary, there's one question that keeps churning over and over again in what passes for my mind: why can't the most powerful military alliance in history topple a third-rate army? I discuss the topic with John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security, Paul Hughes, a retired Army officer with the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Andrew Exum, a former Army officer now as CNAS who oversees the Abu Muqawama blog.

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  • Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Al Qaeda: 10 Years After 9/11 and Beyond
    Transcript: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Al Qaeda: 10 Years After 9/11 and Beyond
    Date: 06/20/2011
    Media: Transcript

    The "Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Al Qaeda: 10 Years After 9/11 and Beyond," session at the CNAS fifth annual conference featured: Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Senior Correspondent and Associate Editor of The Washington Post; Lieutenant General David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow at CNAS; Steve Coll, President of New America Foundation; Ambassador Anne Patterson, Former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan; and Bing West, Author of The Wrong War. Read the transcript here.

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  • Speech by Jake Sullivan, Director of Policy Planning
    Transcript: Speech by Jake Sullivan, Director of Policy Planning
    Date: 06/20/2011
    Media: Transcript

    CNAS hosted Jake Sullivan, Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State, for an address on "American Foreign Policy Priorities in an Age of Uncertainty," at the CNAS fifth annual conference on June 2, 2011. Read the transcript here.

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  • Dr. Nora Bensahel
    Dr. Nora Bensahel
    Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow

    Dr. Nora Bensahel is Deputy Director of Studies and a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security.  She recently co-authored Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity, and Sustainable Pre-eminence: Reforming the U.S. Military at a Time of Strategic Change. Her other research interests include stability operations, counterinsurgency, civilian capacity for operations abroad, and coalition and alliance operations. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Security Studies Program at the Edmund A.

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