Decision Points

What's Next for Hamas, 3 Years After October 7th?

Almost three years after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, the Palestinian jihadist group has been battered but not destroyed. Hamas has consolidated its contro

Are Israel and Turkey on a Collision Course? With Tamir Hayman and James Jeffrey

The recent NATO summit in Ankara raised the already high temperatures between Israel and Turkey, two major regional powers. President Trump says he's considering selling

Can Gaza Have a Brighter Future? With Ghaith al-Omari and Shira Efron

The Gaza war is over, but the misery on the ground continues. Reconstruction in the Gaza Strip has stalled; Hamas refuses to disarm; and the world's attention has moved o

The Aftershocks of the Iran War, with Amb. Barbara Leaf and Kirsten Fontenrose

The conflict may be over, but the shockwaves of the Iran war are still spreading. The United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states endured Iranian drone and missile strikes

The AI Race in the Middle East, with Avner Golov and Grant Rumley

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly central to U.S. strategy in the Middle East. AI has played a pivotal role in the current Iran war, even as the U.S. is de

What the U.S. and Israeli Militaries Have Learned So Far From the Iran War with Eliot Cohen and Amir Eshel

Conflicting statements from President Trump leave open the question about whether the Iran war is any closer to being over or whether the significant impasse over the nuc

Will Israel Vote Out Netanyahu? with Gili Cohen and David Horovitz

One of Israel’s most important election cycles is underway. Opposition parties see a rare chance to oust Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister,

Can Israel and Lebanon Move from War to Diplomacy? with Fouad Makhzoumi, Robert Satloff and Sarit Zehavi

Lebanon and Israel held diplomatic talks for the first time in decades after Israel's months-long campaign against Hezbollah. But the ceasefire is shaky: Israel displaced

Who’s Calling the Shots in Iran? With Suzanne Maloney and Raz Zimmt

After nearly six weeks of war, the U.S. and Iran agreed on April 8 to a fragile two-week ceasefire. But Vice President JD Vance left Pakistan Sunday after 21 hours of hig

Is the Iran War Bringing Israel and the UAE Closer Together? With Amir Hayek and Nadim Koteich

As part of Iran’s retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli war, Tehran has targeted the United Arab Emirates with more than 2,000 ballistic missiles and drones. Senior Emirati of

The Iran War's Second Front—Israel vs. Hezbollah with Hanin Ghaddar and Assaf Orion

As the Iran war shakes the Middle East, Hezbollah has fired missiles into northern Israel, and Israel has struck Hezbollah-related targets across Lebanon, including in th

What Are America's Objectives in the Iran War? With Dennis Ross, Dana Stroul, Holly Dagres, and Robert Satloff

In this special episode of Decision Points, Washington Institute experts Dennis Ross, Dana Stroul, Robert Satloff, and Holly Dagres sit down with the Institute's managing

Will Trump Go to War with Iran? with Jake Sullivan and Eyal Hulata

The United States and Iran stand on the brink of war. The Pentagon has deployed a huge amount of air power in the Middle East, and President Trump has set a 10-15 day dea

Season 6 Trailer

Decision Points is the podcast that gets beyond the noise on tough choices in the Middle East. Hosted by David Makovsky of The Washington Institute, the show brings toget

Israel into 2025: Building on Regional Successes, Avoiding Domestic Fractures

Israeli society has been through the gambit of emotions in 2024: from the national trauma of the aftermath of October 7th and repeated failed hostage negotiations, to maj

After Assad: Navigating Syria's Power Vacuum and Regional Fallout

After just a few days of fighting, Bashar al-Assad's regime has fallen, and Assad has fled to Russia. However, the collapse of the Assad regime is far from a fairytale en

Inside the Middle East: How War, Ceasefires, and Trump’s Arrival Are Reshaping the Middle East

The past few weeks in the region have been some of the most eventful in recent history. Hizbullah, the crown jewel of Iran’s proxy network, has suffered a devastating blo

Will the Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Hold?

After more than a year of intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, President Biden recently announced a ceasefire, raising hopes that this agreement could save live

Israel and Iran Tensions: Calculating Risk Amid Conflict

Since October 1st, tensions between Israel and Iran have reached new heights. In recent weeks, we’ve seen significant Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and a weakening o

Post-Sinwar: Hostages, Succession & Thwarting Hamas Revival

On October 16th, the world was shocked to learn that the architect of the October 7th attacks, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by an IDF infantry unit. Yahya Sinwar’s death was