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Analysis & Commentary

7th April 2016 – FDD Policy Brief

Hezbollah’s Sunni Support Network

Tony Badran

Hezbollah’s Sunni Support Network

Hezbollah announced the death this weekend of seven of its fighters in Syria during fighting in southern Aleppo. Among them was a curious name: 19-year old Muhammad al-Kabash, a Sunni from Sidon. more...

7th April 2016 – FDD Policy Brief

U.S. mulls pulling Sinai peacekeeping force

Oren Kessler

U.S. mulls pulling Sinai peacekeeping force

The United States is considering pulling its roughly 700 troops out of a base its forces have occupied for three decades in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, CNN reported Tuesday. more...

1st April 2016 – FDD Policy Brief

The White House Cedes More, Even As Iran’s Economy Recovers

Mark Dubowitz, Annie Fixler

The White House Cedes More, Even As Iran’s Economy Recovers

While U.S. and European diplomats celebrated the conclusion of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action last summer, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his government saw that deal as not the end of the negotiations but the beginning. more...

31st March 2016 – FDD Policy Brief

Treasury Prepares to Take Dollarized Transactions with Iran Offshore

Eric B. Lorber

Treasury Prepares to Take Dollarized Transactions with Iran Offshore

In a potential move that is raising concern among many in Congress, the Treasury Department is considering lifting a longstanding ban on Iranian access to dollar transactions, according to news reports. more...

31st March 2016 – FDD Policy Brief

Don’t Politicize Sanctions

Mark Dubowitz, Annie Fixler

Don’t Politicize Sanctions

In a speech yesterday before the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew argued that sanctions are an effective instrument to address illicit activities, but they must be lifted when the illicit behavior changes: more...

30th March 2016 – FDD Policy Brief

Green Lighting the Greenback

Mark Dubowitz, Annie Fixler

Green Lighting the Greenback

In the past two weeks, Congress has pressed Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to clarify whether the Obama administration intends to offer Iran access to the U.S. financial system or the ability to transact in dollars. more...

30th March 2016 – FDD Policy Brief

Erdogan’s Washington Visit Overshadowed by Sanction-Buster’s Arrest

Merve Tahiroglu, Aykan Erdemir

Erdogan’s Washington Visit Overshadowed by Sanction-Buster’s Arrest

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Washington for a five-day trip geared around the White House’s two-day nuclear security summit on Thursday and Friday. more...

29th March 2016 – FDD Policy Brief

Russia Flexes its Muscle in Dispute with Japan

Boris Zilberman

Russia Flexes its Muscle in Dispute with Japan

Russia’s defense minister announced last week that Russia would deploy an advanced coastal-defense missile system and unmanned aerial vehicles to the far-eastern Kuril Islands, the southernmost of which are claimed by Japan. more...