As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confronts both the challenges and opportunities that are certain to arise from Trump's open support for his administration, his biggest challenge may be to restrain his appetite for dramatic policy initiatives on Iran, the Golan Heights, and settlements, lest he awaken the slumbering giant in Washington.

In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts Charles Lister, Alex Vatanka, Randa Slim, and Marvin G. Weinbaum provide analysis on the US's silence amid the Assad regime's expansion, the Iranian president's trip to Europe, the uptick in violence after Iraq's elections, and the upcoming Pakistani parliamentary elections.

Since its 1979 revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran has incited violent, radical, and often sectarian nonstate groups across the Middle East to serve as proxies in its military campaigns to influence regional and international politics.This “proxy model” has become increasingly salient, but is it a durable concept in Iran’s foreign policy doctrine?

On Jun. 18, the U.S. Senate voted for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which proposes blocking the delivery of F-35 combat aircraft to Turkey and advises the removal of Turkey from the 20-year-old international program for joint production of F-35s. The fact that the congressional votes took place demonstrates the severity of the recent strain in the U.S.-Turkey defense and security relationship.

Two years after the last round of face-to-face talks collapsed, conflicting Yemeni parties may be ready to negotiate once more. However, a long-term solution to the conflict in Yemen requires international cooperation and support.

Putting aside tactical voting, the big picture of the elections tells us that Turkish politics remain trapped in identity politics.

In this week's Monday Briefing, MEI experts discuss Washington’s concerns about F-35 sales to Turkey, Iraq's vote recount amid mounting violence, and the king of Jordan's visit to the White House to discuss Trump's Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.

Russia and Iran have been cooperating in part because the U.S. has sanctioned both countries, making it important that they work together. The two have set aside their geopolitical rivalry in the region to achieve this, but it is unclear whether it will last.