In this Lowy Institute Analysis, Research Fellow Associate Professor Rodger Shanahan examines how Arab Gulf States, led by Saudi Arabia, are responding to the Obama administration’s less interventionist approach to the Middle East by adopting a more assertive regional policy aimed at containing Iran diplomatically and militarily.

The Government has responded to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the Middle East by announcing Australia will take an additional 12,000 refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq in 2015-16, which Foreign Minister Julie Bishop claims amounts to the single larges

Tehran has reportedly sent around one thousand élite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) troops to back up its proxy Hezbollah forces that are fighting Islamic State terrorists in Syria.

For a world that promised 'Never Again' after World War II, how much have we actually learned from the handling of refugee crises of the past? Are we making the same mistakes over and over again? This discussion was first broadcast on Radio National.

This paper examines the scope and nature of terrorism motivated by violent Islamist extremism in Australia through a comprehensive database, assesses the policy responses by the government to date, and offers recommendations. Overview In September 2014 the terrorism threat level was raised from ‘medium’ to ‘high’ – the first change in 13 years. This year...