FDD is a Washington, DC-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
FDD does not accept donations from any foreign governments.
Subscribe to FDD
Receive FDD's latest research and analysis
Trending Issues
Israel at War
As Tensions With Hezbollah Rise, Lebanese and Israeli Officials Hold Direct Talks
Flash Brief
Battalion Commander Among 4 Hamas Terrorists Eliminated by IDF in Rafah
Flash Brief
China
America wants to push China out of Venezuela
Manoto News {Persian}
Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: December
Policy Tracker
Russia
Can Ukraine avoid making concessions to end the war?
Deutsche Welle
Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: December
Policy Tracker
Iran
The Houthis Bite the Hand That Feeds Yemen’s People
The terror group has effectively declared war on the United Nations in Yemen. It’s up to donor countries to force the UN to see that reality.
The National Interest
As Tensions With Hezbollah Rise, Lebanese and Israeli Officials Hold Direct Talks
Flash Brief
November 17, 2025
1:00 pm
EVENT: Power Under Pressure: The Fight to Protect Taiwan's Energy Lifelines from Beijing’s Aggression
This summer, teams from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and the Taipei-based Centre for Innovative Democracy and Sustainability (CIDS) at National Chengchi University conducted a tabletop exercise examining how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might escalate military, diplomatic and economic pressure towards an unacknowledged quarantine, interrupting and potentially blocking Taiwan’s energy imports. The exercise revealed that while Taiwan must urgently address its energy vulnerabilities, coordinated actions by the United States, Japan, Australia, and European partners can significantly impact Beijing's strategic calculus.
Featured Experts
Mark Dubowitz
Chief Executive
- Iran Sanctions
- Iran Human Rights
- Syria
- Iran Missiles
- Iran
- Iran Global Threat Network
- Hezbollah
- Iran-backed Terrorism
- Sanctions and Illicit Finance
- Cyber
- Iran Nuclear
RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
CCTI Senior Director and Senior Fellow
Mariam Wahba
Research Analyst
John Hardie
Russia Program Deputy Director
What they're saying
"Mr. Dubowitz’s campaign to draw attention to what he saw as the Iran nuclear deal's flaws has taken its place among the most consequential ever undertaken by a Washington think tank leader."
New York Times
“The Foundation for Defense of Democracies understands as well as anyone that we are now in an era, once again, of Great Power Competition, primarily with the Chinese Communist Party.”
Marco Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor
"I would like to express my appreciation to the FDD for its long-term focus on Taiwan and for continuing to increase the attention paid to Taiwan’s defense and social resilience."
Lai Ching-te
President of Taiwan
“FDD is highly influential in the area of public policy … I would like to thank FDD for publishing numerous articles advocating for international support of Taiwan.”
Tsai Ing-wen
Former President of Taiwan
“Thank you for all of FDD’s work… it is so critical to our fight in the United States against terror and against those who seek to do us harm” … “[FDD has always] held Iran accountable for their continued nuclear activity and for their continued terror activity….which is key to America’s national security and our fight globally against terror, against Iran and its proxies, and against Hezbollah and Hamas and Palestinian Jihad.”
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)
“What FDD puts out [in] the national and international conversation, … you really are … a repository of knowledge on so many critical issues.”
Mike Waltz
"Thank you to FDD…for the many, many years of great work that you’ve done. I've known the organization and relied on its expertise long before this conversation today."
Jessica Lewis
Former Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State
"I will tell you that FDD has been such a partner. Whether it is dealing with the Iran deal and the flaws that were in it, all the way to human shields and all the things that we need to do to combat it, you've been a partner in a time where we need partners. And so I appreciate that very much."
Amb. Nikki R. Haley
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations
“Nobody makes the case better than FDD that the Islamic Republic is a threat to the region, its own people and the U.S., and that it needs to be dealt with, not wished away.”
Wall Street Journal
Weekend Interview
“I would add my own thanks to the FDD and the Center on Military and Political Power for … showing how important it is that we are talking, both on the military and the civilian side, about the importance of being prepared to protect and advance our national security objectives. That's exactly the kind of conversations that we're seeking to help our European allies and partners have with their citizenry. Thank you.”
Amb. Kate Marie Byrnes
Civilian Deputy and Foreign Policy Advisor, U.S. European Command
"A record low for the reach of petrodollars: CIA & FDD fake news w/ selective AlQaeda docs re: Iran can't whitewash role of US allies in 9/11"
Javad Zarif
Iran's Former Foreign Minister
FDD's Long War Journal [is] the best source of public information on terrorism.
Michael Morell
former Acting and Deputy Director, Central Intelligence Agency
“The Foundation is making a difference across the world.”
George W. Bush
Former President
Overnight Brief: December 5, 2025
Read Full BriefToday In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
- Today at 8:30am (ET): "FDD Morning Brief," FDD Event
- Live at 9:00am (ET): "Advancing Energy Security with Greek Minister of Energy Stavros Papastavrou," FDD Event
- "Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: December," FDD Foreign Policy Tracker
- "For the Sake of the US-Crafted Ceasefire in Gaza, Israel Should Fortify the Yellow Line Immediately," The Algemeiner
- "How the Trump Administration Secured the Gaza Ceasefire Deal That Biden Couldn’t," National Security Journal
- "Preventing Violence in Southern Syria Depends on Damascus and Jerusalem Reaching an Agreement," FDD Policy Brief
- "U.S. Approval for South Korean Enrichment of Uranium Would Be a Serious Mistake," FDD Policy Brief
- "Iran’s Oil Exports Remained Near Peak in November," FDD Policy Brief
- "Southern Transitional Council seizes key areas of Yemen’s Hadramawt Governorate from rival government forces," FDD's Long War Journal
- "Palestinian terrorists ambush Israeli troops in Rafah; IDF reports 7 Gaza ceasefire violations from November 27 to December 3," FDD's Long War Journal
- "Battalion Commander Among 4 Hamas Terrorists Eliminated by IDF in Rafah," FDD Flash Brief
- "As Tensions With Hezbollah Rise, Lebanese and Israeli Officials Hold Direct Talks," FDD Flash Brief
The Must-Reads
- Israeli-backed militia leader killed in ‘internal’ clash in Gaza
- Trump plans to announce Gaza government, Board of Peace by Christmas, officials say
- WSJ Editorial: A Hamas rival falls in Gaza
- Iran invites Lebanon's foreign minister to discuss bilateral ties
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threaten US warships as they stage naval exercise in Gulf
- Hostages as leverage: Iran's secret demand aimed at crippling Israel's agriculture
- European leaders warn Zelensky to be wary in U.S. high-speed push for peace
- Putin maintains hard line in talks as Trump says Moscow is open to a deal
- Bloomberg’s Gearoid Reidy: China’s push against Japan's soft power will backfire
- Putin and Modi deepen relationship that has drawn trump’s anger
- U.K. report formally blames Russian agents, Putin in 2018 poisoning death
- Trump says he ‘ended’ the war between Rwanda and Congo, but fighting persists