Policy Analysis

Download the complete proceedings. On October 17, 2009, Ataollah Mohajerani addressed The Washington Institute's annual Weinberg Founders Conference. Ataollah Mohajerani has played a central leadership role in the Islamic Republic of Iran, serving as President Muhammad Khatami's minister of culture and Islamic guidance and as President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's vice

Download the complete proceedings. On October 17, 2009, Hossein Bastani and Patrick Clawson addressed The Washington Institute's annual Weinberg Founders Conference. Hossein Bastani is director-general of Iran Gooya Media Group and an editorial board member of the influential Iranian news outlet RoozOnline.com. Patrick Clawson is deputy director for research at

Download the complete proceedings. On October 17, 2009, David Makovsky, Khalil Shikaki, and Ehud Yaari addressed The Washington Institute's annual Weinberg Founders Conference. David Makovsky is the Ziegler distinguished fellow and director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at The Washington Institute. Khalil Shikaki is director of

Download the complete proceedings. On October 17, 2009, Amr al-Azm, Andrew J. Tabler, and Ehud Yaari addressed The Washington Institute's annual Weinberg Founders Conference. Amr al-Azm, a Syrian historian and archaeologist, is an assistant professor of Middle Eastern history and anthropology at Shawnee State University in Ohio. Andrew J. Tabler

A Safe Haven: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel, Allis and Ronald Radosh's suspenseful, meticulously documented account of Harry S. Truman's controversial decision to recognize the new state of Israel, has won the Gold Prize -- including a cash award of $30,000 -- in The Washington Institute's 2009

Download the complete proceedings. On October 17, 2009, Mohamed Abdelbaky, Nabeel Khoury, and David Pollock addressed The Washington Institute's annual Weinberg Founders Conference. Mohamed Abdelbaky is a Keston visiting fellow at The Washington Institute's Project Fikra, focusing on economic and political reform, democracy, governance, and youth development in the Middle

Download the complete proceedings. On October 17, 2009, Daniel Byman, Matthew Levitt, and Jeffrey White addressed The Washington Institute's annual Weinberg Founders Conference. Daniel Byman is director of the Security Studies Program at the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, as well as

Download the complete proceedings. On October 17, 2009, Myriam Benraad, Soner Cagaptay, and Mary Habeck addressed The Washington Institute's annual Weinberg Founders Conference. Myriam Benraad is a Keston Family scholar at The Washington Institute's Project Fikra, focusing on radicalization in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and the United States

Download the complete proceedings. On October 16, 2009, Jackson Diehl, Mortimer Zuckerman, and Michael Mandelbaum participated in a keynote debate at The Washington Institute's annual Weinberg Founders Conference. Jackson Diehl is deputy editorial page editor of the Washington Post. Mortimer Zuckerman, a member of The Washington Institute's Board of Advisors

Iran's nuclear program will be the topic of three important upcoming events: an October 19 meeting of nuclear experts from the P5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany), an October 25 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection of the recently revealed Qom facility, and a follow-up meeting

If current negotiations falter, international efforts to curtail Iran's nuclear program may escalate to the imposition of "crippling sanctions" or even the use of military force. A crucial question that policymakers must consider is whether such punitive measures would help or hinder the popular uprising against the Iranian regime that

The need to reform the U.S. national security decision and implementation process is widely acknowledged in Washington. Everyone who has participated in the process at a high enough level understands that whenever a problem spills over the competency boundary of any single bureaucracy (as more and more problems seem to

On October 14, 2009, The Washington Institute honored former president William Jefferson Clinton with its 2009 Scholar-Statesman Award at a gala dinner in New York City. Following President Clinton's remarks, attendees enjoyed a special "ask the experts" discussion moderated by Institute executive director Robert Satloff. Senior fellows and panelists Soner

The Obama administration has finally woken up to the fact that Iraqi parliamentary elections scheduled for January 16 are in real danger of not taking place as scheduled. The realization has been lamentably slow in coming and, with just two days to go before an Iraqi government-imposed deadline expires, may

On October 14, 2009, The Washington Institute honored President William Jefferson Clinton with its 2009 Scholar-Statesman Award .

The Washington Post reports that some in the administration see the Lebanese Hezbollah as a possible model for transformation of the Taliban. Describing the Taliban as a movement "deeply rooted" in Afghanistan, much like Hezbollah is in Lebanon, proponents of a Hezbollah model for the Taliban see a scenario in

This chart lists the sons of Saudi King Abdulaziz (Ibn Saud) and indicates their fraternal relationships. Each number along the horizontal axis represents a different mother; names in the same column represent full blood brothers. Sons in the same row were born in the same year. A gray background indicates that the person is deceased. In several cases, dates and relationships are in dispute. Originally published as part of Policy Focus 96, After King Abdullah: Succession in Saudi Arabia.

Egypt's National Democratic Party (NDP) conference is fast approaching, but the meeting—which will formally set the stage for political succession—isn't making headlines these days. On October 6, the Los Angeles Times reported on how the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is reacting to sales of an Artificial Virginity Hymen Kit; still other

The reaction in Turkey to the recent death of Ertugrul Osman, heir to the Ottoman throne and successor to the last Caliph, could not be more shocking. Islamists in kaftans and long beards gathered in Istanbul two weeks ago to bury the titular head of the world Muslim community, a

Hamas has historically waged terror-based campaigns targeting both Israel and its Palestinian rivals, playing a spoiling role in peace negotiations between the two sides. However, much of the strength projected by Hamas is based on the military promise of the movement -- its capacity to employ force against its enemies