Policy Analysis

The aftermath of the war in Iraq has generated a great deal of second-guessing about Washington's prewar planning and intelligence efforts. Largely missing from this debate has been a thorough examination of the actual military intelligence efforts conducted by professional analysts and war planners outside Washington. In The Washington Institute's

Although the Palestinian intifada led to the death of many Israelis (proportionally speaking, the equivalent of 45,000 Americans being killed by terrorism each year), Iranian possession of nuclear weapons would be even worse. Such a development would constitute an existential threat for three reasons. First, Israel’s small size and concentration

Felicitous change in Palestinian leadership at a time of bold new Israeli policies has thrown open the proverbial window of opportunity. The coming year promises renewed prospects for movement toward peace, and the United States, more than any other third party, has a vital diplomatic role to play during this

On May 18, the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is scheduled to debate the law governing the legislative elections scheduled for July 17, the first such elections since the inaugural polls of 1996. The issues under contention underscore the larger divisions in Palestinian politics, particularly the dominant Fatah Party’s internal factionalism

Iran appears to be fomenting a crisis over its nuclear program as the campaign for the June 17 presidential elections gets underway (by May 14, candidates have to register; by May 24, the Guardian Council will announce which candidates are approved). Assertiveness on the Nuclear Program Ever since Iran signed

The past few years have given the world little to celebrate in its effort to secure peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. One bright spot, though, came early this year with the election of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Real progress again seemed possible. But just four months later, the situation

The May 5 British elections returned Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party to an unprecedented third term in office, but with a substantially smaller parliamentary majority and a much diminished reputation for the British leader. Blair's reversal of fortune is largely attributable to his support for the U.S.-led invasion of

On the heels of its military withdrawal from Lebanon, Syria is preparing for the Tenth Regional Congress of the Baath Party, the first such congress in five years and only the second in twenty years. Prior to the regional congress, scheduled for June, the party will hold a national pan-Arab

The following is a FrontPageMagazine.com symposium moderated by Jamie Glazov and featuring remarks by Washington Institute senior fellow Soner Cagaptay. As Turkey drifts toward Islamization, some serious questions arise: Is Turkey even our ally? Is Turkish accession to the EU in America's interests? Does the Justice and Development Party (AKP)

Yesterday, Pakistani authorities announced the capture of the third-ranking leader of al-Qaeda, a native Libyan named Abu Faraj al-Libbi (alias Dr. Taufeeq). Al-Libbi, along with five other foreign al-Qaeda operatives, was captured following a shootout in the village of Fatami, 30 miles northeast of Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan. Authorities had

Jordan’s commitment to reform and modernization is not a reaction to pressure or influence from others, but rather an understanding that Jordan, like all Arab countries, requires reform in order to accommodate the rising requirements of its young populace. Jordan’s population is growing at a rate of 2.4 percent annually

On April 19, 2005, Reuel Marc Gerecht and Robert Satloff held a policy debate at The Washington Institute's Special Policy Forum. Mr. Gerecht is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of The Islamic Paradox: Shiite Clerics, Sunni Fundamentalists, and the Coming of Arab Democracy (2004). Dr

Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s decision to disengage from Gaza and parts of the northern West Bank beginning this summer has earned him the ire of the 8,000 people living in the twenty-five settlements scheduled for evacuation. It has also generated opposition among the quarter-million settlers living in the remainder

The following paper was originally published by the National Defense University's Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction, appearing as Occasional Paper no. 2. For more on the center, visit its website. Recent proliferation surprises in the Middle East—the failure to find weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in

The containment of Iraq, the potential nuclear threat posed by Iran, and the displacement of Saudi Arabia as a key U.S. strategic partner are all playing a role in shaping Persian Gulf security policies.... © IHS (Global) Limited, Jane's Intelligence Review. Reproduced with permission.

At first glance, Turkey and Israel could not be more different. Israel is small, predominantly Jewish and post-industrial; Turkey is large, predominantly Muslim and industrial. But from the perspective of recent history the two nations have much in common. Israel is a country of Jews expelled from eastern and central

On April 27, the State Department publicly released its annual report on global terrorism trends, Country Reports on Terrorism 2004 ( read a PDF of the full report). Previously called Patterns of Global Terrorism, the renamed report has generated considerable controversy for the second year in a row, again centered

Syria's Muslim Brotherhood - banned for nearly 25 years - has been increasingly vocal recently in its criticism of the regime of President Bashar Assad. Earlier this month, for example, it demanded the organization of free elections, cancellation of the state of emergency and dismantlement of special courts, warning that

The United States needs to do more to consolidate the cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians and help coordinate a pullout from Gaza or else the current narrow window of opportunity, characterized by the leadership potential of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli plan for disengagement from Gaza, may