Policy Analysis

Given the recent string of Saudi diplomatic failures, this year will be remembered as the moment when the world finally looked elsewhere for Gulf leadership.

On June 14, 2011, Michael Eisenstadt, David Pollock, and Michael Knights addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute to discuss their May 17-24 research trip to Iraqi Kurdistan. Mr. Eisenstadt, the director of the Institute's Military and Security Studies Program, served with the U.S. Army during Operation Provide Comfort

Michael Singh, focusing on the current situation in Lebanon, cautions on the fragility of fledgling democracies.

An Interview by Bernard Gwertzman, CFR.org The Obama administration believes that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria is now in a "downward trajectory" because of the violence against its own people and the failure to undertake reforms, says Andrew J. Tabler, a former journalist in Syria. But the

During his May 19 speech on the Middle East, President Obama defined America's policy objective in Syria by asking President Bashar al-Asad to either lead a political transition or "get out of the way." Asad shows no interest thus far in the former -- the death toll has reached 1,600

Washington, Ankara, and others should pay close attention to the Syrian refugees flowing into Turkey given their potential impact on the region.

Brothers and nephews of Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh with current status within the regime. Download high-resolution PDF. Copyright 2011 The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

President Obama made news last month in advocating a borders-and-security-first approach to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and articulating an official view that the territorial solution should be a return to the 1967 lines, amended by mutually agreed land swaps. Those who contend that there was nothing new in the president's comments fail

On June 3, 2011, Michael Knights, Lachlyn Soper, Andrew Lembke, and Barak Salmoni addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Dr. Knights is a Lafer fellow with the Institute and author of The Iraqi Security Forces: Local Context and U.S. Assistance. Ms. Soper is a social scientist for the

Islamist parties can moderate their platforms, but only with free elections and the checks of an independent media and strong opposition parties.

A made-by-AKP-only constitution would lack legitimacy in the eyes of half of Turkey, including many large businesses, Kurdish nationalists, liberal and secular Turks, and women.

On June 10, 2011, Robert Wexler and Soner Cagaptay addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute, moderated by Institute managing director Michael Singh. Mr. Wexler is a former seven-term congressman as well as cofounder and former cochair of the Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans. Dr. Cagaptay is

Turkey's tough new stance against the Asad regime's crackdown gives the West an opportunity to adopt a more assertive stance on Syria.

This Sunday, Turks go to the polls for parliamentary elections that will determine their next government. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is predicted to win for the third consecutive time since 2002, extending its mandate into 2016 and making it the longest-ruling faction in Turkey's seven-decade history as

Turkey's newly assertive foreign policy is straining to keep up with the Arab Spring.

Is Hosni Mubarak's trial a necessary step toward democratic reconciliation, or does it raise risks of more anarchy and a violent military crackdown?

Bahrain makes a desperate attempt to charm Washington even as the regime declares war on protestors back home.

The wounding of Yemeni president Ali Saleh during a June 3 attack on his Sana palace compound will likely lead to regime change in his troubled country.

This weekend may witness another Palestinian attempt to breach the frontier with Israel in a repeat of May 15's "Nakba (Catastrophe) Day," when thousands marched on border fences and crossing points during the annual Arab commemoration of events following Israel's 1948 founding. June 5 is being labeled "Naksa (Setback) Day,"

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has now made the mistake that all Iranian presidents have made: he has challenged the authority of the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and he is doomed to fail.