Policy Analysis

Turkish-Israeli ties, born in March 28, 1949 when Turkey became the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel, effectively ended on May 31, 2010. This happened as IDF commandos boarded a convoy of ships reportedly bringing humanitarian assistance to Hamas-run Gaza. Previously, Israeli officials had pleaded with the Turkish officials not

How does the Department of Homeland Security organize its counterterrorism intelligence operations?

Israel's May 31 interception of the "Gaza flotilla" has provoked a great deal of commentary on the wisdom and even legality of the naval blockade. This focus is misplaced, however; Israel's embargo is a consequence, not the cause, of the situation in Gaza. Indeed, given the lack of progress in

Visiting the White House six months ago, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara aspires to build a "model partnership" with Washington. Really? Erodgan has been leading the chorus to condemn Israel in the wake of Monday's botched interdiction of the flotilla bound for Gaza described the killings of

The New York Times convened an online panel of five Middle East experts to discuss the balance between maintaining security for Israel and addressing the humanitarian and political crisis in Gaza. The following is a contribution by Washington Institute Ziegler distinguished fellow David Makovsky, director of its Project on the

Although likely eclipsed in the media by recent Israeli naval action against blockade runners, the first anniversary of President Obama's much-quoted address in Cairo occurs on June 4. In his remarks, described as a "new beginning," he identified seven issues at the heart of tensions between the United States and

The activists aboard the Gaza flotilla that was raided by Israeli security forces Monday may have believed that breaking the Gaza blockade was at its core forcing Israel to address an issue the activists see as moral blindness. Yet the situation is far more complex than they would like people

The Gaza flotilla tragedy has given Hamas at least a short-term political boost while undercutting the sea blockade of Gaza, fitting well with the agenda of the flotilla's organizers, Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Fund. At the same time, the incident -- to the extent that the details are known -- has

The recent resignation of Deniz Baykal, leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), over an alleged sex tape scandal presents a serendipitous window of opportunity for Turkish politics. Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP), rooted in the country's Islamist movement, came to power in 2002, Turkish politics

On Monday morning, May 31, the most recent convoy organized by the "Free Gaza" movement came to a violent end. With scores of dead and wounded after Israeli naval commandos took over the largest ship in the convoy, the repercussions of this deadly event will be felt on several levels

The Ghosts of Martyr's Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon's Life Struggle By Michael Young (Simon & Schuster, 295 pages, $26.00) This past February, Le Monde published a detailed report suggesting that Hezbollah participated in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri. The story was old news

The central problem with the recent nuclear deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil with Iran is that it does not quite tackle Iran's ability to weaponize its uranium stockpile. According to the arrangement, Iran is to deposit 1,200 kilos of enriched uranium in Turkey. Yet, according to the International Atomic

FEATURING Gen. James L. Jones, Thomas Friedman, William Kristol, Martin Kramer, and David Makovsky THE PROCEEDINGS In 1985, a small group of visionary Americans committed to advancing U.S. interests in the Middle East established the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Twenty-five years later, a special Soref Symposium celebrated the

On May 26, 2010, Matthew Levitt, senior fellow and director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Nonprofit organizations are particularly susceptible to abuse by terrorists and their supporters

Eleven weeks after the March 7, 2010, elections, Iraq appears to be headed toward a sprawling "unity" government that values stability and inclusiveness over efficiency or decisiveness. Despite being an arguably safer bet for Iraq at a delicate and dangerous moment, this approach will pose several challenges for U.S. policy

A graphical analysis shows that women have been losing ground in Turkey since the AKP government came to power in 2002. Despite an increasing -- though still small -- presence in parliament, women hold fewer executive and bureaucratic posts in government. As a consequence, Turkish women are being pushed out

On Monday, Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri will visit Washington for a meeting with President Obama. In announcing the meeting, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called it "a symbol of the close and historic relationship between Lebanon and the United States." Indeed, between 2005 and 2009, bilateral ties were

The May 18 draft resolution proposing additional sanctions to curb Iran's nuclear program is backed by all five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Although this unanimity is the proposal's principal strength, it comes at the cost of making the draft weaker in some sections than ideas discussed previously

June 4 marked the first anniversary of President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo, which offered Arabs and Muslims around the world a new "engagement" with the United States. A year later, how do Arab publics see the results of that effort -- and how much do their views about it

On May 6, Britain went to the polls to elect a new government, producing no clear result but forcing the resignation of Labor Party leader Gordon Brown. Within hours of taking over as prime minister, Conservative Party leader David Cameron had created a new body, a British national security council