Policy Analysis

Though committed to dramatically different Iraq policies, Barack Obama and John McCain -- the presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, respectively -- will likely be compelled to tread generally similar paths when one or the other is sworn in as president in January 2009. Obama has promised to start withdrawing

While experts negotiate the technical aspects of a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) -- an arrangement that would govern future security relations between Iraq and the United States -- Iraqi politicians are engaged in a rhetorical campaign against such an agreement, making it nearly impossible to finalize a deal by

On June 4, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas marked the anniversary of the 1967 War by making a surprise call for dialogue with Hamas. In response to multiple challenges to his authority -- impasse on the peace process, ongoing dissent within Fatah, and regional pressure to resolve the internal Palestinian conflict

On June 6, 2008, Ahmed Herzenni, Kent Patton, and Les Campbell addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Mr. Herzenni is a former political prisoner who was appointed as president of Morocco's Advisory Council on Human Rights last year by King Muhammad VI. Mr. Patton is deputy assistant secretary

An inside look at the Department of Energy's efforts to counter the threat of atomic terrorism.

PRESIDENTIAL TASK FORCES With the Middle East as a focal point of U.S. foreign policymaking, a complex array of regional issues now compete for the urgent attention of America's leaders. In preparation for the first presidential succession of the twenty-first century, The Washington Institute has assembled three independent Presidential Task

Turkey's ruling Justice And Development Party (AKP) faces a battle for survival as the country's constitutional court reviews a case to ban the party for its allegedly antisecular activities in violation of the Turkish Constitution. But the AKP can save itself if it can prove it is a liberal party

Accepted wisdom suggests that preventive military action against Iran's nuclear program would entail significant risks and uncertain prospects of success. Much of the public debate surrounding these risks and uncertainties has focused on strictly military-technical considerations. Although important, these issues do not address the key political and contextual questions underlying

In late May, an official close to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad publicly accused more than forty high-ranking government officials -- including some of the country's most powerful clerics -- of economic corruption. These unprecedented revelations may signal the start of a significant power struggle inside the Iranian government, one likely

Turkey's ruling AKP party is taking several risks by associating with Syria. If the allegations of Syria's nuclear cooperation with North Korea are confirmed, the AKP might be seen as a Syrian supporter, thus damaging its image in Washington. Furthermore, Turkey's publicized attempt to reconcile Syria and Israel -- a

Modern Turkey's identity is based on its secular stance, but the ruling Justice and Development Party's policies show Islamist leanings. From mundane matters, such as the cost of ordering a drink, to major issues, such as women's role in society, Turkey seems to be undergoing a change. In this article

Within the next few months, Iraqis will once again wave purple fingers in the air as they cast ballots for provincial governments. As Iraq's parliament debates a law to govern the elections, U.S. diplomats and international experts have an opportunity, if not to correct past mistakes, then to help put

The May 25 election of Gen. Michel Suleiman as Lebanon's twelfth president was a central element of the Qatari-brokered compromise between the March 14 coalition and the Hizballah-led opposition. The agreement was greeted with relief in Washington and other international capitals, allaying fears that Lebanon was once again heading toward

On May 14, the Iranian government arrested six prominent Bahai leaders and accused them of "endangering national security." The timing of the arrests has led some to speculate that the Iranian government is trying to link these leaders to the April explosion at a religious center in Shiraz that killed

"If the Americans make a wrong move toward Iran, the shipment of energy will definitely face danger." -- Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, June 4, 2006 Every day, nearly 40 percent of the world's internationally traded oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz -- a narrow channel over which Iran

In Washington, there is a growing consensus that the AKP is changing from a seemingly progressive, pro-European party into a majoritarian, exclusionist one. In an interview with Cumhuriyet reporter Elcin Poyrazlar, Soner Cagaptay argues that the AKP's image has been damaged recently because of its increasingly unilateralist approach in Turkish

Developments in Lebanon are being viewed with great concern in Israel. In the aftermath of Hizbullah's recent military and ostensible political victories, many Israelis are saying that Beirut has gone the way of Gaza. Lebanon is now "Hizbullahstan" -- just like Gaza, only worse. This assessment is alarmist, defeatist, and

This article is also available on the Washington Quarterly website. Americans are hungry for an explanation of foreign policy that makes sense. They certainly want to know what happened in Iraq and what went wrong. Even more important, they want to know whether the United States can fix its foreign

In June 2007, Turkey decided to turn its back on European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) after a long series of negotiations with the EU. Although the Cyprus issue has always complicated Turkey's involvement in ESDP, Turkey has been an important actor in Western security architecture for decades, and its

This article is also available on the Washington Quarterly website. For most of 2007, concerns about Iran grew louder. This situation changed dramatically in December, with the release of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran's nuclear intentions and capabilities. The NIE, which assessed that Iran had ceased its covert