Policy Analysis

At the annual summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), held in Abu Dhabi on December 18 and 19, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Oman avoided confronting Iran directly on its suspected nuclear weapons program. Instead, these member states confronted Israel

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, no political event has been more important for Iraq than the December 15 elections for a permanent parliament. Although there were other important aspects to the elections, Sunni Arab participation will primarily mark them as a success or a failure to many observers

The recent decision by Ariel Sharon, Israeli prime minister, to bolt from the Likud party has shaken Israeli politics to its core, where Likud has dominated for 20 of the last 28 years. Now Palestinians and Israelis will be going to the polls within two months of each other in

Last night President Bush offered a firm response to those who advocate American withdrawal from Iraq. “To retreat before victory would be an act of recklessness and dishonor,” he said, “and I will not allow it.” He also refused to set a timetable for withdrawal, saying, “I will make decisions

Read an interview with David Keyes in Frontpagemag.com on the topic of al-Qaeda infiltration of Gaza. Since the U.S.-led military intervention in Afghanistan in 2001, al-Qaeda has responded by splintering into affiliate groups that work along the same lines as the parent group but have a wider degree or organizational

For years, President Bush has prematurely heralded missions accomplished and corners turned in Iraq. But now it is Bush's critics who are peddling an implausibly rosy forecast: namely, that Iraqis are ready to stand on their own and could do a better job of stabilizing the country without an American

Ayatollah Ali Sistani has played a very important political role in postwar Iraq as the most influential jurist in the Shiite world. However, as Iraq approaches legislative elections, Sistani seems to be reducing his political activity. Iraq's Shia Establishment While Sistani is the highest ranking Shiite jurist in Iraq, he

The confluence of key political events and security developments in Iraq suggests that the next several months will be of immeasurable importance for the country's future. The success of upcoming elections, the formation of a constitutionally based government, and the potential withdrawal of significant U.S. forces will depend in large

December 15 parliamentary elections will mark a major step in Iraq's political transformation, establishing the basis for the first permanent government since the fall of the Saddam regime and propelling the country deeper into the current critical "tipping period." A key, perhaps the key, aspect of the election will be

Egypt completed the final round of balloting in legislative elections on December 7. The first round of polling took place on November 9; all told 5,414 candidates vied for 444 seats in the lower house of Egypt's parliament, the People's Assembly. The elections were set in three phases to facilitate

On December 1, 2005, Ambassador James Jeffrey and Jeffrey White addressed The Washington Institute's Special Policy Forum to mark the publication of The Washington Institute's Policy Focus, Assessing Iraq's Sunni Arab Insurgency, by Jeffrey White and Michael Eisenstadt. Ambassador Jeffrey, the senior advisor to the secretary of state and coordinator

On November 29, 2005, Edward Morse, David Goldwyn, Simon Henderson and Paul Simons addressed The Washington Institute's Special Policy Forum. The forum, titled "Where Are Oil Prices Headed in 2006?" marked the publication of the Institute's policy focus, Reducing Vulnerability to Middle East Energy Shocks: A Key Element in Strengthening

Fatah's chaotic primary process has left Mahmoud Abbas's party vulnerable to Hamas in constituent districts that may determine control of the Palestinian legislature after January 2006 elections.

On November 28, 2005, Sir Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth, addressed The Washington Institute's Special Policy Forum. The following is an edited transcript of his remarks. Read a full transcript of Rabbi Sacks's remarks. "The suicide bombings in Madrid, in London on

Since summer 2005, Turkish casualties resulting from attacks by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have been mounting at a rate close to that experienced by U.S. forces in Iraq. Between July 1 and July 16, for example, when U.S. troops suffered nineteen deaths in Iraq, eleven Turks were killed by

View a map of Gaza Strip border crossings in PDF format. On November 25, Palestinians celebrated the opening of their first self-governed external passage, the Rafah border crossing that separates the Gaza Strip from Egypt. Following months of negotiations, on November 15 Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) reached the

The first round of Fatah primaries enhanced the credibility of the party's young guard, but logistical challenges point to deeper weaknesses going into the January legislative elections.

Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon dropped a political bombshell by leaving the party that he helped to form in 1973, shattering the political status quo in Israel. Mr. Sharon made the move because he wants his legacy to be that he shaped the borders of Israel in any two-state agreement

On November 18, 2005, Michael Eisenstadt, Patrick Clawson, and Henry Sokolski discussed policy options regarding Iran's nuclear program in light of the November 24 meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the publication of Getting Ready for a Nuclear Ready Iran (U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute)

Read Part I of this two-part series. Amir Peretz's decision to pull the Labor Party he leads out of its national unity government with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon set Israel's new political calendar and precipitated Sharon's decision to bolt the Likud Party and consent to elections in March 2006. Peretz