Policy Analysis

In 2003, a new debate is underway about the future of Israel. The question is not about whether a grand deal with the Palestinians is possible; now the debate focuses on the political implications of current demographic trends that reflect a sharp increase in the region's Palestinian population. Within a

Like legions of other proud parents, my wife and I sat beaming in the audience earlier this month, video camera in hand, as our son Benji, 6, stood with his fellow first-graders on the stage of his school auditorium and sang a medley of holiday songs. The adorably cute, multicultural

After years of frustration in which persistent Palestinian terrorism has held peace negotiations hostage, a security fence may be the first step toward disengagement and a precondition for resuming any political process.

Saddam Hussein's dejected look as an U.S. Army medic looked in his hair for lice will go down in history. His expression of puzzlement, just a few hours after his capture on Saturday night, was, as they say, a picture. Indeed, it has since appeared on the cover of a

The December 13 capture of Saddam Husayn elicited a variety of reactions from government officials and other prominent figures throughout the Middle East. Following is a sampling of these reactions, quoted and paraphrased from various regional and international media sources. Arab League. Secretary-General Amr Mussa stated that the Iraqi people

The December 13 capture of Saddam Husayn is proving to be a compelling event, drawing massive media and official attention. Many commentators have been quick to offer profound conclusions regarding the impact that this development will have on the future of Iraq, the U.S. presidential elections, and the war on

Europe's increasing role in the Levant was highlighted recently by two high-profile events that may have a significant impact on future relations between the two regions. On December 1, Israelis and Palestinians launched a controversial unofficial peacemaking initiative in Geneva. On December 2-3, the Barcelona Process countries held their sixth

Forget, for the moment, Saddam's weapons of mass destruction -- or lack thereof. Consider instead the other WMD conundrum: Iran. Events in Pakistan, where two nuclear scientists were arrested last week, suggest the whole issue is about to blow. (Figuratively, that is.) Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

MICHAEL EISENSTADT The War and the Resistance Some have argued that the coalition might not be facing stiff resistance today if it had fought the war differently. To be sure, coalition forces would likely have killed more of the regime's Fedayeen Saddam cannon fodder if they had invaded from Turkey

Turkey's Relations with Its Neighbors Turkey is positioned in what has historically been an unfriendly part of the world, surrounded by neighbors whose political systems are, for the most part, strikingly different from Turkish democracy. Until about six years ago, Turkey had poor relations with most of its neighbors. Today

MARTIN KRAMER Title VI Title VI is a program of federal subsidies for area studies in higher education, funding university-based national resource centers and graduate fellowships. The program has been administered lightly by the Department of Education for over forty years. After the September 11 attacks, the analytical shortcomings of

Terrorism can be diminished if the flow of money to terrorist organizations is diminished. The first step in this latter effort is to simply acknowledge its importance. After all, the war on terror is not a conventional war. The enemies in question have no unified sovereign, military, or geographical purpose

Lift up your eyes. Look to the future. There is a different world out there than the diet of Middle Eastern violence and anti-Americanism that we are fed in Europe, and that people of the Middle East are being served up as well. Nowhere is this truer than in the

Last week's suicide bombings in Istanbul—the first pair on November 15 targeting two synagogues, and a second pair on November 20 targeting the city's British consulate and a high-rise building housing a British-owned bank—cost Turkey dearly, with 57 dead and more than 700 injured. Many of the victims were Turkish

SHIBLEY TELHAMI There is no clear-cut answer to the question of whether anti-Americanism is rooted in the identity or the policies of the United States. First, the Middle East must be placed in a global context. Although attitudes toward the United States are at an all-time low in Arab and

FLYNT LEVERETT There are two main avenues by which the United States can encourage greater openness, democratization, and economic reform in Syria: an externally driven approach (e.g., supporting external opposition forces), or a strategy of engagement with the Syrian government and civil society. Historically, the latter strategy has had an

While Turkey prepares for a make or break year with the European Union (EU), perhaps a not less important issue for Ankara is its relationship with Washington. Over the past year, the U.S.-Turkish relationship has undergone some serious challenges. Despite the positive developments of the past months, today Ankara and

One of the more pleasant surprises to emerge in 2002—an exceptionally dreary year in the Middle East—was the inaugural volume of the Arab Human Development Report (AHDR). That path-breaking document, prepared by a group of courageous Arab researchers under the auspices of the United Nations Development Program, broke the mold

An odd blending of religion and politics, Hizballah was born as a movement amid the terrorism of the 1980s. By 2000, it had matured into a strategic, vital player in the Middle East, capable of influencing the region's course for peace or war. Organizationally, Hizballah has evolved from a loose

Al-Qaeda and Its Affiliates The fight against terrorism has become more complex. In recent years, the U.S. intelligence community focused on al-Qaeda. This strategy paid off; the United States has learned a great deal about effectively countering al-Qaeda proper. The terrorist network has been quick to adapt, however. Currently, there