Policy Analysis

Operation Defensive Shield—the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF's) counterterrorism operation in the West Bank—aims to confiscate illegal weaponry and bombing materiel; destroy factories producing bombs and missiles; constrict the environment in which terrorists plan, prepare, and execute terror attacks; and, most important, apprehend the operatives behind the current terrorist offensive. The

Since March 28, 2002, the first day of Operation Defensive Shield—Israel's attempt to dismantle the Palestinian terrorist infrastructure—Lebanese Hizballah fighters have attacked northern Israeli settlements and military outposts on an almost daily basis. These unprovoked attacks have included the use of antitank missiles, mortars, katyusha rockets, and antiaircraft weapons directed

On April 12, Robert Satloff, executive director of The Washington Institute, addressed the Institute's Special Policy Forum with Dennis Ross. The following is an edited version of Dr. Satloff's remarks. Read a summary of Ambassador Ross's remarks. The best way to view the current situation is by recognizing that there

As the debate intensifies over U.S. policy toward Iraq, I keep thinking about a conversation I had last spring over dinner with a surgeon I'd met while visiting a hospital in Northern Iraq. "We have real problems with the United States," he said. "The American government always interferes in the

Although Israel's military operation in the West Bank may seem like an emotion-driven reaction to terrorist attacks, it is in fact based on precise intelligence and well-defined military objectives. Thus, while the government appreciates the depth of American strategic support to Israel's security, it has to continue certain aspects of

The United States may have realized some newfound leverage with Yasser Arafat, thanks to President Bush's speech last Thursday, and it is important for Secretary of State Colin Powell to use it when he meets the chairman as he plans to do this weekend. The president implied that it was

One of the best ways to reconcile Israel and the Arab world and, simultaneously, meet the interests of the United States is to maintain a demarcation in the Middle East between rogue states—e.g., those in the "axis of evil"—and moderate states. These moderates states, which are also allies of the

What has Israel accomplished in its ongoing and large-scale operations in the West Bank? How well have the operations gone from the perspective of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)? The balance sheet is more positive than some accounts have suggested. The Aims and Tactics of the Operations The Netanya Park

Now that Tony Blair has returned from Texas, he faces criticism over his support of "regime change" in Iraq. Just two decades ago, the West supported Saddam Hussein, seeing the Iraqi president as a force for moderation in the Middle East. Yet, while statesmen focus on what to do in

The antagonisms within the triangle of the United States, the Arab world, and Israel can be best reconciled by drawing a demarcation line in the region around rogue states and crazy regimes. This is also the way to preserve the interests of the United States in the Middle East. Members

At the turn of the century, terrorism emerged as a formidable threat to civil societies, casting its long shadow over the present reality and the vision of years to come. Terrorism, of course, is not a new phenomenon. It has manifested itself throughout history in various embodiments on behalf of

Abdullah Akayleh is the former Jordanian minister of education and former member of parliament for the Islamic Action Front. Shafeeq Ghabra is director of the Kuwait Information Office and professor of political science at Kuwait University. Lisa Anderson is dean of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia

Among the many advantages of an Iraq without Saddam Husayn, the first clear one is the removal of an unacceptable threat to the Iraqi people. Saddam has shown that he is prepared to put the nation and the region as a whole at risk. At the very least, an Iraq

Keynote addresses by H.R.H. Prince Hassan bin Talal and Ephraim Sneh. With Jerry Bremer, Frederic Hof, Dennis Ross, Abdullah Akayleh, Lisa Anderson, Chas Freeman, Shafeeq Ghabra, Hassan Nafaa, and others.

Robert Satloff, The Washington Institute: President George W. Bush outlined a bold, new approach in his April 4 speech. Now Secretary of State Colin Powell is in the Middle East to implement it. How will the new approach fare? Dennis Ross: That's a narrow question. (Laughter.) The essence of the

In his Rose Garden speech yesterday, President George W. Bush jumped head-first into the waters of Middle East diplomacy by committing the prestige of his administration to the achievement of an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire and, ultimately, to "ending the conflict and beginning an era of peace." Analytically, the most important innovation

A revisionist critique of the Bush administration's Middle East policy holds that blame for the current Palestinian-Israeli violence should be laid at the doorstep of a White House that invested too little, too late in the "peace process." Before this canard takes hold, let's set the record straight. When President

On April 2, 2002, Helena Kane Finn, a State Department public diplomacy officer on loan to The Washington Institute, delivered a speech at Georgetown University. Following is the full text of her presentation. Read a summary of her remarks. Note: The views expressed herein are her own and not necessarily

INTRODUCTION It is an understatement to say that the attacks of September 11, 2001, were transformative events, both for how Americans view their own sense of security and for how America engages with the world. Osama bin Laden may have declared war on the United States years ago, but it

I was at a Seder in the Jerusalem suburb of Mevassaret Zion when I heard news of the terror attack in Netanya. We were waiting for my university colleague's extended family to arrive. They were coming from the coastal plain. It was pouring rain, but given Israeli driving habits, downpours