Policy Analysis

Kabul has fallen and the Taliban has collapsed. The Bush administration has demonstrated that it has the might and political willpower to pursue the war against terrorists and their sponsors. Well, some of them. According to the most recent State Department "Patterns of Global Terrorism" report, Iran is "the most

The events of September 11 have underscored the connection between two parallel wars: one pits the United States against terrorism, while the other is the battle between Israel and its terrorist foes. No one is more interested in the success of America's new war than Israel. Israel has no intention

The Middle East Studies Association of North America convenes Saturday in San Francisco. Its membership includes 2,600 "experts" on the Middle East, most of them based in universities. On Sept. 21, MESA's board issued a statement on the terror attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It encapsulates

Since the 1970s, nearly every European country has been afflicted by terrorism. The majority of these acts, however, were homegrown and warranted a domestic response rather than an international one. International connections did exist, but they were peripheral rather than central to the enterprise. When acts of international terrorism were

Secretary of State Colin Powell is planning to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi at the United Nations on Monday. This comes soon after six senators feted Iran's U.N. ambassador at the Capitol. These overtures are a bad idea and could not come at a worse time. The Islamic

When the U.N. General Assembly session begins tomorrow, Secretary of State Colin Powell and foreign ministers from Russia and Afghanistan's neighbors will meet to discuss the war on terrorism. All eyes will be on whether Mr. Powell meets his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi. The State Department has argued

On October 30, Iranian parliamentarian Elaheh Kula'i appeared before the Majlis and warned that a reluctance to implement UN resolutions regarding terrorism could result in "consequences" for the Islamic republic. Kula'i was specifically referring to UN Security Council Resolution (UNSC) 1373, which outlines the financial and legal measures that UN

Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, will begin on November 16. Some in the United States and abroad have suggested that a moratorium in military operations would be appropriate. Others see no reason to stop. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has stated that "history is replete with instances where

Despite the current tense situation, there has been no change in the fundamentals of the Israel-U.S. relationship. Israel understands the unique character of the relationship and will do what it can to accommodate vital U.S. needs. If post-September 11, the United States needs Israel to maintain a lower profile, so

There are three basic elements of an integrated public diplomacy campaign -- media, education, and exchange. More needs to be done in each arena. But before the government falls prey to the appeal of waging "information warfare" via the airwaves as the main way to complement the military campaign now

The appearance of senior U.S. officials on the Qatari-based al-Jazeera satellite news channel is the first sign that Washington is taking seriously the need for enhanced "public diplomacy" as a vital component in the war against terrorism. In this arena, however, urgency needs to be tempered with realism. Rushing to

Over the last week, Iran has seen the most extensive rioting since the 1979 revolution. On Sunday, October 21, official accounts showed that public buildings, including thirty-two nationalized bank branches, were attacked in fifty-four Tehran neighborhoods. Rioting also occurred in cities across the country, with at least 180 arrested in

Arafat does not have a designated successor, and none of the contenders for his mantle will be able to take over all of his functions and responsibilities. The Palestinian Authority (PA) revolves around Arafat and his leadership style; thus, in the immediate wake of his death, the PA will malfunction

On October 16, 2001, Martin Kramer addressed The Washington Institute's Special Policy Forum. Dr. Kramer recently became editor of Middle East Quarterly, having finished a six-year term as director of Tel Aviv University's Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies. At the forum, he presented Ivory Towers on

"Anyone who thinks Islam is a religion of peace has never been to the Sudan," said the county commissioner in Malual Kon, a small village nestled among farms and swampy grassland about ten miles from the front line of the country's civil war. There, where Christians and animists have spent

What kind of ally is Saudi Arabia? To Americans who watch with frustration as the Saudis prevaricate on the use of military bases there, the answer is clear: They aren't acting like allies at all. This frustration is turning to outrage as details emerge of Saudi unwillingness even to run

I would like to begin by explaining a profoundly important difference between Middle Eastern and American culture. In the United States, the phrase "that's ancient history" is commonly used to dismiss something as no longer important, relevant, or worthy of serious concern. Young Americans tend to have a truncated view

There is an old adage that the first casualty of war is the truth. If offering up this casualty can spare real casualties in lives, it is worth sacrificing some truth. I heard it said the other day, by a very accomplished analyst of the Middle East, that this is

For five years, Osama bin Laden made his home in Sudan. Five years on, the country remains a safe haven not only for the al-Qa'eda organisation, but also for Islamic Jihad, Hamas and the Egyptian terrorist organisation al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya. Yet, Sudan has played its diplomatic cards exceptionally well since September

Three recurring themes have marred much of the recent analysis of terrorism. First, many analysts downplay the danger of Islamic militants by arguing that they represent a very small percentage of the Muslim population. This argument is specious; September 11 should be enough to illustrate that small can be lethal