All Policy Analysis by David Pollock

The May 28 meeting between the U.S. and Iranian ambassadors to Iraq was mostly notable for its length -- four hours -- and the lack of anything to show for all that time together. And the very next day, Iran announced that three detained Iranian Americans visiting their homeland, including

Introduction Almost all Arab polls show widespread disapproval of American policies, both in Iraq and in the Arab-Israeli arena -- and negative overall images of the U.S., especially since we went to war in Iraq. On the brighter side, there is some polling evidence that certain Arab publics increasingly reject

Does this week's surprise U.S. declaration of a new international conference on Iraq, scheduled for March 10, represent a major shift in U.S. policy or just a minor shuffle? Why is it happening now? And will it have any more of an impact than other recent international meetings on Iraq

As Israel's new prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, presents his government to the Knesset, the international community is still searching for indications about his intentions. The incoming government's personnel and policy guidelines will be minutely scrutinized for clues. More intangible, but also more important, will be Netanyahu's own operating structure and

Israel's elections are a watershed event: by a margin of less than 1 percentage point Benjamin Netanyahu will become the first directly elected prime minister in Israel's history (a full list of prime ministerial and parliamentary election results appears at the end of this article). Among Jewish Israelis, the differential

As Secretary Christopher meets Syrian Foreign Minister Shar'a in New York, it is clear that a deep chill has descended over Syrian-Israeli peacemaking in just the few weeks since the chorus of calls, at the Oslo B signing ceremonies, for President Assad to join the expanding "circle of peace." Encouraging

In the Middle East, the Gulf War shattered many stereotypes and preconceived notions, not least among them, about the so-called “Arab street.” Commentators regularly depict a mythologized and often demonized “Arab street”—an ominous urban mass that is sometimes depicted as intimidating regimes, sometimes as being held captive by them; and