All Policy Analysis by Ray Takeyh

After much experimentation, the Clinton administration settled on a policy of incremental normalization with Iran, whereby the United States and Iran would gradually improve their relations through mutual concessions and confidence-building measures. As the Bush team assesses policy options towards Iran, it is important to note the meager results of

The Lockerbie trial’s adjournment for much of the past two months did not curtail speculation on new evidence and sources. During the period of adjournment both the prosecution and defense carried out investigations throughout European capitals and unidentified third countries. After all this intrigue, it does appear that Lockerbie trial

While the international media focus on the Israeli-Palestinian fighting in the West Bank and Gaza, at least 600 Africans have been killed in riots in Libya. The massacre of African immigrants may have wider reverberations and foster important changes in Libya's foreign policy. Since his return to the international stage

The Lockerbie trial restarts on Tuesday, October 17, after a three-week recess. This recess was requested by the prosecution, who in a puzzling move, asked for time to investigate new evidence of "considerable sensitivity." Prior to the adjournment, the prosecution had introduced its star witness, a double agent with first-hand

While Philippine soldiers may not have succeeded in freeing Western hostages--including American Jeffrey Schilling--the ongoing standoff in the faraway Pacific has provided one more opportunity for Libyan leader Mu'ammar Qaddafi to rehabilitate his tarnished international image. Qaddafi's latest humanitarian effort--ransoming hostages--reflects Libya's "new" diplomacy of offering to mediate regional conflicts

At a time when U.S. global power seems absolute, the presidential candidates are assiduously avoiding thorny international security issues. Such complacency is misguided because the U.S. faces a greater terrorist threat now than at any point in the past. The next president will have to confront not just the challenge

Iranian President Muhammad Khatami's international charm offensive continues at the UN Millennium Summit, where today he hosts a "Dialogue of Civilizations" and tomorrow he speaks to the General Assembly. Meanwhile, at home, Khatami faces violence rather than dialogue, raising doubts about Iran's peaceful reform. The Iranian Charm Offensive. Last week

The Lockerbie trial about to be resumed in the Netherlands will soon enter one of its most important stages. In the coming sessions a critical witness, a Libyan double agent, will take the stand. The testimony of this defector is expected to confirm not just the complicity of the suspects

The much-anticipated trial of two Libyans accused of downing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, has now been in session for two weeks. In this brief period, important developments have already taken place both inside and outside the courtroom. Although prior to the trial, there was much speculation on

After eleven years of legal and political maneuverings, the Lockerbie trial is finally set to begin on May 3 in Camp Zeist, Netherlands. The two suspects, Abdel Basset al-Megrahi and Al Amin Khalifa Fahima, stand accused of perpetrating one of the worst acts of terrorism in history. The explosion of

For two decades now, the Islamic Republic of Iran has confounded the American foreign policy community, whose members have oscillated wildly between urgent appeals to normalize relations with Tehran and equally determined bids to contain its influence. In the latest swing of the pendelum, a chorus of voices--including those of

Mercurial Libyan leader Mu'ammar Qadhafi continues to disappoint those who hope for moderation. His April 3 speech at the Africa-European Union (EU) summit, much heralded as a sign of where Libya is headed, was old-fashioned bombast. Although much may have changed in the international community, Qadhafi's commitment to "anti-imperialism" and

On March 1, Libyan leader Col. Muammar Qadhafi announced the most sweeping changes in Libya's political structure since the launching of the Jamahiriyya (state of masses) in 1977. In a surprising move, the colonel dismissed his prime minister and foreign minister while abolishing twelve other ministries altogether. Qadhafi insisted that

In the past ten days, Libyan leader Mu‘ammar Qadhafi has made progress in his efforts to achieve international respectability. After fifteen years, a British ambassador, Richard Dalton, arrived in Tripoli pledging to help Libya return to the “mainstream of the international community.” And Colonel Qadhafi’s status as mediator of thorny

Since the handover of the suspects in the 1988 bombing of PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, Col. Mu'ammar Qadhafi has embarked on a series of diplomatic initiatives suggesting a fundamental reorientation of Libya's foreign policy. The once-uncompromising ideologue has embraced the mantle of a statesman who appears to adhere

Testimony before the House Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on Africa "I have no time to lose talking with Arabs.... I now talk about Pan-Africanism and African unity." With this declaration, Mu'ammar Qadhafi apparently proclaimed a new era in Libya's foreign policy. In recent weeks, the colonel has buttressed this

American and Libyan diplomats are slated to meet tomorrow at the United Nations in what will be the first face-to-face discussions in more than a decade. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss whether sanctions against Libya, which are currently suspended, should be permanently lifted. However this issue is

Libya today handed over two suspects in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Having worked out a deal that insulates the regime from any further blame, Tripoli finally accepted the offer of a trial to be held at a neutral site under Scottish rules. Less obvious, given Libya's

Libya's economic decomposition has led to the rise of an Islamic opposition. The Islamists are increasingly allying with the Libyan armed forces, forming a pragmatic union that is likely to define Libya's political future in the post-Qaddafi period. Background. In the pre-Qaddafi period, Islam played a central role in Libya's