Policy Analysis

Nearly six months after the demonstrations that followed June's disputed presidential election, Iran's pro-democracy "green movement" is as strong as ever. Rallies took place in downtown Tehran today, having been in the works for months through Twitter, blogs, and word of mouth. Iran, it seems, is on the verge of

Since the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is perhaps the single most animating regional conflict for many Arabs and Muslims, its resonance provides al-Qaeda with a powerful rhetorical tool for radicalization, recruitment, and fundraising. Matthew Levitt's article shows how al-Qaeda has always been interested in the Palestinian issue, demonstrates the gap between al-Qaeda's

On October 25, a coalition government in Germany, comprising the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU), and Free Democrat Party (FDP), formed a new cabinet. The following statements by prominent representatives of Germany's new coalition partners -- voicing both strong opposition to Turkey's EU accession by the CDU-CSU

On Oct. 24, Kurdish migrant farm workers started a fight in the town of Ipsala, in the northwest region of Turkey. After the Kurdish workers apparently harassed local girls, some of the town's youth attacked the workers in retaliation. The conflict escalated, and the Kurdish workers were forced to take

On October 31, Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) will hold its sixth party conference. Coming a year prior to the November 2010 parliamentary elections, the NDP will use the conference to articulate its platform and campaign agenda. Broadly speaking, much of the party's electoral strategy has already emerged, via

PolicyWatch #1594 is the second in a two-part series discussing trends in Somalia. This piece focuses on peacebuilding efforts and Somalia's ties to terrorism, while PolicyWatch #1593 addresses the country's growing insurgency. On September 14, 2009, U.S. special forces killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a senior leader of al-Qaeda's East

PolicyWatch #1593 is the first in a two-part series discussing trends in Somalia. This piece focuses on the country's growing insurgency, while PolicyWatch #1594 addresses peacebuilding efforts and Somalia's ties to terrorism. During her recent tour of Africa, U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton held a press conference with Sheikh

Turkey's ties with its neighbors have been transformed since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power almost seven years ago in November 2002. Some analysts have described the AKP's foreign policy as a "zero problems with neighbors" approach. Under the AKP, Ankara has indeed eliminated problems and built

In early October, Turkey disinvited Israel from Anatolian Eagle, an annual Turkish air force exercise that it had held with Israel, NATO, and the United States since the mid-1990s. It marked the first time Turkey's governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) let its increasingly anti-Western rhetoric spill into its foreign

How does one deal with and explain rising anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism, and anti-Israeli sentiments in Turkey? A dangerous tendency is to look into the historic roots of these phenomena and explain them as being hardwired in the Turkish polity, not as products of current politics. This is a trap that Turks

Chart of Hamas IDQB organization from Policy Focus #97, "Hamas in Combat: The Military Performance of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement," by Yoram Cohen and Jeffrey White. Copyright 2009 Th eWashington Institute

Chart documenting Hamas rocket command-and-control system from Policy Focus #97, "Hamas in Combat: The Military Performance of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement," by Yoram Cohen and Jeffrey White. Copyright 2009 The Washington Institute

Advocates for engaging Hamas often argue that if the group is given a stake in the creation of an independent Palestine by being included in peace negotiations, it will moderate its positions. This co-optation argument is based on the misguided assumption that Hamas is a pragmatic nationalistic movement, motivated primarily

Chart of Hamas military and security apparatus structure from Policy Focus #97, "Hamas in Combat: The Military Performance of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement," by Yoram Cohen and Jeffrey White. Copyright 2009 The Washington Institute

Press release describing "Zionist Losses" in 2008-2009 Gaza conflict, posted on IDQB website, from Policy Focus #97, "Hamas in Combat: The Military Performance of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement," by Yoram Cohen and Jeffrey White. Copyright 2009 The Washington Institute

Chart of Hamas decisionmaking structure from Policy Focus #97, "Hamas in Combat: The Military Performance of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement," by Yoram Cohen and Jeffrey White. Copyright 2009 The Washington Institute

Battalion command-and-control structure of Hamas IDQB from Policy Focus #97, "Hamas in Combat: The Military Performance of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement," by Yoram Cohen and Jeffrey White. Copyright 2009 The Washington Institute

Timeline of the 2008-2009 Gaza conflict from Policy Focus #97, "Hamas in Combat: The Military Performance of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement," by Yoram Cohen and Jeffrey White. Copyright 2009 The Washington Institute

Hamas lines of defense in the 2008-2009 Gaza Conflict from Policy Focus #97, "Hamas in Combat: The Military Performance of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement," by Yoram Cohen and Jeffrey White. Copyright 2009 The Washington Institute

Deployment of Hamas forces in the 2008-2009 Gaza conflict from Policy Focus #97, "Hamas in Combat: The Military Performance of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement," by Yoram Cohen and Jeffrey White. Copyright 2009 The Washington Institute