Policy Analysis

On October 18, Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia will begin two days of talks in Pakistan. One of the subjects that may be discussed is the potential transfer of Pakistani nuclear missiles to Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has long been suspected of funding Pakistan's nuclear program; given recent revelations

The bombing of a U.S. convoy in Gaza today, which killed three American contract employees of the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv and injured a fourth, is neither unprecedented nor unexpected. Indeed, U.S. embassy employees narrowly escaped injury in a similar attack on June 28, 2003, when unknown assailants detonated

The Republic of Azerbaijan, a secular, predominately Shii-populated state, will hold presidential elections on October 15, 2003. The state borders Iran, produces significant quantities of oil and gas, and conducts a pro-American foreign policy. The capital, Baku, maintains extremely close ties with Turkey, including military cooperation, and is friendly to

With Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy frozen, it is not surprising that the world is focusing its attention on the barrier that the Israelis are building in the West Bank. Israelis say it is about security. Palestinians say the "apartheid wall" is about Israeli imposition and land-grabs. For the Bush administration, it is

Over the past two years of the war on terror, the United States has significantly toughened its procedures for obtaining visas to enter the US, including requiring more face-to-face interviews and eliminating a transit-visa program officials feared terrorists were planning to use to sneak into the country. Despite these efforts

Lebanon and occupying Syria have downplayed the threat of Asbat al-Ansar ever since the al-Qaeda affiliate was named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. government on September 23, 2001. Made up of only a few hundred fighters, Asbat was thought to be contained within Ein al-Hilweh, a Palestinian

On September 10, 2003, Matthew Levitt, senior fellow in terrorism studies at The Washington Institute, testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security. The following is an edited version of his remarks. Read the full transcript. Financing Terrorism Well into the war on terror, Saudi Arabia

The surprise announcement that Robert Jordan, U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, will leave his post by mid-October means that Washington will lack an authoritative voice in the kingdom at a crucial time in the war on terror. One State Department official has claimed that Jordan's resignation was for personal reasons

Testimony before the House International Relations Committee Mr. Chairman, thank you for giving me the chance to come here today and speak about Turkey and the future of U.S.-Turkish relations. It's an honor to have been invited to testify before this prestigious body. We have a number of issues to

In its eighty-page report Changing Minds, Winning Peace, issued earlier today, the State Department's Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim World -- chaired by Edward Djerejian -- delivered a refreshingly blunt assessment of many of the failures in Washington's efforts to deliver its message to Muslims

Testimony before the House International Affairs Committee Mr. Chairman, in the interests of time, and as there are members of the panel more qualified than I to address Turkey's internal dynamics, I will with your permission focus my prepared remarks on matters relating to U.S. -Turkish relations. Strategic Partnership In

Reports about U.S. casualties inevitably take top billing in media coverage of postwar Iraq. Yet, assessing how Iraqis themselves view the current situation is, arguably, just as important for evaluating progress in Iraq. Two recent public opinion polls have provided systematic data about Iraqi views, and this data in turn

No sooner was Saddam Hussein chased from power than CNN revealed that it had often held its tongue about his savagery for fear of losing access to Iraq and provoking violent retribution. Although the confession was stunning, it was only the most recent chapter in a long story. Tyrannies have

Songul Capuk, Iraqi Governing Council: In the name of God, most compassionate and merciful, I offer my thanks on behalf of the Iraqi Governing Council for the honor and appreciation this conference has shown to us. God willing, we will meet the world's best expectations. I make this statement on

There were traditionally two Israeli schools of thought on Iranian proliferation. One viewed Iran as a major problem because of the nature of the regime that took power in the 1979 revolution, the line that the regime took in Lebanon opposing any negotiations with Israel, and its heavy involvement in

The Palestinian political leadership agreed to the Roadmap without condition for several reasons. First, we supported it as a collective international project to resolve the Palestinian issue and implement President George W. Bush's vision for peace in the Middle East. Second, the Roadmap includes a clear indication that the State

Discussing U.S.-Iranian relations in the aftermath of the Iraq war and in light of recent international pressure to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions is not an easy task. There are contending players and policy options that both countries may pursue -- depending on their respective political dynamics at home. The

Contrary to some expectations, I believe there is a good chance to turn the peace process around and continue a serious and meaningful dialogue between the Israeli government and the Palestinian representatives. (It is hard for me to say "the Palestinian government" at this point. I hope that there will

I have been asked to address Iran's nuclear program from a technical point of view. One of the roles the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) has played is to push for more effective nuclear inspections worldwide. That often means more intrusive ones, and Iran has attracted a lot

When I look at the set of challenges we face in the Middle East, it seems like a lot of elements are now being pushed to the fore -- Iran, Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and democratization. One issue that always has garnered less attention in the region is economics