Policy Analysis

Student demonstrations in Iran this week have exposed the unpopularity of the Islamic Republic, which, among other problems, imposes medieval restrictions on women and has presided over the halving of the average Iranian's income. The question for the U.S. is how best to support the forces of change. European governments

To be taken by surprise by events in Iran has become almost routine. The election victory of Mohammed Khatemi in May 1997 came as a surprise. Now, with the student demonstrations during the past week, Iran has once again surprised us with perhaps the biggest challenge to the Islamic regime

Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak has identified peace with Syria and Lebanon as a vital strategic objective and, shortly before leaving for Washington, met with Golan residents to remind them that he believes he was elected to achieve that goal. An understanding between Barak and President Bill Clinton about how

President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Ehud Barak have vowed to recreate the personal partnership and strategic coordination that characterized the late Yitzhak Rabin's term of office. On the Palestinian track, however, much has happened since 1996 to change the nature of the Oslo process. New agreements -- over Hebron

Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak arrives in Washington this week amid an aura of unprecedented anticipation and expectation. His main goal is to reaffirm a multifaceted partnership between Israel and the United States and to sketch a basic understanding on the strategic goals and operational plans for advancing the Arab-Israeli

Crown Prince Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz, who has run the affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the ailing King Fahd since November 1995, released four of the country's leading Sunni radical fundamentalists on June 25; they had served nearly five years. The most well-known of them, Shaykhs Salman

Kuwait is in a region characterized by contradictions and dichotomies between young and old, state and society, religion and politics, and national identity and globalization. The Kuwaiti experiment is part of a regional experiment, and what takes place there has an impact on the Arab world, particularly on the other

Israel-Palestinian Peace Process: In Israel and the Arab world, the mood is changing with respect to peace. In Israel, the recent elections were evidence of soul-searching. Although Israelis have diverse views on peace, last month they looked at the region and decided they needed a change. Most Israelis are now

Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Subcommitte on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs MR. CLAWSON: Thank you. It's an honor to be here with you today. I've submitted a statement for the record. And if you'll permit me, I would like just to summarize that briefly. SEN. BROWNBACK

Adapting U.S. Policy for the New Israeli Government Paul Wolfowitz: U.S. policies should not change every time a new government is elected in Israel. U.S. policymakers have become too invested in the internal politics of foreign countries, in particular Israel and Russia. The United States should support the policies of

Israel. Gen. Ehud Barak was elected with a remarkable mandate. The Israeli electorate decided that Israel was stuck on several fronts -- social issues, the economy, and peace -- and needed a new prime minister to get things moving. Change cannot be expected immediately, though, and Barak deserves time to

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members are discussing in the corridors two proposals for a new Iraq resolution designed to restart UN inspections of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by offering Saddam Husayn the prospect of some relief from sanctions. The details of the two competing proposals are important

Yesterday's cabinet reshuffle in Saudi Arabia was another sign that the kingdom is going down a path toward a government that is more professional, more transparent, and more accountable. The cautious Saudis' penchant for slow steps can mask how much change is occurring. In some ways, the most important aspect

Keynote address by Dennis Ross. With David Makovsky, Mahdi F. Abdul Hadi, Colette Avital, Yuval Steinitz, Thomas Donilon, and Paul Wolfowitz.

I am appearing here tonight at what can only be described as an interesting time. There has been an election in Israel and there is a new prime minister, Ehud Barak, who won with a remarkable mandate. It is fair to say that the Israeli electorate perceived that the country

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

Dr. Adnan Pacachi, former Iraqi foreign minister and United Nations (UN) representative: The Iraqi opposition represents the yearnings and aspirations of Iraqis, who after years of oppression and dictatorship want a democratic and pluralistic government that protects the human rights of all its citizens. Saddam Husayn led Iraq into two

For more than a year, Palestinian leaders have advanced the original partition resolution -- United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution 181 of 1947 -- as the cornerstone of their diplomatic effort to gain international support for independent statehood. Whereas this was originally a tactic adopted to confront the policies of

Arab Middle Eastern reactions to the Kosovo conflict can be described as a deafening quiet. Arabs are generally distraught by the plight of the ethnic Albanian Kosovars and tend to blame Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic for their suffering. Many Arabs feel that the Kosovars are not pious Muslims, however, so

Turkmenistan president Saparmurad Niyazov today signed an agreement with Turkey's energy and natural resources minister, Ziya Aktash, to supply Turkmen natural gas to Turkey via a trans-Caspian pipeline. Later this month, work will begin on a much-delayed oil pipeline to carry oil from fields operated by a Chevron-led consortium in