Policy Analysis

The Israeli-Palestinian portion of President Obama's May 19 speech generated much more attention than his comments on trade, investment, and development initiatives to promote growth and opportunities across the Middle East. Yet without a strong and credible economic program, efforts to advance Washington's political and security agenda in the region

Within the Islamic Republic of Iran, both the democratic movement and internal conflict raise questions about the regime's stability. Should Ayatollah Ali Khamenei die -- or become unable to carry out his position as supreme leader -- the regime's stability rests on the peaceful transition of power.

Yemen is experiencing a relative lull following the dramatic events of June 3-4, when government forces attacked the homes of senior opposition leaders and President Ali Saleh was seriously wounded in a palace bombing. Although skirmishes continue throughout the country, all sides are saving their strength for the major outbreak

Bashar al-Assad's June 20 speech at Damascus University was another disappointing attempt to quell three months of antiregime protests sweeping Syria.

Iran has been trying to claim credit for the Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt as being inspired by the 1979 Islamic revolution, yet the Syrian case has created the need for Iran to formulate a new narrative to explain why a genuine popular uprising was threatening its closest Arab ally.

On June 16, 2011, Isaac Herzog addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute to discuss Israel's next steps in the wake of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's recent visit to Washington. A member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Mr. Herzog has served in a number of senior

For almost two generations, major parts of academe have been alienated from America's exercise of power due to entrenched ideological differences with the federal government. Following President Obama's election, however, signs of a remarkable shift emerged, with more academics serving in policy positions, huddling with top officials behind closed doors

The conflict in Libya is now dominated by deliberate offensive warfare conducted by the rebels and NATO, and both Muammar Qadhafi and his regime will likely be gone by the end of this phase. The confrontation has been, and will continue to be, a very dramatic event: a once-powerful and

Those who fear Iranian nuclear weapons above all else tend to minimize the risks of using force, while those who fear war tend to exaggerate them.

Michael Singh, focusing on the current situation in Lebanon, cautions on the fragility of fledgling democracies.

An Interview by Bernard Gwertzman, CFR.org The Obama administration believes that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria is now in a "downward trajectory" because of the violence against its own people and the failure to undertake reforms, says Andrew J. Tabler, a former journalist in Syria. But the

Given the recent string of Saudi diplomatic failures, this year will be remembered as the moment when the world finally looked elsewhere for Gulf leadership.

On June 14, 2011, Michael Eisenstadt, David Pollock, and Michael Knights addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute to discuss their May 17-24 research trip to Iraqi Kurdistan. Mr. Eisenstadt, the director of the Institute's Military and Security Studies Program, served with the U.S. Army during Operation Provide Comfort

Washington, Ankara, and others should pay close attention to the Syrian refugees flowing into Turkey given their potential impact on the region.

Brothers and nephews of Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh with current status within the regime. Download high-resolution PDF. Copyright 2011 The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

President Obama made news last month in advocating a borders-and-security-first approach to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and articulating an official view that the territorial solution should be a return to the 1967 lines, amended by mutually agreed land swaps. Those who contend that there was nothing new in the president's comments fail

During his May 19 speech on the Middle East, President Obama defined America's policy objective in Syria by asking President Bashar al-Asad to either lead a political transition or "get out of the way." Asad shows no interest thus far in the former -- the death toll has reached 1,600

On June 3, 2011, Michael Knights, Lachlyn Soper, Andrew Lembke, and Barak Salmoni addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Dr. Knights is a Lafer fellow with the Institute and author of The Iraqi Security Forces: Local Context and U.S. Assistance. Ms. Soper is a social scientist for the

Islamist parties can moderate their platforms, but only with free elections and the checks of an independent media and strong opposition parties.

A made-by-AKP-only constitution would lack legitimacy in the eyes of half of Turkey, including many large businesses, Kurdish nationalists, liberal and secular Turks, and women.