Policy Analysis

On February 2, 2011, Robert Satloff, J. Scott Carpenter, Dina Guirguis, and David Schenker addressed a special Policy Forum luncheon at The Washington Institute. The following is an edited version of Dr. Satloff's opening remarks and responses to questions; a summary of the other presentations was published separately as PolicyWatch

The Egyptian Armed Forces (EAF) is perhaps the key actor in the current crisis. Although it has largely remained aloof from the struggle in the streets and has yet to show its hand regarding the fate of the regime, many are counting on it to act in the nation's interest

The Obama administration's primary counterterrorism challenge is to articulate a counterradicalization policy that confronts the problem through a whole-of-government approach, augmented by nongovernmental and societal efforts.

On February 2, Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power since 1978, declared that he would not press for a constitutional amendment allowing him to seek another term during the next election, currently scheduled for 2013. He also pledged that he would not pass power to his

A crucial player in Egypt's evolving political crisis, Mohammed ElBaradei is a lawyer by profession and the former head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, from which he retired last year. He was awarded -- along with the IAEA -- the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic role

On February 1, after weeks of protests in the south and three days of larger protests in Amman focused largely on economics, unemployment, and corruption, Jordan's King Abdullah fired his government and appointed Marouf al-Bakhit as his new prime minister. Changing governments is a routine response to popular discontent in

The New York Times convened an online panel of four Middle East experts to discuss what the crisis in Egypt means for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

In charting policy that addresses the swiftly moving events in Egypt, it is vital for U.S. leaders to maintain a focus on core U.S. interests. In this regard, President Obama and his national security team should consider a public posture that reflects the following statement: American interests are best served

Dina Guirguis discusses the rhetoric of and the piecemeal U.S. response to the Cairo demonstrations.

In December 2008, J. Scott Carpenter published a Washington Institute Strategic Report, Views of Arab Democrats, in which he distilled advice from Arab democrats to the newly elected Obama administration. The recent turmoil in Egypt points to the timeliness of this report, particularly the chapter addressing whether U.S. support of Arab prodemocracy efforts is in U.S. national interests.

Robert Satloff makes specific recommendations for actions the U.S. government can take to support reform in Tunisia.

The current wave of protests in Egypt has pitted thousands of demonstrators against the police and Central Security Forces (CSF). The performance of these forces is key to the outcome of the crisis. If they can contain the demonstrations without excessive violence, the protests will likely burn themselves out over

Ensuring that U.S.-Egyptian friendship is deeply rooted and sustainable beyond a potential political transition means that the bilateral relationship cannot rest solely on President Mubarak.

Michael Singh discusses the foreign policy implications of President Obama's 2010 State of the Union address.

Inspired by events in Tunisia, tens of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets on January 25 in major cities from Alexandria to Cairo, the largest demonstrations to hit the country since the bread riots of the 1970s. The government, which did not initially confront demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square

Egypt, long a pillar of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, faces an imminent transition -- not only politically but societally. In the fall of 2011, Egypt will hold its second ever multi-candidate presidential elections. This will follow recent parliamentary elections that served as a bellwether for next year's

On January 23, 2011, the New York Times ran a story on the Institute Strategic Report Imagining the Border: Options for Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian Territorial Issue, by David Makovsky. In that article, the Times described to the Institute as "a pro-Israel think tank." Institute executive director Robert Satloff's response, reprinted here, appeared on January 25 in the Times.

The United States has an ambassador in Syria for the first time in nearly six years. Now what?

On January 20, 2011, David Makovsky and Jackson Diehl addressed a special Policy Forum luncheon at The Washington Institute marking the release of the new study Imagining the Border: Options for Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian Territorial Issue. Mr. Makovsky is the Ziegler distinguished fellow and director of the Project on the

The United States has grown increasingly concerned about its relationship with Turkey under the Justice and Development Party (AKP). From rejecting expanded sanctions against Iran to downgrading bilateral ties with Israel, the AKP seems bent on radically transforming its longstanding partnership with the West on key regional issues. And since