Policy Analysis

In the contemporary Middle East, threats of political instability are both real and imagined, and differentiating between the two is no easy task. Myths, such as the region's near-congenital predisposition for instability, abound, but when rapid change (e.g., Iraq's invasion of Kuwait) does occur, Western governments are often caught off-guard

Executive Summary The government of Islamic Iran has long been split between "radicals" and "moderates" on matters of economic and social policy. The principal changes instituted by the moderates after they came to power with the election of Hachemi Rafsanjani as President in 1989 have been a greater reliance on

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In the Middle East, the Gulf War shattered many stereotypes and preconceived notions, not least among them, about the so-called “Arab street.” Commentators regularly depict a mythologized and often demonized “Arab street”—an ominous urban mass that is sometimes depicted as intimidating regimes, sometimes as being held captive by them; and

The end of the Cold War has created a unique opportunity to promote a comprehensive peace settlement between the Arabs and Israel. American interests are still vitally engaged in this troubled region and lasting Arab-Israeli agreements can help to protect and promote them. With the next administration inevitably preoccupied with

The period in which we live today is unique, and we cannot assume that the conditions and forces that have created this moment in history will continue to be the same in the coming years. From the point of view of Israel, we live in a unique period created by

Arabs and Israelis alike recognize the critical importance of water to the peace process and the future of regional economic cooperation. It is estimated that between 100 and 150 million cubic meters of the Yarmuk River waters flow to the Jordan River and are lost, unused in the Dead Sea

Formerly, in the Middle East, many countries used to earn their living from the conflict between the two superpowers; first, between the French and the British, and later on between the United States and the Soviet Union. As a result of this conflict, many countries got aid, financial, political, and

Keynote addresses by Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres. With Michael Mandelbaum, Martin Indyk, Steven Spiegel, Mordechai Gur, James Roche, Geoffrey Kemp, and Stuart Eizenstat.

Under the leadership of President Hafez al-Assad, Syria has emerged as the leading Arab military power. With Egypt at peace with Israel and Iraq weakened and isolated, Syria remains the only Arab state which currently poses a military threat to Israel. Future decisions concerning war or peace in the region

Of the many strategic interests that United States and its allies have in the Middle East, surely one of the most crucial is securing energy supplies from the region. The Gulf War of 1991 demonstrated the importance of Middle East oil in the international community’s strategic calculus. Since the oil

Keynote addresses by Gordon Oehler and Gary Kasimov. With Zalmay Khalilzad, Bulent Aliriza, Peter Rodman, Shimon Shamir, and others.

We are approaching an anniversary that I'm sure is etched in your minds, the thirtieth anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, when we faced hostile, nuclear- tipped missiles less than 100 miles from our shores. As President Kennedy prepared to respond to this threat, he sent envoys to each of

Now that we in Kazakhstan have won our independence we clearly see how far we are lagging behind the rest of the world. Our state policy is aimed at opening doors to the world. We seek the cooperation of the U.S. and the rest of the industrialized world, not only

For nearly four decades, King Hussein of Jordan has managed to survive and consolidate his rule in the face of difficult internal and external circumstances. Indeed, Hussein’s will to survive has been and will remain the central organizing principle of his statecraft. In this Policy Paper, Uriel Dann, highlights the

Hamas--the Islamic Resistance Movement--arose during the intifada as the organization of Palestinian Muslim fundamentalists of the West Bank and Gaza. Because it views the Arab-Israeli conflict as a religious struggle between Islam and Judaism that can only be resolved by the destruction of the State of Israel, it opposes the

The collapse of the Soviet bloc and the end of the Cold War have come almost too swiftly to be registered. As Czechoslovakia's dissident-turned-President Vaclav Havel has said, one no longer has even the time to be astonished. No less striking than the demise of Soviet power has been the

Executive Summary Since the formation of Iraq in 1920, the Sunni minority has held power and played the Shi'a and Kurdish minorities against each other. Aside from their shared enmity towards the Baghdad government, the Shi'a and the Kurds have nothing in common. The Iraqi opposition is structurally weak and

Executive Summary Israel enters a new peace process at a time of considerable short-term safety and long-term uncertainty. The social and demographic consequences of the Gulf War have not fully expressed themselves on the politics of the region, while the military role of Iraq in the future is hard to