Policy Analysis

With the dust clearing on the public relations "spin" suggested by competing Arab, Israeli and American observers of the Middle East/North Africa Economic Conference held in Cairo two weeks ago, a detached assessment of that now-annual event would underscore the surprising durability of new regional institutions at times of political

With press reportage focusing on "Saudi Hezbollah" as the culprit of the al-Khobar Towers bombing, the challenge posed to the Saudi regime by the kingdom's minority Shi`i population has again drawn the world's attention. Historically, the Saudis have preferred to focus blame for internal problems on the Shi`is, rather than

The Cairo Economic Summit comes at an exciting time for Middle East regional cooperation. Regional countries have made substantial progress toward economic reform, including steps toward privatization and structural reform. Unfortunately, although all states in the region have a strong interest in promoting regional cooperation, only 7 percent of regional

The 1991 Gulf War and the post-war Arab-Israeli peace process fundamentally altered the relationship between the Levant and the Persian Gulf and prompted widespread regional and international interest in new security frameworks for the Middle East. Various existing proposals reveal divergent national positions on the future shape and boundaries of

Two weeks ago, on the anniversary of the 1973 October War, Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlas told an interviewer that it was a "Zionist fabrication" that "President al-Asad had an opportunity to regain the Golan but refused to do so." Tlas' remarks are only the most recent in a series

Seeking to achieve stability in northern Iraq as part of a longer-term effort to bring down Saddam Hussein, Assistant Secretary of State Robert Pelletreau this week completed a round of meetings in Turkey with feuding Iraqi Kurdish leaders. However, prospects for success of this effort are minimal, the durability of

Keynote discussion between Eliahu Ben Elissar and Hasan Abdel Rahman. With Ze'ev Schiff, Abbas Kelidar, Samuel Lewis, Walter Cutler, and others.

Three years ago, I had the honor of sharing the dais with Israel's chief Oslo negotiator, Uri Savir. We were both full of hope and enthusiasm about the future of Israelis and Palestinians working together in partnership to achieve peace -- peace based on mutuality, reciprocity, and recognition of dignity

The Middle East is not more dangerous today than it was in 1992; it may be as hectic, but it is not more dangerous. The question is where to go from here with the Oslo agreement in order to achieve full and lasting peace. Everything that has happened in the

The promise of Oslo evoked high expectations of reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis. Its danger, however, lies in the mechanisms Oslo outlined to reach that reconciliation and the exaggerated expectations Oslo produced. A unique dynamic of the Oslo process is that the further one proceeds, the more difficult are the

Last week's serious crisis provides a number of important lessons. Although the Washington summit produced assurances from both sides to avoid violence, similar pledges have been made in the past and have been violated. Unless serious steps are taken by both sides, it is likely that last week's understanding will

The Cairo Economic Summit will take place as scheduled. Egypt is preparing for it and anticipating a constructive conference. This conference comes in the context of Egypt's overall structural reform program, initiated twelve years ago, when the government set out "to make Egypt a better place to live." This program

As Israelis and Palestinians meet at the Erez junction, Syrian President Hafiz al-Asad will be watching closely. Before the West Bank/Gaza rioting, Syrian troop movements reminded Israelis of the 1973 Yom Kippur surprise attack, prompting a war scare. In the wake of the riots, Prime Minister Netanyahu came to Washington

While the last two weeks have focused on the Israeli-Palestinian clashes, the Washington summit and the "war scare" with Syria, inside Lebanon the main political drama concerned the concluding rounds of parliamentary elections. These, as expected, produced a Syria-friendly legislature. Initial euphoria in some quarters about the early losses suffered

In 1989 Jordan began implementing an economic reform program. The program was interrupted by the Gulf crisis but resumed in 1992 encompassing both economic and political reforms. Objectives of Reform The government's main objective in reform is to enhance the lives of Jordanian citizens. It would seem that basic economic

"I want to repeat here once again our commitment to security cooperation with Israel and our commitment to cooperate with Israel in all aspects in accordance with the agreement signed. This cooperation with Israel in all fields will continue irrespective of our political differences." —Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, September

In 1992 a spectrum of Iraqi dissidents met in Vienna, Austria and then in Salahuddin, northern Iraq (under Kurdish control), and established the Iraqi National Congress (INC) to lead the opposition to Saddam Hussein. The INC opposes the use of force as the solution for ethnic and nationality problems and

The new Israeli government inherited from the Labor party a timetable for the completion of final status negotiations by the summer of 1999. The Labor government also developed the principle of an Israeli-Palestinian agreement based on some form of separation and partition of Eretz Yisrael into two distinct political entities

In recent days, the Clinton Administration has articulated a clear distinction between U.S. strategic interests in southern Iraq and solely humanitarian concerns in northern Iraq. Following are statements since the end of the Gulf War chronicling the evolution of this policy. "[O]ur interest in the Kurds in [northern Iraq] is

In terms of domestic political opinion in Iraq, Saddam won a significant victory in the recent operation in northern Iraq. His prestige is greater than it has ever been since the Gulf War, and he has positioned himself well for at least the next year. In about a years time