Policy Analysis

On January 25, 1994, His Excellency Sheikh bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani, foreign minister of Qatar, addressed an off the record session of The Washington Institute's Policy Forum on regional security in the Persian Gulf. The following is a rapporteur's summary of his remarks. Security Arrangements in the Gulf and

Even as the historic signing of the Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on September 13, 1993 has raised hopes for an end to conflict, it has also created new challenges and opportunities for actually implementing peace in the Middle East. All the parties acknowledge that the political success of the peace

The hand-wringing that accompanied Boris Yeltsin's crushing of the neo-fascist uprising in Moscow last month deflected attention from an issue that really should keep U.S. policy-makers awake nights: Russia's attempt to resurrect an exclusive sphere of influence across the former Soviet Union. Like so many dominoes, the former Soviet republics

Keynote address by Warren Christopher. With Uri Savir, Hasan Abdel Rahman, and others.

The change that took place in Oslo is of historic dimensions. This process is irreversible; the Middle East will never be the same.ÿ The spirit of the accord was summarized in its preamble. In that preamble, the two parties agree that it is time to put an end to decades

Today, one can observe four major structural changes in our conflict with the Palestinians—a conflict that is moving towards resolution—and in the region as a whole. The first is that Palestinians and Israelis, through the breakthrough, are moving away from ideology and towards pragmatism in their relationship. This chiefly happened

The Peace Process: The First Nine Months It was with great personal satisfaction that I witnessed the signing of the Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles last month. That moment, captured indelibly by a handshake between old adversaries, showed us that the impossible is within our reach -- that the bright promise

The late President Anwar al-Sadat appeared to have lost much respect in the eyes of Egyptians and in the Arab world by the time of his assassination in 1981. Only in the past three years has the Arab world revised its negative image of Sadat and realized the foresight and

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 dealt Middle East rejectionists a crippling blow. For four decades, Moscow supplied "rogue" regimes throughout the region with massive quantities of arms with which to pursue their goals: fighting Israel, sponsoring terrorism, and attacking Western interests. Usually, these weapons were provided on

After the landmark agreements between Israel, the Palestinians and Jordan, all eyes turn toward Syria. Will President Hafez Assad also make Israel a peace offer it can't refuse? Or will he continue his double game of negotiating with one hand while supporting terror with the other? Consider this curious --

The promotion of democracy abroad, long a major tenet of U.S. foreign policy, has taken on newfound importance in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse. President Clinton has promised to make the promotion of democracy a key element of his foreign policy. The Middle East, a region where autocratic

The Clinton administration inherited a flawed Iraq policy from the Bush administration, but, in formulating a new policy, it has failed to accurately define those flaws. Its emphasis on "depersonalizing" the conflict with Iraq by shifting the focus from Saddam Hussein to Baghdad's compliance with relevant UN resolutions may mean

The challenge posed to the United States by the radical regimes in the Middle East -- Libya, Iraq, Iran, and Syria -- is one of the most important foreign policy issues facing Washington today. These regimes, although weakened by the demise of the USSR, have by no means been disabled

Despite its crushing defeat during the Gulf War, Iraq remains a potential regional power and the foremost long-term threat to U.S. interests in the Middle East. President Saddam Hussein remains committed to acquiring nuclear weapons, despite serious international sanctions and UN weapons inspections in Iraq. As a first step toward

Keynote address by Martin Indyk. With Dennis Ross, Samuel Lewis, and others.

A keynote address by Martin Indyk, special advisor to President Bill Clinton and senior director of Near East and South Asian affairs on the National Security Council at The Washington Institute's 1993 Soref Symposium.

Preface Ever since its adoption by the United Nations Security Council on November 22, 1967, Resolution 242 has provided context for peacemaking efforts between Arabs and Israelis. It was the basis for the only peace treaty ever signed between Israel and an Arab country, Egypt, in 1979, and the foundation

The Commission on U.S.-Israel Relations was formed in May 1992 to examine the future of a unique and special relationship as both countries entered a new era. Its mandate was shaped by three dramatic developments that had emerged from the end of the Cold War and conflict in the Gulf

Although the uncertain status of the Palestinians lies at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict, without Syria there simply can be no progress in the peace process. In the past, Syria was satisfied with the status quo and saw little need to establish peaceful relations with Israel. With the collapse

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