Policy Analysis

Israel's elections are a watershed event: by a margin of less than 1 percentage point Benjamin Netanyahu will become the first directly elected prime minister in Israel's history (a full list of prime ministerial and parliamentary election results appears at the end of this article). Among Jewish Israelis, the differential

With just days to go before Israel's national elections, key Israeli Arab political leaders this week endorsed Shimon Peres for prime minister, lessening the worry within the Labor Party that had emerged in the wake of Operation Grapes of Wrath that parts of a core constituency might abstain in the

Following are excerpts from the Labor and Likud Party platforms and direct quotations from the two parties' prime ministerial candidates on key issues in Israel's May 29 national elections. LABOR PARTY LIKUD PARTY Oslo Accords: "On the basis of the breakthrough in the peace process over the past few years

When he came into office, Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani promised a "new Iran" that would be prosperous and powerful; he continued to blame the West -- America, in particular -- rather than recognizing Iran's economic failings. Today, none of this vision has been fulfilled. Instead, the regime faces a deepening

The following is a transcript of Secretary of State Warren Christopher's keynote address to The Washington Institute's 2006 Soref Symposium. It is a real pleasure to speak again to the Washington Institute. Under the leadership of Mike Stein, Barbi Weinberg, and Rob Satloff, the Institute has continued to excel as

Keynote addresses by Warren Christopher and Andrew McCarthy. With Ehmet Eymur, Carmi Gillon, Klaus Grunewald, and others.

Iraq and the United Nations are in the fourth round of negotiations about terms for implementing UN Security Council Resolution 986 -- an arrangement to permit limited and controlled oil sales to provide Baghdad with funds to purchase humanitarian goods. The talks hit a snag in late April, when the

To celebrate twenty-five years of Sultan Qaboos' reign, Oman has begun a strategic effort to develop social and economic programs for the coming twenty-five years. According to this project -- "Oman Visions for 2020" -- the sultanate will emphasize a balanced budget, private sector development, and heavy investment in human

Over the past fifty years, in which center-right parties usually have been in power, a moderate state-sanctioned Islam has been gradually on the rise. Increased religious consciousness in Turkey has been fostered through state policies that encourage religious observance and Islamic education. Sufism has also contributed to the revitalization of

An attack by Hizballah on an outpost of the South Lebanon Army last week underscores both the positive and negative outcomes of the written "understanding" negotiated by Secretary of State Warren Christopher -- namely, while northern Israel and Lebanese civilian targets should be spared further attacks, armed conflict between Israel

Day-by-day events of the Middle East -- from conflict in South Lebanon, to terrorism in Cairo, to elections in Israel -- obscure already well-established, longer-running economic trends that are having a profound impact on the shape of the region for years to come. Increasing populations, declining oil revenues and the

On April 24, 1996, Shai Feldman, senior research fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government's Center for Science and International Affairs, presented the findings of his Washington Institute study The Future of U.S.-Israel Strategic Cooperation at the Institute's Special Policy Forum. Zalmay Khalilzad, director of the Strategy and

Executive Summary In the 1970s, the establishment of U.S.-Israel strategic ties was driven less by America's perceived strategic imperatives than by political motivations: the values shared by the United States and Israel, the cultural proximity between the two societies, the unique role and influence of the American Jewish community, and

On April 29, 1996, Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres addressed The Washington Institute's Special Policy Forum. The following are edited excerpts from his comments, as transcribed by Federal News Service. Peace, Prosperity, and Problems on the Road Ahead For the next four years, before the end of this century, there

As a Lebanese cease-fire returns a measure of stability to Syrian-Israeli relations, a military cooperation agreement between Israel and Syria's northern neighbor -- Turkey -- is emerging as a potentially key factor in regional politics, provoking strong reactions from Damascus, Tehran, and Cairo. Just as it signals the deepening of

As foreign ministers of seven countries descended upon Damascus and Operation Grapes of Wrath shifted into low gear, katyushas continued to fall on northern Israel over the weekend, bringing the count to nearly 500 over the past twelve days. Apparently, none of the seven -- American, French, Russian, Italian, Spanish

What is Turkey's role in the new world? Whichever way you look at it, the Turkish geography is a unique one. Turkey is a European country and at the same time a part of the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East. The Balkans are our access to Western Europe

The Arab-Israeli conflict is generally considered a political and military confrontation between Israeli and neighboring Arab countries. Negotiations and agreements between the two sides therefore tend to concentrate on official matters such as diplomatic recognition, security measures, and other formal aspects of interstate relations. Unlike their Israeli counterparts, Arab citizens

On March 13, 1996, Michael Eisenstadt, Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, and Dr. Geoffrey Kemp, Director of Regional Strategic Programs at the Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom, addressed The Washington Institute's Policy Forum. Mr. Eisenstadt presented the findings of his forthcoming Policy Paper, Iran's Military Power: Capabilities and

With U.S. diplomats focused on ways to buttress the Arab-Israeli peace process amid a wave of anti-peace terrorism, a key Arab partner -- Jordan's King Hussein -- arrives in Washington today for talks with President Clinton. Terrorism, however, will occupy only part of their discussion. According to reports here in