Policy Analysis

Since the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, rose to power in Turkey in 2002, special taxes on alcohol have increased dramatically, making a glass of wine or beer one of the most expensive in Europe, and for that purpose anywhere in the world. The AKP leadership is known for

On April 21, President Obama's National Security Advisor General (Ret.) Jim Jones gave a rare public speech on U.S. Middle East Policy at The Washington Institute's 2010 Soref Symposium. During his address, he focused on the new U.S. National Security Strategy that will be unveiled in the coming weeks. What

Last weekend, a combination of good fortune and exceptional law enforcement prevented a potential tragedy in Times Square and led to the capture of the alleged attempted bomber before he could leave the country. Next time -- and there will be a next time -- we may not be so

To the casual observer, Iraq's post-electoral political process might appear to be deadlocked or moving at a snail's pace. Although international observers validated the results of the March 7 election as largely free and fair, the outcome has been subjected to a series of ill-natured legal challenges. This will complicate

On May 1, 2010, Jordanian-American journalist Rami Khouri repeated Harvard professor Stephen Walt's critique of The Washington Institute in a Beirut Daily Star op-ed column. In his reply, which ran as a letter to the editor on May 8, Institute executive director Robert Satloff not only responded to the unfounded

In late March, reports emerged in the Kuwaiti press that Syria had transferred Scud missiles to Hizballah. One month on, news of the Scud transfer continues to reverberate in Washington and the Middle East. A congressional resolution condemning Syria has been drafted and the confirmation of the Obama administration's ambassador-designate

On April 30, 2010, Allis Radosh and Ronald Radosh, winners of the 2009 Washington Institute Book Prize for A Safe Haven: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel, addressed a special Policy Forum at the Institute. Mrs. Radosh, a former program officer at the National Endowment for the Humanities

U.S. special envoy for Middle East peace George Mitchell is currently in Jerusalem amid wide expectation that on Saturday the Palestinians will approve proximity talks with Israel. For its part, Israel has already agreed to the talks. Following a phone conversation this past Monday between President Obama and Israeli prime

Two months after nationwide elections, Iraq's government formation process is still on hold. The final voting results have yet to be announced as disputes over recounts and candidate disqualifications linger. Nor is it clear how a governing majority will be formed, and power shared, among the four major party alliances

The rise of the Green Movement following the fraudulent June 12 presidential election, and all that has transpired since, has demonstrated clearly to the Iranian people that the foundational elements of the Islamic Revolution -- the system of velayat-i-faqih (rule of the jurisprudent) and its main implementer, the Supreme Leader

As Israel marks its sixty-second birthday in 2010, U.S.-Israeli relations currently face the sort of tension that has periodically bedeviled the two allies. Indeed, from the very founding of Israel, the concept of creating a Jewish state was widely popular among the American people but deeply controversial among the policymaking

In order to position the Air Force for success in the modern security environment, while continuing to prepare for future conflict, a formal Irregular Warfare structure must be created. The U.S. Air Force is currently organized, trained, and equipped to conduct conventional warfare and has been forced to adjust to

The tempest in a teapot about Gen. James L. Jones's opening joke in his address to The Washington Institute's twenty-fifth anniversary symposium last week diverted attention from the truly newsworthy aspects of the national security advisor's remarks. On five key issues, he made important, substantive, and at times innovative statements

Persian-language radio and television broadcasts are among the main tools of U.S. public diplomacy toward Iran. Yet both of Washington's primary outlets for such broadcasting -- Radio Farda (RF) and the Persian News Network (PNN), an arm of Voice of America (VOA) television -- have been harshly criticized since their

Thomas Friedman, William Kristol, Martin Kramer, and David Makovsky joined in a keynote discussion at The Washington Institute's 2010 Soref Symposium on April 22, 2010. The event honored the Institute's 25th anniversary. Thomas Friedman is chief foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times. He has won three Pulitzer Prizes

Gen. James L. Jones (Ret., USMC), President Obama's national security advisor, delivered the Michael Stein Address on U.S. Middle East Policy at The Washington Institute's Soref Symposium on April 21, 2010. The event honored the Institute's 25th anniversary. Gen. Jones previously served as special envoy for Middle East regional security

In his confirmation hearing in March, Robert S. Ford, the U.S. ambassador-designate to Syria, listed five issues that will be at the core of the Obama administration's engagement with Damascus. Four were familiar: the United States wants Syria to prevent jihadi fighters from entering Iraq, end its support for Hezbollah

Middle East Bulletin, a publication of the Center for American Progress, interviewed Institute Next Generation fellow Andrew J. Tabler about U.S. policy toward Syria. The following is the published Q&A. The recent reports about Syria transferring Scud missiles to Hezbollah have only fed into a fractious debate about what U.S

The most likely scenario for government formation is a government of national unity that will hold together just long enough to appoint a president, prime minister and cabinet. Iraq is likely to witness restrictions on prime ministerial power, ongoing corruption and disrupted governance, although these factors will only slow rather

At the outset of the April 2010 Nuclear Security Summit, President Obama warned that nuclear terrorism is "one of the greatest threats to global security," observing that terrorist groups like al-Qaeda would "surely use" a nuclear device if they were able to obtain one. He further argued that a "new