Policy Analysis

Modern Turkey's identity is based on its secular stance, but the ruling Justice and Development Party's policies show Islamist leanings. From mundane matters, such as the cost of ordering a drink, to major issues, such as women's role in society, Turkey seems to be undergoing a change. In this article

Within the next few months, Iraqis will once again wave purple fingers in the air as they cast ballots for provincial governments. As Iraq's parliament debates a law to govern the elections, U.S. diplomats and international experts have an opportunity, if not to correct past mistakes, then to help put

The May 25 election of Gen. Michel Suleiman as Lebanon's twelfth president was a central element of the Qatari-brokered compromise between the March 14 coalition and the Hizballah-led opposition. The agreement was greeted with relief in Washington and other international capitals, allaying fears that Lebanon was once again heading toward

On May 14, the Iranian government arrested six prominent Bahai leaders and accused them of "endangering national security." The timing of the arrests has led some to speculate that the Iranian government is trying to link these leaders to the April explosion at a religious center in Shiraz that killed

"If the Americans make a wrong move toward Iran, the shipment of energy will definitely face danger." -- Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, June 4, 2006 Every day, nearly 40 percent of the world's internationally traded oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz -- a narrow channel over which Iran

In Washington, there is a growing consensus that the AKP is changing from a seemingly progressive, pro-European party into a majoritarian, exclusionist one. In an interview with Cumhuriyet reporter Elcin Poyrazlar, Soner Cagaptay argues that the AKP's image has been damaged recently because of its increasingly unilateralist approach in Turkish

Developments in Lebanon are being viewed with great concern in Israel. In the aftermath of Hizbullah's recent military and ostensible political victories, many Israelis are saying that Beirut has gone the way of Gaza. Lebanon is now "Hizbullahstan" -- just like Gaza, only worse. This assessment is alarmist, defeatist, and

This article is also available on the Washington Quarterly website. Americans are hungry for an explanation of foreign policy that makes sense. They certainly want to know what happened in Iraq and what went wrong. Even more important, they want to know whether the United States can fix its foreign

In June 2007, Turkey decided to turn its back on European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) after a long series of negotiations with the EU. Although the Cyprus issue has always complicated Turkey's involvement in ESDP, Turkey has been an important actor in Western security architecture for decades, and its

This article is also available on the Washington Quarterly website. For most of 2007, concerns about Iran grew louder. This situation changed dramatically in December, with the release of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran's nuclear intentions and capabilities. The NIE, which assessed that Iran had ceased its covert

On May 30, 2008, Natan Sharansky, Itamar Rabinovich, James Woolsey, and Dennis Ross addressed The Washington Institute's 2008 Soref Symposium. Natan Sharansky is a former Israeli minister and human rights advocate. Itamar Rabinovich is a former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former chief Israeli negotiator with Syria. James

Haim Ramon, deputy prime minster of Israel, delivered the concluding address at the Institute's 2008 Soref Symposium. The following is a rapporteur's summary of his remarks. The importance of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has changed dramatically in the last decade. Today, it is increasingly taking a back seat to the fight

On May 30, 2008, Ghaith al-Omari, Theodore Kattouf, David Makovsky, and Zvi Rafiah addressed The Washington Institute's 2008 Soref Symposium. Ghaith al-Omari is a senior fellow at the American Task Force for Palestine and former political adviser to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. Theodore Khattouf is president of AMIDEAST and former

An inside briefing on the U.S. government's current strategic assessment of the Middle East.

The Syria-Iran alliance predated the rise to power of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Prior to the 1979 Iranian revolution, President Hafiz Assad offered Ayatollah Khomeini sanctuary in Syria. Subsequently, Syria was the first Arab state to recognize the Shiite revolutionary regime in Tehran. Increased political pressures, a growing fiscal deficit

President Bush evoked considerable controversy when he compared those who call for talks with "terrorists and radicals" to Nazi appeasers. Making such a charge in the Israeli Knesset, where the lessons of the Holocaust inform every Israeli leader, was bound to give it a special weight and attention. While some

On May 21, after five days of mediation, Qatari officials announced a compromise solution to the Lebanese crisis between the pro-Western government and Hizballah-led opposition backed by Iran and Syria. According to preliminary reports, the negotiations centered on presidential elections and electoral reform, yet avoided the critical issue of Hizballah's

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and Distinguished Members of Congress: Mr. Chairman, I would like to commend you for holding a hearing on this topic. It is a theme that is often neglected, but it is an issue that has important consequences for all three countries -- the United States, Egypt

Tomorrow, Kuwait's nearly 400,000 voters -- more than half of them women -- will go to the polls to elect a new parliament. The incoming body will replace the 2006 parliament that was dissolved by the ruling emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah, for failing to work together with the cabinet. Kuwait's

President Bush returns to the Middle East this week for the second time in 2008. Initially planned to mark Israel's sixtieth anniversary, his itinerary has expanded to include meetings with top officials from Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, and Saudi Arabia. Except for a trip to Riyadh