Policy Analysis

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

Five years after Operation Desert Storm, Iraq once again may not be far from producing an atomic bomb. With its known nuclear infrastructure largely dismantled, restrictive sanctions greatly complicating the acquisition of sensitive technology abroad and scores of UN weapons inspectors combing the countryside, how can this be? The fact

On February 21, 1996, two days before the killing of Iraqi defector Hussein Kamel, H.E. Sheikh Saud Nasir al-Sabah, Kuwaiti Minister of Information, addressed The Washington Institute's Policy Forum. He spoke about Kuwait, the Gulf, and U.S. policy on the fifth anniversary of the Gulf War. The following is a

While the pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace justly remains the dominant U.S. interest in the Levant, it is important to assess Syrian politics through a wider political lens. Since coming to power in 1970, Assad has imposed a brutal, authoritarian police state that has brought an unprecedented measure of stability to

On Tuesday, January 30, 1996 Mr. Peter Rodman, director of National Security Studies at the Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom, and Dr. Robert Freedman, acting president of Baltimore Hebrew University and author of Moscow and the Middle East, addressed a session of The Washington Institute's Policy Forum on the

Even as attention is focused on the outcome of Syrian-Israeli talks at Wye Plantation, potentially ominous developments are taking place on Syria's northern border, where the regime of Hafiz al-Assad has upped its challenge to Turkey. While tensions between the two states go back a half century, simmering largely beyond

In the run-up to today's fifth anniversary of the Gulf War, the United States took an important step toward re-defining its Iraq policy when Secretary of Defense William Perry, speaking in Amman on January 7, openly endorsed King Hussein's ambitious ideas for a post-Saddam regime of reconciliation and national unity

Just a year after forging peace with Israel, King Hussein of Jordan has embarked on what many observers consider a "mission impossible" -- uniting the Iraqi opposition against Saddam Hussein, Jordan's pre-Gulf War ally and the king's erstwhile personal friend. In outlining a post-Saddam vision of reconciliation among Iraq's major