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TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية TWI Persian: فارسی Fikra Forum

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  • Experts

David Pollock

  • Bernstein Fellow
  • Director, Project Fikra
Also available in:
  • Arabic
  • Farsi

Expertise

  • Arab and Islamic Politics
  • Arab-Israeli Relations
  • Democracy and Reform
  • Peace Process
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • North Africa
  • Palestinians

David Pollock, the Bernstein fellow at The Washington Institute, focuses on the political dynamics of Middle East countries. He is the director of Project Fikra, a program of research, publication, and network-building designed to generate policy ideas for promoting positive change and countering the spread of extremism in the Middle East. At the forefront of this effort is Fikra Forum, a unique Arabic-English bilingual online platform that promotes exchanges between mainstream Muslims and Arab democrats and U.S. decisionmakers and opinion leaders.

Dr. Pollock served previously as senior advisor for the Broader Middle East at the State Department, a post he assumed in 2002. In that capacity, he provided policy advice on issues of democracy and reform in the region, with a focus on women's rights. He also helped launch the department's $15 million Iraqi Women's Democracy Initiative and the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council, working directly with advocates across the Middle East.

From 1996 to 2001, Dr. Pollock served in several other State Department policy advisory positions covering South Asia and the Middle East, including four years as regional expert on the secretary of state's Policy Planning Staff. Previously, he was chief of Near East/South Asia/Africa research at the U.S. Information Agency, where he supervised the government's study of public opinion, elite attitudes, and media content across the three regions. In 1995-1996, he was a scholar-in-residence at The Washington Institute, where he authored the widely read Policy Paper The 'Arab Street'? Public Opinion in the Arab World.

Dr. Pollock has served as a visiting lecturer at Harvard University and as assistant professor at George Washington University. He has traveled widely in the Middle East and maintains a large network of contacts in government, academia, and business throughout the region.

Education

Ph.D., Harvard University; B.A., Harvard College

Contact

(202) 230-9550 (media inquiries only)
(202) 452-0650 (other inquiries)
press@washingtoninstitute.org

Featured Publications

Maps & Graphics
A Nation Divided: Palestinian Views on War and Peace with Israel
Recently, much attention has focused on Israel’s drift away from a two-state solution and toward annexation of the West Bank
Jun 22, 2020
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  • David Pollock
Maps & Graphics
The Lines That Bind: 100 Years of Sykes-Picot
A century after diplomats Mark Sykes of Britain and François Georges-Picot of France drew up a secret agreement to divide
Dec 19, 2016
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  • Andrew J. Tabler
Maps & Graphics
Syrian Kurds as a U.S. Ally: Cooperation and Complications
This collection of essays by Washington Institute experts explores how the United States can work with--or, in some cases, around--the
Nov 18, 2016
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  • Patrick Clawson
  • David Pollock
  • Soner Cagaptay
  • Andrew J. Tabler
  • Fabrice Balanche
  • Bilal Wahab
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Mixed Messages: Abbas and Palestinians on Israel, 2014-16
In this new Policy Focus, David Pollock analyzes a significant transition in PA messaging, both governmental and in the Palestinian street, that has taken place during the past two years.
Apr 20, 2016
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  • David Pollock
Asset Test: How the United States Benefits from Its Alliance with Israel
The U.S.-Israel relationship has traditionally been defined in terms of a moral obligation, shared cultural and political values, and common
Sep 5, 2012
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  • Michael Eisenstadt
  • David Pollock
Actions, Not Just Attitudes: A New Paradigm for U.S.-Arab Relations
The latest Pew poll on Middle Eastern political behavior illustrates the media's post-9/11 tendency to report on America's standing on
Jun 17, 2010
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  • David Pollock
Slippery Polls: Uses and Abuses of Opinion Surveys from Arab States
For better or worse, yesterday's "Arab street" has merged with today's information superhighway. One can hardly pick up a newspaper
Apr 11, 2008
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  • David Pollock
Kuwait: Keystone of U.S. Gulf Policy
In spring 2007, a Gulf diplomat visiting Washington was asked how states such as Kuwait seem to remain insulated from
Nov 6, 2007
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  • David Pollock

Policy Articles by David Pollock

Half of Egyptians Value U.S. Ties, But Few Want Normalization with Israel
Jan 15, 2021
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  • Mohamed Abdelaziz
  • David Pollock
Brief Analysis
Qatari Public Supports Compromise on GCC Rift, But Even More Like Turkey; Split on Israel, Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Iran
Jan 4, 2021
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  • Austin Corona
  • David Pollock
Bahrain Poll Shows Split on Peace with Israel, But Sunni-Shia Divide Is Small
Dec 23, 2020
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  • Kenneth R. Rosen
  • David Pollock
Brief Analysis
Domestic Reform Still Top Issue for Jordanians; Most Reject New Peace Deals with Israel, but Perceived Value of U.S. Ties Up Sharply
Dec 18, 2020
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  • Kate Knight
  • David Pollock
Brief Analysis
UAE Public Shifts Toward Peace with Israel—and with Qatar
Dec 10, 2020
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  • David Pollock
  • Catherine Cleveland
Brief Analysis
Correction: New Saudi Poll Shows Sharp Rise in Support for Israel Ties, Despite Caveats
Dec 8, 2020
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  • David Pollock
All Policy Analysis
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