Policy Analysis

Given that political tensions continue to run high between Turkey and Israel, it would be inaccurate to describe their relations as good, or even on the mend. At the same time, booming trade ties and other economic indicators suggest that the two countries have great potential for a fresh start

Yet another dimension of the Syrian imbroglio is the role of the Kurdish population.

UN special envoy Kofi Annan recently issued invitations for a June 30 meeting in Geneva to deal with the Syria crisis. The participants -- whom Annan dubbed an "action group" -- include the five permanent members of the Security Council, Turkey, and Arab League members Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar. Annan's

محمد بهشتی کمابیش شخصیتی است ناشناخته. هنوز معلوم نیست در هفتم تیرماهِ ۱۳۶۰ چه کس یا گروهی دستور انفجار مقر حزب جمهوری اسلامی را صادر کرد. هدف اصلی آن انفجار بی‌تردید بهشتی بود، اما ده‌ها تن دیگر نیز در آتش و آوارِ انفجار سوختند و شکستند. بر خلاف تبلیغات جمهوری

In the stultifying, 100-plus-degree heat of Tahrir Square on Sunday, where tens of thousands gathered to hear the results of Egypt's first relatively free presidential election, the sweaty, and occasionally fainting, masses were morbidly grim. Many in the Islamist-dominant crowd were convinced that Egypt's military junta would anoint former prime

Although Turkey has found comfort in NATO’s security, Ankara’s long-term commitment to the alliance should not be taken for granted: Turkey has at least two strategic alternatives to NATO.

Iran sees itself in a strong position relative to the West and therefore believes it has little reason to be forthcoming in nuclear negotiations.

The United States must strongly support Turkey even at the cost of diplomatic cooperation with Russia.

While the authority of Egypt's new president may be circumscribed, it is a mistake to underestimate his ability to influence political change at home and abroad. Before any further embrace of the Muslim Brotherhood leader, the Obama administration needs clarity on how Morsi's policies are likely to affect critical U.S. interests.

Can Turkey play a role in the Arab Spring? Yes and no. Yes, because Turkey has developed newfound soft power in the Middle East. Over the past decade, Ankara has painstakingly built influence in the region by fostering business networks and establishing state-of-the-art high schools to educate the future Arab

The Russian leader's visit is expected to provide competition for U.S. diplomatic leadership on issues such as natural gas, Iran, and Syria.

If international awareness does not spur immediate Egyptian action to address the growing security vacuum and increased terrorist incidents on the border with Israel, the Sinai powder keg may soon explode.

It has been more than two years since the confrontation over a Gaza-bound flotilla plunged Israeli-Turkish relations into a deep crisis. Left to their own devices, Turks and Israelis have been unable to overcome mutual suspicion and domestic obstacles to bridge their differences. These days, there is a degree of

On Wednesday night, thousands of demonstrators descended onto Tahrir Square to demand an end to military rule. It was the twentieth straight night of these protests, and the Muslim Brotherhood marked the occasion by calling on its hundreds of thousands of members nationwide to join an open-ended Tahrir Square sit-in

On June 19, 2012, Shaul Mofaz addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. General Mofaz is vice prime minister of Israel, minister without portfolio, and head of the Kadima Party. A former military fellow at the Institute, he has also served as deputy prime minister, defense minister, and chief

Statements and a video released on an al-Qaeda website are disturbing evidence of the growing lawlessness in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

Sixteen months on, the transition in Egypt is not over; indeed, it is just beginning. On the eve of the Muslim Brotherhood's presidential victory, former senior Defense Department official David Schenker testified on how Washington should use its limited leverage in Cairo in the near term, offering a detailed status

On June 15, 2012, the newly elected head of the Syrian National Council (SNC), Abdulbaset Sieda, gave Fikra Forum his first extended Western media interview since assuming the post on June 10. The interview was conducted by Skype, in Arabic, by Fikra Forum editor Lauren Emerson and contributors Maya Gebeily and Jehad Saleh. Key points include: 1. Sieda asserts that the SNC does not lead the FSA, and that this could lead to the "disorganized and haphazard use of weapons" and an "uncontrollable … security coup," as he says has occurred in Libya. 2. He says it would be fine to "coordinate" with the Kurdish opposition and others, rather than try and bring them back into the SNC. 3. He says there could be dialogue with regime elements "with no blood on their hands,” but only concerning "the timing and process of the fall of the regime." 4. He denies that the SNC should do anything to demonstrate its independence from the MB, which is "an essential faction of the Syrian opposition."

As recently as 2011, most discussions of the U.S-Turkey relationship necessarily focused on discord, disappointment, and growing concern. With memories of the Gaza flotilla incident and Turkish dissent on Iran sanctions still fresh, the horizon was clouded and turbulent. The intervening months have brought a dramatic turnaround, however. In this

Shaul Mofaz's victory in the Kadima primary election and subsequent decision to bring his party into the governing coalition sent shockwaves through Israel, changing the dynamics of regional politics. To discuss his strategy for security and peace, and ways in which the expanded coalition can promote these goals, The Washington