Policy Analysis

A DEA official shares a briefing on the ties between jihadist groups and illicit narcotics trafficking.

This week, Lebanon's new national unity government is slated to announce its ministerial statement (bayan waziri), the policy document that will define Beirut's working parameters and agenda through the spring 2009 elections. For the pro-West majority March 14 coalition, the priority will be to incorporate into the statement a reference

How is the Department of Commerce implementing U.S. national strategy to counter Iran's illicit activities and terrorist support?

US-Iranian relations are once again headline news after dropping off the radar for several months in the wake of the US National Intelligence Estimate in December 2007. In recent days, media and public attention has focused on the growing US diplomatic overtures to Tehran, as well as the reports about

If Washington were to pursue a military solution in its efforts to halt the Iranian nuclear program, Turkey -- the only NATO country bordering Iran -- must be a part of its planning. Likewise, if the United States and its European allies were to implement tighter economic sanctions against Iran

In recent months, there has been a spate of seemingly good news in the counter-terrorism arena, as former terrorist leaders and clerics have renounced their previous beliefs. Former Egyptian Islamic Jihad head Sayyid Imam al-Sharif (also known as Dr. Fadl), whose treatises al-Qa'ida often cited to justify its actions, has

Hizballah has much to celebrate. With the formation of a national unity government in Lebanon last week, it is now well positioned to block any effort to dismantle its military wing. Today, the organization is celebrating the release of five Lebanese prisoners and the remains of several Hizballah and Palestinian

On July 11, 2008, Maajid Nawaz addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Mr. Nawaz was a longtime member of the British leadership committee of Hizb al-Tahrir (HT), an international Islamist movement. In 2002, while studying in Egypt, he was arrested for his membership in the group and was

This week, Saudi Arabia is organizing a global interfaith conference in Madrid, with more than 200 Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Buddhist religious leaders from 54 countries expected to attend. The conference, in the words of its main organizer, the Mecca-based Muslim World League, will "focus on common human values."

The jailing of two retired Turkish generals over the weekend has heightened tensions between the government in Ankara and its critics. The generals are among 21 people whom police have detained over the past week, including a senior industrialist and a prominent journalist, on suspicion of plotting a coup against

On June 20, 2008, Michael Eisenstadt and Patrick Clawson addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Mr. Eisenstadt is a senior fellow and director of the Institute's Military and Security Studies Program, and Dr. Clawson is deputy director of research at the Institute. The two recently coauthored The Last

Read a rapporteur's summary of the first annual Zeev Schiff Memorial Lecture on Middle East Security with Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, former chief of the IDF general staff.

On June 24, 2008, Matthew Bryza delivered The Washington Institute's ninth Turgut Ozal Memorial Lecture. Mr. Bryza is the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. He also coordinates U.S. energy policy in the regions surrounding the Black and Caspian Seas and works with European countries on

In the spring of 2002, I made my first post-9/11 visit to Cairo as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East and South Asian Affairs. The trip's purpose was a soup-to-nuts review of the large U.S. economic aid package to Egypt. I had been asked specifically to look at

On June 24, 2008, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza delivered the ninth Turgut Ozal Memorial Lecture at The Washington Institute. The following is the prepared text of his remarks. Read a rapporteur's summary of the event. Like Turkey itself, U.S.-Turkey relations have navigated

This weekend, Saudi Arabia will attempt to counter accusations that it has not done enough to stop rising oil prices by hosting an international energy summit of government and oil-company officials. Invitations were sent after the kingdom -- the world's top oil exporter, home to nearly a quarter of known

While experts negotiate the technical aspects of a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) -- an arrangement that would govern future security relations between Iraq and the United States -- Iraqi politicians are engaged in a rhetorical campaign against such an agreement, making it nearly impossible to finalize a deal by

Though committed to dramatically different Iraq policies, Barack Obama and John McCain -- the presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, respectively -- will likely be compelled to tread generally similar paths when one or the other is sworn in as president in January 2009. Obama has promised to start withdrawing

On June 4, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas marked the anniversary of the 1967 War by making a surprise call for dialogue with Hamas. In response to multiple challenges to his authority -- impasse on the peace process, ongoing dissent within Fatah, and regional pressure to resolve the internal Palestinian conflict

On June 6, 2008, Ahmed Herzenni, Kent Patton, and Les Campbell addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Mr. Herzenni is a former political prisoner who was appointed as president of Morocco's Advisory Council on Human Rights last year by King Muhammad VI. Mr. Patton is deputy assistant secretary