Policy Analysis

Tomorrow, around 400,000 Omani men and women are expected to vote in elections for eighty-five seats on the nation's Majlis al-Shura, or Consultative Council. Among the conservative Arab states of the Persian Gulf region, Oman -- a key U.S. ally and exporter of oil and gas, strategically positioned opposite Iran

Today, the State and Treasury Departments announced a new package of sweeping unilateral sanctions targeting multiple entities in Iran, including three banks, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Qods Force, the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, several IRGC-affiliated companies, and eight individuals. Can such sanctions be

The October 20 announcement of Ali Larijani's resignation as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has intensified pressure on President Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad. Faced with criticism over the resignation, Tehran ensured that Larijani attended the Iran-European Union (EU) nuclear talks in Rome on October

The FBI recently announced that it is engaged in a comprehensive realignment of its counterterrorism division -- the largest such reorganization since the September 11 attacks. Although the proposed reorganization is unlikely to achieve the desired fundamental transformation, it should improve the bureau's ability to combat the increasingly complex threat

On October 3, 2007, Robert Satloff, Kenneth Wollack, Lorne Craner, and Michael Mandelbaum addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Dr. Satloff is executive director of the Institute. Mr. Wollack is president of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and chairman of the board for the U.S. Committee

A map of PKK positions in the western portion of northern Iraq. Copyright 2007 The Washington Institute

A map of PKK positions in the eastern portion of northern Iraq. Copyright 2007 The Washington Institute

On October 21, Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) operatives carried out an attack from northern Iraq into Turkey, killing twelve Turkish soldiers. This incident followed the killing of more than thirty people in recent weeks, including an incident in which the PKK pulled a dozen civilians off a public bus and

From "Mission Accomplished" to his September trip to Anbar province, President Bush has excelled at stagecraft when it comes to Iraq. Pulling rabbits out of hats and waving scarves like a diplomatic David Copperfield, he has staged events and shaped imagery to build support for his strategies, while undercutting his

On October 21, 2007, David Makovsky, Daniel Kurtzer, Jim Hoagland, and Dennis Ross addressed The Washington Institute's Weinberg Founders Conference. The following is a summary of their remarks. In a spirited discussion moderated by Dennis Ross and David Makovsky of The Washington Insitute, former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel

On October 21, 2007, Ehud Yaari and Sari Nusseibeh addressed The Washington Institute's Weinberg Founders Conference. The following is a brief summary of their remarks. Ehud Yaari, an Israel-based Washington Institute fellow and journalist, and Sari Nusseibeh, president of al-Quds university and co-chairman of the Israeli-Palestinian Science Organization, had quite

On October 21, 2007, Vice President Richard Cheney delivered a special address to The Washington Institute's 2007 Weinberg Founders Conference. The following is a transcript of his remarks. The vice president was introduced by Institute Executive Committee member Roger Hertog. Thank you very much, Roger. Thanks for the kind words

On October 20, 2007, Nicholas Blanford and Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky addressed The Washington Institute's Weinberg Founders Conference. The following is a summary of their remarks. In a civil but spirited debate, Nicholas Blanford, a Beirut correspondent who has spent much of his time reporting and following Hizballah, and Maj

On October 21, 2007, J.D. Crouch and Antony Blinken addressed The Washington Institute's Weinberg Founders Conference. Mr. Crouch formerly served as assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor. Mr. Blinken is a majority staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and senior foreign policy advisor to the

On October 20, 2007, Stephen Grummon, Ahmad Rafat, Kassem Jaafar, and Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt addressed The Washington Institute's Weinberg Founders Conference. Mr. Grummon heads Greentree Enterprises, an international research and training firm, and is former director of the Office of Middle East Analysis in the State Department's Bureau of

On October 20, 2007, Martin Kramer, Jason Epstein, Kanan Makiya, and Bob Woodward addressed The Washington Institute's Weinberg Founders Conference. The event marked the launching of the Washington Institute Book Prize, a competition which will culminate in inaugural awards in September 2008. Dr. Kramer is the Wexler-Fromer fellow at The

On October 20, 2007, Jared Cohen, Shaha Ali Riza, and Tulin Daloglu addressed The Washington Institute's Weinberg Founders Conference. Mr. Cohen is a member of the State Department Policy Planning Staff, responsible for public diplomacy, and the author of Children of Jihad: Journeys into the Hearts and Minds of Middle

On October 20, 2007, Mitchell Silber and Pam Byron addressed The Washington Institute's Weinberg Founders Conference. Pam Byron, deputy national intelligence officer for transnational threats at the National Intelligence, Council, spoke off the record. Mitchell Silber is a senior analyst in the Intelligence Division of the New York City Police

On October 20, 2007, Nader Said, David Makovsky, and David Pollock addressed The Washington Institute's Weinberg Founders Conference. Dr. Said is director of the Development Studies Program at Birzeit University and team leader for the UN Palestine Human Development Report. Mr. Makovsky is a senior fellow at The Washington Institute