Policy Analysis

As this month's presidential election campaign gets underway in Iran, the Iranian government is emphasizing that the country enjoys the rule of law and elected government. In fact, both statements are false. To understand why the rule of law and representative government are absent in Iran, it is necessary to

While conventional wisdom has identified the Sunni triangle as the most conflict-prone part of Iraq, the decisive battlefield for the country's political future is instead likely to take place in the Shia south. This region is already the scene of low-profile and longstanding struggles for political and theocratic authority. In

President George W. Bush welcomed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the White House Thursday with an unprecedented shower of diplomatic, political, and financial support. Most media attention has focused on two high-profile signs of U.S. backing of Abbas -- Bush's bold characterization of his guest as a "man of

On May 25, the presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Turkey inaugurated the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (BTC), a major artery linking oil fields in the Caspian Sea region to the Mediterranean Sea and Western markets beyond. It will take several months for oil pumped from Baku, Azerbaijan, to pass through Tbilisi

The periodic crises in Iranian-European negotiations over Iran's nuclear program -- including yesterday's proposal offered by the British, French, and German foreign ministries that has yet to be accepted by Tehran -- trigger some important questions: Who profits more from extending the talks? Does the West really prevent Iranian nuclearization

Testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs SUMMARY Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage identified Hezbollah as "the A-team of terrorism," and warned "their time will come, there's no question about it." Such statements are more than just tough talk. Highlights of Hezbollah's record of terror

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is in Washington for a meeting this week with President Bush. As president of the Palestinian Authority, Abbas has pursued a strategy that depends on his being able to show that his way -- the way of nonviolence -- will deliver for the Palestinian people. Exit

Egyptians today are voting in a referendum on a constitutional amendment that would, for the first time, allow multicandidate, direct presidential elections. The amendment, approved by Egypt's parliament on May 10, was presented amid growing internal and external pressure on President Hosni Mubarak to enact much-needed political reform. This measure

On May 20, 2005, Hassan Abu Libdeh, David Makovsky, Terje Roed-Larsen, and Ehud Yaari addressed The Washington Institute's Soref Symposium. Hassan Abu Libdeh is the Palestinian Authority (PA) minister of labor and social affairs. Previously, he served as secretary of the PA cabinet and chief of staff to Prime Minister

On May 20, 2005, Rola Dashti, Hisham Kassem, Habib Malik, and Mohsen Sazegara addressed The Washington Institute's Soref Symposium. Rola Dashti is chair and chief officer of FARO International, a management consulting firm, a leader in the campaign for women's rights in Kuwait and sn associate professor at Kuwait University

On May 20, 2005, Egyptian prime minister Ahmed Nazif addressed The Washington Institute's Twentieth Anniversary Soref Symposium. The following is a full transcript of his remarks. Read an edited, condensed version. You all know what's happening in the Middle East, so let me try to structure my address to you

On May 19, 2005, Paul Wolfowitz addressed the Institute's Twentieth Anniversary Soref Symposium. Dr. Wolfowitz, former deputy secretary of defense, is president of the World Bank. The following is a transcript of his presentation. Read a summary of his remarks. So many Iraqis, 8.5 million of them, demonstrated courage on

On May 19, 2005, Barham Salih addressed The Washington Institute's Soref Symposium. Barham Salih is minister of planning and development in the new Iraqi government. Previously, he served as Iraq's deputy prime minister. An engineer and computer scientist by training, he served as prime minister of the Sulaymaniya-based Kurdistan Regional

On May 19, 2005, Hassan Abu Libdeh addressed The Washington Institute's Soref Symposium. Hassan Abu Libdeh is the Palestinian Authority (PA) minister of labor and social affairs. Previously, he served as secretary of the PA cabinet and chief of staff to Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei. He has also served as

On May 19, 2005, Meir Shitrit addressed The Washington Institute's Soref Symposium. Meir Shitrit is the Israeli minister of transportation. A longtime Likud Party representative in the Knesset and former mayor of Yavne, he served previously as minister of justice, as an official in the Ministry of Finance, and as

The aftermath of the war in Iraq has generated a great deal of second-guessing about Washington's prewar planning and intelligence efforts. Largely missing from this debate has been a thorough examination of the actual military intelligence efforts conducted by professional analysts and war planners outside Washington. In The Washington Institute's

Although the Palestinian intifada led to the death of many Israelis (proportionally speaking, the equivalent of 45,000 Americans being killed by terrorism each year), Iranian possession of nuclear weapons would be even worse. Such a development would constitute an existential threat for three reasons. First, Israel’s small size and concentration

Felicitous change in Palestinian leadership at a time of bold new Israeli policies has thrown open the proverbial window of opportunity. The coming year promises renewed prospects for movement toward peace, and the United States, more than any other third party, has a vital diplomatic role to play during this

On May 18, the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is scheduled to debate the law governing the legislative elections scheduled for July 17, the first such elections since the inaugural polls of 1996. The issues under contention underscore the larger divisions in Palestinian politics, particularly the dominant Fatah Party’s internal factionalism

Iran appears to be fomenting a crisis over its nuclear program as the campaign for the June 17 presidential elections gets underway (by May 14, candidates have to register; by May 24, the Guardian Council will announce which candidates are approved). Assertiveness on the Nuclear Program Ever since Iran signed