Policy Analysis

Over the past two years of the war on terror, the United States has significantly toughened its procedures for obtaining visas to enter the US, including requiring more face-to-face interviews and eliminating a transit-visa program officials feared terrorists were planning to use to sneak into the country. Despite these efforts

Lebanon and occupying Syria have downplayed the threat of Asbat al-Ansar ever since the al-Qaeda affiliate was named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. government on September 23, 2001. Made up of only a few hundred fighters, Asbat was thought to be contained within Ein al-Hilweh, a Palestinian

On September 10, 2003, Matthew Levitt, senior fellow in terrorism studies at The Washington Institute, testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security. The following is an edited version of his remarks. Read the full transcript. Financing Terrorism Well into the war on terror, Saudi Arabia

The surprise announcement that Robert Jordan, U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, will leave his post by mid-October means that Washington will lack an authoritative voice in the kingdom at a crucial time in the war on terror. One State Department official has claimed that Jordan's resignation was for personal reasons

Testimony before the House International Affairs Committee Mr. Chairman, in the interests of time, and as there are members of the panel more qualified than I to address Turkey's internal dynamics, I will with your permission focus my prepared remarks on matters relating to U.S. -Turkish relations. Strategic Partnership In

Testimony before the House International Relations Committee Mr. Chairman, thank you for giving me the chance to come here today and speak about Turkey and the future of U.S.-Turkish relations. It's an honor to have been invited to testify before this prestigious body. We have a number of issues to

In its eighty-page report Changing Minds, Winning Peace, issued earlier today, the State Department's Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim World -- chaired by Edward Djerejian -- delivered a refreshingly blunt assessment of many of the failures in Washington's efforts to deliver its message to Muslims

Reports about U.S. casualties inevitably take top billing in media coverage of postwar Iraq. Yet, assessing how Iraqis themselves view the current situation is, arguably, just as important for evaluating progress in Iraq. Two recent public opinion polls have provided systematic data about Iraqi views, and this data in turn

No sooner was Saddam Hussein chased from power than CNN revealed that it had often held its tongue about his savagery for fear of losing access to Iraq and provoking violent retribution. Although the confession was stunning, it was only the most recent chapter in a long story. Tyrannies have

Contrary to some expectations, I believe there is a good chance to turn the peace process around and continue a serious and meaningful dialogue between the Israeli government and the Palestinian representatives. (It is hard for me to say "the Palestinian government" at this point. I hope that there will

I have been asked to address Iran's nuclear program from a technical point of view. One of the roles the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) has played is to push for more effective nuclear inspections worldwide. That often means more intrusive ones, and Iran has attracted a lot

When I look at the set of challenges we face in the Middle East, it seems like a lot of elements are now being pushed to the fore -- Iran, Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and democratization. One issue that always has garnered less attention in the region is economics

Hayet Laouani, Tunisian National Federation of Transport: The Arab world is diverse. There are individual Arab countries, not just a single entity, that you can strictly call the "Arab world." Is there a deficit of democracy in those countries? Yes, but not a complete absence. What is missing is an

Keynote addresses by Robert Zoellick and William Burns. With Ehud Olmert, Nabil Amr, Rend Rahim Francke, Shibley Telhami, Hala Mustafa, Hayet Laouani, David Albright, and others.

Shibley Telhami, University of Maryland: I am going to paint a very pessimistic picture, starting with the strategic reasons why we are in a worse crisis than we may even realize. First, we have been distracted by our focus on personalities. Yasir Arafat is an easy target, and he certainly

Soner Cagaptay,The Washington Institute: A year ago, it would have been difficult to question Turkey's status as a staunch U.S. ally. Much has changed. The Iraq war was the biggest test for the U.S.-Turkey relationship since the end of the Cold War. It followed the election of a new Turkish

There are many different strategies for addressing an audience as distinguished and well-informed as this one. Mark Twain, one of my favorite American authors, said his approach was to keep talking until he had his audience cowed. I will try to spare you that particular strategy this morning. Instead, I

Rohan Gunaratna, Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies: I will focus on three areas: first, the post-September 11, 2001, evolution of al-Qaeda; second, the associated organizations currently working with al-Qaeda; and finally, the global response to terrorism. Al-Qaeda was created in March 1988, and for ten years it was neither

To begin, I would like to make three points. First, it has become clear in recent months that Iran has a clandestine nuclear program, parts of which were recently revealed and parts of which may remain hidden. Second, Iran may be just two to four years from getting the bomb

Songul Capuk, Iraqi Governing Council: In the name of God, most compassionate and merciful, I offer my thanks on behalf of the Iraqi Governing Council for the honor and appreciation this conference has shown to us. God willing, we will meet the world's best expectations. I make this statement on