Arab & Islamic Politics

Perhaps the most striking aspect of President Obama's May 19 remarks was how greatly they differed from his 2009 Cairo speech.

President Obama surprised most observers by publicly recognizing that the primary stumbling block preventing forward movement on the peace process is not settlements, or even the status of Jerusalem or the right of return, but Hamas.

The Obama administration's announcement yesterday specifically sanctioning Syrian President Bashar al-Asad begins to clear the fog that has clouded policy toward this pivotal country since the outbreak of mass protests weeks ago. As U.S. and international leaders have grappled with popular uprisings across the Middle East, the tension between moral

When administration officials insist that each country and each revolution in the Middle East is different and must thus be handled differently, they are correct. Case-by-case action is often wise. Case-by-case strategy is not.

Ever since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) assumed power in Ankara in 2002, Turkey has grown gradually cold toward cooperating with the West in the Middle East. Now, the AKP is increasingly taking issue with NATO.

On May 13, 2011, Hisham Kassem, Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, and Amb. James Larocco addressed The Washington Institute's 2011 Soref Symposium. Mr. Kassem, former publisher of al-Masry al-Youm, is an independent journalist and one of Egypt's most prominent democracy activists. Maj. Gen. Yadlin is the Kay fellow at The Washington

On May 12, 2011, National Security Advisor Thomas E. Donilon delivered the Michael Stein Address on U.S. Middle East Policy at The Washington Institute's 2011 Soref Symposium. Mr. Donilon is national security advisor to President Obama, a post he has held since October 2010. During the Clinton administration, he served

On May 4, 2011, Gilles Kepel and Martin Kramer addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Dr. Kepel is the chair of Middle East and Mediterranean studies at the Insitut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) and author of Beyond Terror and Martyrdom: The Future of the Middle East

On April 29, 2011, Ahmed Ali, Michael Knights, and Michael Eisenstadt addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Mr. Ali is a Marcia Robbins-Wilf research associate at the Institute, focusing on Iraqi political dynamics. Dr. Knights is a Lafer fellow at the Institute, specializing in the military and security