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Amman Warms to Hamas

This PolicyWatch is the first part of a two-part series on Hamas. Read part two. Last week, Jordan's minister of information publicly confirmed that senior Jordanian officials have been meeting with Hamas in an effort to "solve pending security issues." These talks represent a significant shift for Amman, since relations

Matthew Levitt
David Schenker

Assessing the Fight against al-Qaeda

How does the U.S. government view the status of the global fight against al-Qaeda in mid 2008?

Ted Gistaro

◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series

Kirkuk Derails Iraq's Election Law

On August 7, the Iraqi parliament went on summer recess after failing to pass a critical election law, delaying the country's provincial elections until sometime next year. The failure comes after the parliament successfully passed the law on July 22, only to be vetoed by the Iraqi Presidency Council in

Nazar Janabi

Articles & Testimony

The Dream of a New Turkey

Since arriving in Ankara earlier this summer I have been having a cool Turkish dream. No, it does not take place on a yacht sailing through turquoise waters off the Turkish Riviera. Rather, my dream is a political one, involving Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), in the wake

Financial Crisis Grips Fayad Government

Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayad recently appealed to the World Bank in an effort to bridge the current budget gap preventing the Palestinian Authority (PA) from paying government salaries this month. Despite a three-year $7.5 billion assistance pledge from the 2007 Paris donor conference, the PA remains in a financial

Mohammad Yaghi

In-Depth Reports

The Future of the Iraqi Kurds

What is the Kurdish Regional Government's current status in northern Iraq, and what implications does it hold for the United States? Is Kurdish independence a likely scenario? To examine these questions, a four-member Washington Institute delegation visited the KRG in February 2008, exploring its political and economic situation, its ties

Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

The U.S. Can Help Tackle Syrian Corruption

Today Syria is held out as Iran's "Airstrip One" in the Arab world -- an Orwellian island Tehran uses to project its power to Israel's borders and the shores of the Mediterranean. Indeed, Iranian-Syrian relations seem closer than ever -- including a newly signed military cooperation agreement. Ties between Damascus

Andrew J. Tabler

Can Lebanon's March 14 Reverse the Tide?

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

David Schenker

The Way Back from Islamism

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

Interfaith Talks Abroad, Intolerance at Home

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."

Simon Henderson

The Unlikely Peace: Prospects for an Israeli-Palestinian Agreement in 2008

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.

Amnon Lipkin-Shahak

◆ Zeev Schiff Memorial Lectures

Domestic and Regional Politics Delay U.S.-Iraqi Security Agreement

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

Nazar Janabi

Reconciling with Hamas?

Abbas's Hedge Against a Failed Peace Process

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

Mohammad Yaghi

Articles & Testimony

Turkey's A La Carte Liberalism

Turkey's ruling Justice And Development Party (AKP) faces a battle for survival as the country's constitutional court reviews a case to ban the party for its allegedly antisecular activities in violation of the Turkish Constitution. But the AKP can save itself if it can prove it is a liberal party

Ahmadinezhad Deflects Critcism with Attacks on Clerics

In late May, an official close to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad publicly accused more than forty high-ranking government officials -- including some of the country's most powerful clerics -- of economic corruption. These unprecedented revelations may signal the start of a significant power struggle inside the Iranian government, one likely

Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

Turkey's Changing Landscape

Modern Turkey's identity is based on its secular stance, but the ruling Justice and Development Party's policies show Islamist leanings. From mundane matters, such as the cost of ordering a drink, to major issues, such as women's role in society, Turkey seems to be undergoing a change. In this article

Articles & Testimony

Return of the Purple Fingers

Within the next few months, Iraqis will once again wave purple fingers in the air as they cast ballots for provincial governments. As Iraq's parliament debates a law to govern the elections, U.S. diplomats and international experts have an opportunity, if not to correct past mistakes, then to help put

Ending (or Deepening) the Crisis in Lebanon:

The Role of Electoral Reform

The May 25 election of Gen. Michel Suleiman as Lebanon's twelfth president was a central element of the Qatari-brokered compromise between the March 14 coalition and the Hizballah-led opposition. The agreement was greeted with relief in Washington and other international capitals, allaying fears that Lebanon was once again heading toward

Articles & Testimony

Israel, Don't Undermine Beirut

Developments in Lebanon are being viewed with great concern in Israel. In the aftermath of Hizbullah's recent military and ostensible political victories, many Israelis are saying that Beirut has gone the way of Gaza. Lebanon is now "Hizbullahstan" -- just like Gaza, only worse. This assessment is alarmist, defeatist, and

David Schenker

Lebanese Crisis Ends:

Hizballah Victory or Temporary Truce?

On May 21, after five days of mediation, Qatari officials announced a compromise solution to the Lebanese crisis between the pro-Western government and Hizballah-led opposition backed by Iran and Syria. According to preliminary reports, the negotiations centered on presidential elections and electoral reform, yet avoided the critical issue of Hizballah's

David Schenker

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Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

The Washington Institute's Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics focuses on social, political, and economic developments in the Arab world, with an emphasis on the Arab countries of the Levant.

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Featured experts

David Schenker

David Schenker is the Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics. He is the former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.

Ghaith al-Omari

Ghaith al-Omari

Ghaith al-Omari is the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Senior Fellow in The Washington Institute's Irwin Levy Family Program on the U.S.-Israel Strategic Relationship.

Hanin Ghaddar

Hanin Ghaddar is the Friedmann Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute's Rubin Family Arab Politics Program, where she focuses on Shia politics throughout the Levant.

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