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Arab & Islamic Politics

Policy Analysis on Arab & Islamic Politics

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Gulf Elections:

Small Steps and Mixed Results

On December 2, 2006, the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain held the second round of runoff elections for its national assembly, an advisory body. Meanwhile, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), December 16-20 will see the first-ever elections for half of the advisory federal national council, all of whose members

Simon Henderson
Patrick Clawson

The Significance of Iran's December Elections

On December 15, 2006, Iran's third municipal election and fourth election of the Assembly of Experts for the Leadership will take place simultaneously. Some observers are expecting a return of the reformists who lost much influence and standing in the most recent elections. However, the election process has, as yet

Mehdi Khalaji

Syria's Response to the Baker-Hamilton Report

On December 6, the long-awaited report of the Iraq Study Group (ISG), often referred to as the Baker-Hamilton commission, will be available to the public. One of the report’s recommendations is likely to be direct talks with Iran and Syria, providing plenty of fodder for American politicians, journalists, and foreign

Seth Wikas

Engaging the Neighbors:

Key to Resolving the War in Iraq?

According to press reports, one of the principal policy recommendations of the congressionally mandated Iraq Study Group will be that Washington should engage Iraq’s neighbors—particularly Syria and Iran—in its efforts to staunch the ongoing violence in Iraq. However, both historical precedent and current conditions on the ground in Iraq suggest

Michael Eisenstadt

Lebanon in Political Crisis:

Three Months After the War

On November 20, 2006, David Schenker and Nohad el-Machnouk addressed The Washington Institute’s Special Policy Forum. Mr. Schenker is a senior fellow at the Institute specializing in Arab politics and former Levant country director at the Pentagon. He had just returned from Lebanon prior to the forum. Mr. el-Machnouk served

David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

A Moment with Robert Satloff

Robert Satloff’s new book is sure to rankle Arabs who insist that the Holocaust never happened. In Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust’s Long Reach into Arab Lands, Satloff chronicles the persecution of North Africa’s Jewish community during the Axis occupation and the Arab reaction to it. From

Articles & Testimony

Pricey Cedar Politics

The assassination of Lebanese minister of industry Pierre Gemayel last week was yet another in a seemingly endless series of brutal murders of anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon. But while Gemayel’s death was tragic, for Lebanon watchers, the killing didn’t come as much of a surprise. For weeks Hezbollah Secretary General

David Schenker

Turkey's EU Accession:

Train Wreck or Red Light?

On November 15, 2006, Jonathan Davidson, Soner Cagaptay, and Mark Parris addressed The Washington Institute’s Special Policy Forum. Jonathan Davidson is senior advisor for political and academic affairs at the European Community Delegation in Washington, D.C. Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at

Soner Cagaptay
Mark Parris

Articles & Testimony

For many long years it was fair to describe the development of Saudi Arabia's foreign policy in terms of the "dynamics of inaction." The Wahhabi royal house followed an essentially cautious, awkward, defensive path of diplomacy, rarely taking the initiative, and prefering to remain in the shadowy realm of influence

Articles & Testimony

Shiites against Hezbollah

Hezbollah rockets stopped raining on Israel nearly two months ago, but the Shiite organization’s onslaught continues. Today, instead of directly attacking Israel, the Party of God is targeting Lebanese intellectuals and politicians who have the temerity to question Hezbollah’s hegemony over local Shiite politics. There’s no debating that Hezbollah is

David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

The <i>Muqawama</i> Doctrine

The second Lebanon war has put wind in the sails of the rejectionists across our borders, increasing numbers of whom believe that finally, they have hit upon an effective plan of action against Israel. Predictably, declarations about the inevitable demise of the Jewish state are back in fashion. More than

Articles & Testimony

Hip, Hip, Al Hurra!

American public diplomacy in the Middle East did not have a good week. An Arabic-speaking State Department official named Alberto Fernandez made news on October 21 when he spoke too candidly about U.S. missteps in Iraq on Al Jazeera, the Arabic satellite television channel based in Qatar. Not only was

In-Depth Reports

Countering Islamists at the Ballot Box:

Alternative Strategies

Since the September 11 attacks, promoting democracy has been a cornerstone of the Bush administration's Middle East policy, viewed as the best antidote to radicalism. Washington has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to advancing Middle Eastern civil society, and the region has witnessed an unprecedented array of elections. In

From Beirut to Gaza:

Israelâ€™s Neighbors in the Aftermath of War

On October 16, 2006, Ehud Yaari addressed The Washington Institute’s Special Policy Forum. Mr. Yaari is an Israel-based Lafer international fellow with the Institute and an associate editor of the Jerusalem Report. The following is a contemporaneous article in which Mr. Yaari summarized the content of his remarks. It originally

Ehud Yaari

Countering Holocaust Denial in Arab and Muslim Societies:

On October 20, 2006, Robert Satloff, Akbar Ahmed, and Gregg Rickman addressed The Washington Institute’s Special Policy Forum.

Robert Satloff

In-Depth Reports

Among the Righteous:

Lost Stories from the Holocaust's Long Reach into Arab Lands

Seeking a hopeful response to the plague of Holocaust denial that swept across the Middle East, one author set off on a quest to find an Arab hero whose story could change the way local communities view Jews, themselves, and their own history.

Robert Satloff

Countering Holocaust Denial in Arab and Muslim Societies:

On October 20, 2006, Robert Satloff, Akbar Ahmed, and Gregg Rickman addressed The Washington Institute’s Special Policy Forum. Dr. Satloff is the Institute’s executive director and author of Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust’s Long Reach into Arab Lands. Dr. Ahmed is the Ibn Khaldun chair of Islamic

Robert Satloff

New Saudi Rules on Succession:

Will They Fix the Problem?

On October 20, 2006, eighty-three-year-old King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced changes to the kingdom's "Basic Law" -- effectively its constitution -- that appear to formalize procedures for the selection of future kings. However, it is difficult to know how much the current system of succession will actually change. For

Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Beyond the Dust

Behind the clouds of dust stirred up by the political skirmishing now going on between Hamas and Fatah, some truths have been obscured, truths that will not go away even if and when a government of national unity arises in the Palestinian Authority. Such a government will, in the last

Articles & Testimony

Soner Cagaptay on CNN-Turk

Soner Cagaptay appeared on CNN-Turk's Burasi Washington, ("This Is Washington") on October 15. In an extended interview with CNN-Turk correspondent Yasemin Congar, Mr. Cagaptay discussed issues of critical importance to U.S.-Turkish relations. These included secularism in Turkey, terrorist activity by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, and the

Soner Cagaptay

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Supported by the

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.

Bilal Wahab

Bilal Wahab was the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.

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