Skip to main content

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Main navigation

Analysis
Experts
About
Support
Maps & Multimedia

Trending:

Military & Security
Proliferation

Israel
Iran
Lebanon
Syria

Regions & Countries

Egypt
Gulf States
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Lebanon
Middle East
North Africa
Palestinians
Syria
Turkey

Issues

Arab & Islamic Politics
Arab-Israeli Relations
Democracy & Reform
Energy & Economics
Great Power Competition
Gulf & Energy Policy
Military & Security
Peace Process
Proliferation
Terrorism
U.S. Policy

TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية Fikra Forum

Search Policy Analysis

Breadcrumb

Policy Analysis

Arab & Islamic Politics

Policy Analysis on Arab & Islamic Politics

Filter by:

Keyword

Region

Type

Knowing Thy Enemy: Decisionmaking of Regional Adversaries

On January 22, 2007, Washington Institute Wexler-Fromer fellow Martin Kramer addressed the Seventh Annual Herzliya Conference on the balance of Israel's national security. These are his remarks. My role here this morning is to serve as a proxy for "the enemy." Now it might have been more interesting to invite

Martin Kramer

President Bush’s Iraq Strategy:

The Gulf Dimension

On January 16, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Kuwait for a meeting with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—the oil-producing states of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. The final stop on Rice’s Middle East tour, the visit

Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

If You Must Engage Syria, Do It the Lantos Way

President Bush's address to the nation on Iraq last week dispensed with many of the 79 recommendations included in the 142-page report of the Iraq Study Group. The headline on the speech was the decision to surge 21,000 troops, rather than downsize the U.S. military presence in Iraq as the

David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

Who Holds the Key to its Future?

On January 17, 2007, Institute counselor and Ziegler distinguished fellow Dennis Ross testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. The following is the prepared text of his remarks. I have been asked to discuss Iraq in a regional context. I interpret the request to be less about how

Dennis Ross

Annual Post-New Year's Event:

America and the Middle East, circa 2007

On January 12, 2007, Joe Klein and Martin Walker addressed The Washington Institute's Special Policy Forum. Joe Klein, the author of the bestseller Primary Colors, writes the "In the Arena" column about national and international affairs for Time magazine. Martin Walker is the editor emeritus of United Press International, and

The Battle for Kirkuk:

How to Prevent a New Front in Iraq

On January 14, in a rare show of unity, Sunni and Shiite Arab, Turkmen, and Christian Iraqis gathered at a conference in Ankara to denounce Kurdish plans to incorporate Kirkuk, the capital of Iraq’s at-Tamim province, into the Kurdish region. This comes after recent violence in Kirkuk, including a December

Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

Syria Poised to Assert Itself

Hafez el Assad, the father of Syrian President Bashar Assad, established Syria's primacy in the Levant and transformed a country ravaged by nearly 30 coups in 24 years into a country led by one leader for nearly 30. The elder Assad made sure that Syria manipulated events in the Middle

Articles & Testimony

As he travels through his lands, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad delivers a daily speech, each time in a different city, during which he proposes reexamining the Holocaust and putting to "scientific test" the claim that 6 million Jews were annihilated by the Nazis. It is important to point out, by

Democracy Promotion in the Middle East:

Time for a Plan B?

On December 4, 2006, Jennifer Windsor, Carl Gershman, and Martin Kramer addressed The Washington Institute's Special Policy Forum. Jennifer Windsor is executive director of Freedom House and also a member of the Secretary of State's Advisory Commission. Carl Gershman is president of the National Endowment of Democracy and a member

Martin Kramer

In-Depth Reports

The Muslim Scholars Association:

A Key Actor in Iraq

On November 16, the Iraqi government issued an arrest warrant for Harith al-Dhari, secretary-general of the Muslim Scholars Association, the country's most influential Sunni Arab religious organization. He was charged with inciting terrorism and violence due to his presumed ties to the Sunni insurgency. The move was strongly criticized by

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

Pagination

Previous page
First page
…
Page 161
Page 162
Page 163
Page 164
Current page 165
Page 166
Page 167
Page 168
Page 169
…
Last page
Next page

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.

Sign Up for Email Updates from The Washington Institute

Never miss a breaking event on U.S. policy interests in the Middle East. Customize your subscription to our expert analysis, op-eds, live events, and special reports.

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.

1111 19th Street NW - Suite 500
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-452-0650
Fax: 202-223-5364

Footer contact links

Contact
Press Room
Subscribe

The Washington Institute seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.

The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax-deductible.

Footer quick links

About TWI
Support the Institute
Alumni

Social media

The Washington Institute on Facebook
The Washington Institute on X
The Washington Institute on YouTube
The Washington Institute on LinkedIn

© 2025 All rights reserved.

Footer

Employment
Privacy Policy
Rights & Permissions