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In-Depth Reports

Obama and the Middle East:

An Early Assessment

Download the complete proceedings. On October 16, 2009, Jackson Diehl, Mortimer Zuckerman, and Michael Mandelbaum participated in a keynote debate at The Washington Institute's annual Weinberg Founders Conference. Jackson Diehl is deputy editorial page editor of the Washington Post. Mortimer Zuckerman, a member of The Washington Institute's Board of Advisors

Michael Mandelbaum
Mortimer Zuckerman

Articles & Testimony

Egypt's National Democratic Party (NDP) conference is fast approaching, but the meeting—which will formally set the stage for political succession—isn't making headlines these days. On October 6, the Los Angeles Times reported on how the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is reacting to sales of an Artificial Virginity Hymen Kit; still other

David Schenker

In-Depth Reports

Hamas in Combat:

The Military Performance of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement

Hamas has historically waged terror-based campaigns targeting both Israel and its Palestinian rivals, playing a spoiling role in peace negotiations between the two sides. However, much of the strength projected by Hamas is based on the military promise of the movement -- its capacity to employ force against its enemies

Yoram Cohen
Jeffrey White

Articles & Testimony

The Making of a Martyr

Matthew Levitt, senior fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, reviewed Paul McGeough's Killing Khalid: The Failed Mossad Assassination of Khalid Mishal and the Rise of Hamas for the Journal of International Security Affairs. In the annals of daring intelligence operations, Israel's Mossad stands

Articles & Testimony

The End of the Beginning

With apologies to Winston Churchill, President Obama may not have presided over the beginning of the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last week in New York, but he seems finally to have marked the end of an embarrassing beginning to his Middle East diplomacy. The president and his senior advisors

Beyond Settlements:

U.S. Policy Options Going Forward

Having raised Arab expectations months ago with the idea of a settlement freeze, the Obama administration now has the unpleasant task of coaxing Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas to tacitly accept an agreement on settlements that offers less than expected -- if more than was offered in the past

David Makovsky

Economic Challenges and Opportunities for Israel and the Palestinians

The global recession has presented a daunting challenge to governments everywhere, including that of Israel. Nonetheless, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said that waging "economic peace" will be a central component of his relationship with the Palestinians. His intention is to improve the West Bank economy as a supplement

Articles & Testimony

Why Walt, Mearsheimer, Still Wrong

On the second anniversary of the publication of the highly controversial book, "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," written by University of Chicago's John Mearsheimer and Harvard University's Stephen Walt, it is worth noting that their central thesis -- that Israel is a strategic liability and not an asset

David Makovsky

Rejectionists Readying to Counter U.S. Peace Push

With rumors in the air of a U.S.-brokered, mid-September meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, various regional actors are busy positioning themselves for the coming round of diplomacy. Analysis of these dynamics provides some useful perspective on the road ahead, beyond the usual focus on the minutiae of settlement construction

David Pollock

Articles & Testimony

The End of the Peace Process

In December 2000, the president had put forward his far-reaching set of parameters on all the final status issues. . . . He was even prepared to spend his last four days in office negotiating the deal. A desperate Barak was waiting for the call to a final summit meeting

Articles & Testimony

The Push for Mideast Peace Hinges on Benjamin Netanyahu 2.0

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently passed his first 100 days in office, there are early signs that the Israeli leader has evolved since he held the post a decade ago. This could mean -- on the Israeli side at least -- a real commitment to a durable peace

David Makovsky

Reality Contradicts New Hamas Spin

Even as the group conducts a public-relations blitz for tactical gains, it continues to advance its strategic goals through ongoing terrorist activities, robust radicalization, and the elevation of hardline militants to leadership positions.

Matthew Levitt

No Expansion vs. Freeze:

Obama's Dilemma over Israeli Settlements

Two and a half months after U.S. president Barack Obama and Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu first hit an impasse over the settlement issue, the dispute has not only continued, it has also grown more complex. Saudi Arabia has now rebuffed requests from Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George

David Makovsky

Articles & Testimony

The United States as an Honest Broker

Economist.com has been hosting an ongoing debate about whether the Obama administration is an honest broker between Israel and the Arabs. The following is the contribution by Michael Singh, the Ira Weiner fellow at The Washington Institute and former senior director for Middle East affairs at the National Security Council

Articles & Testimony

For Middle East Peace, Think Small

When it comes to the Middle East, American presidents like to think big, and President Obama is no exception. His agenda for the region, at the outset, included ending thirty years of enmity between the U.S. and Iran, reviving American popularity among Arabs and Muslims, and resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict

In-Depth Reports

The Obama Administration and the Middle East:

Setting Priorities, Defining Policies

Featuring Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, Michael Herzog, Marc Lynch, Nicholas Blanford, James Glassman, John Hannah, Robert Satloff, and David Makovsky The Proceedings President Obama came to office with the promise of bringing change to U.S. Middle East policy. Within weeks of his inauguration, substantive shifts in America's Iraq and Afghanistan

The PA Financial Crisis:

Causes and Implications

Eighteen months have passed since the Paris donor conference, where members of the international community promised the Palestinian government $1.45 billion in assistance for its 2009 budget. The Palestinian Authority (PA), however, has received less than a quarter of this amount, and Arab governments in particular have fallen short, contributing

Mohammad Yaghi

Articles & Testimony

Mideast Peace Can Start with a Land Swap

The White House publicly welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech yesterday giving qualified support to a two-state solution with the Palestinians. Nonetheless, there remains a gap between Mr. Netanyahu and the Obama administration over the expansion of settlements. Fortunately, there is a way to bridge that gap. The issue

David Makovsky

Rule of Law Is Key to Future Israel-Syria Peacemaking

Beginning on June 12, U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell will make his long anticipated first trip to Damascus. During the two-day visit, Mitchell will focus on reinvigorating Israeli-Syrian peace negotiations and cajoling Damascus to engineer a Fatah-Hamas reconciliation. According to media reports, he will also roll out a roadmap

Andrew J. Tabler

Articles & Testimony

Hits and Misses

The following is a review of the book, Kill Khalid: The Failed Mossad Assassination of Khalid Mishal and the Rise of Hamas (Allen and Unwin, 2009), by Paul McGeough. In the annals of daring intelligence operations both failed and successful, the Israeli Mossad stands alone. Most recently, the Israeli spy

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Featured experts

David Makovsky

David Makovsky is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations.

Ambassador Dennis Ross

Dennis Ross, a former special assistant to President Barack Obama, is the counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute.

Ehud Yaari is the Lafer International Fellow at The Washington Institute.

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