U.S. Policy

In the heyday of the Oslo peacemaking era, it would be the work of American diplomats to prevent Israeli outrage over the horrific murders Friday evening of five civilians in this West Bank settlement. But today there is little peace process to protect.

Is Israel an asset or liability to the United States? This question -- which goes to the heart of U.S. policy in the Middle East -- has emerged as a focus of intense debate. If Israel is judged a net asset to the United States, then the U.S.-Israel partnership is

The United States should make at least $50 million available immediately for democratic institution building in Tunisia. The country's size and considerable assets mean that a modest investment could bring huge returns for the Tunisian people and U.S.-Tunisia relations.

The political turmoil in Egypt has prompted renewed concerns about the security of oil and gas supplies from the Middle East. The country's proximity to two key chokepoints -- the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandab Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden -- is significant. Yet

On February 9, 2011, Washington Institute executive director Robert Satloff testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The following is an excerpt from his prepared remarks. "Events of the past two weeks have constituted an earthquake in terms of Arab political dynamics, the pursuit of security and peace in the

The Obama administration and Congress should seek to protect a democratic transition in Egypt -- not stand in its way out of exaggerated fear.

The Obama administration's primary counterterrorism challenge is to articulate a counterradicalization policy that confronts the problem through a whole-of-government approach, augmented by nongovernmental and societal efforts.

Dina Guirguis discusses the rhetoric of and the piecemeal U.S. response to the Cairo demonstrations.

In December 2008, J. Scott Carpenter published a Washington Institute Strategic Report, Views of Arab Democrats, in which he distilled advice from Arab democrats to the newly elected Obama administration. The recent turmoil in Egypt points to the timeliness of this report, particularly the chapter addressing whether U.S. support of Arab prodemocracy efforts is in U.S. national interests.