Expert Related Publication Feeds

U.S. Global Health Policy in Palestinian Hands?

jdunton — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Palestinians, Israelis, Americans, and others are engaged in high-stakes brinkmanship over recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations. For the Palestinian leadership, pursuing UN statehood and membership in UN bodies holds out the prospect of greater international recognition and rare diplomatic leverage over both the United States and Israel.

Gaza's Health Sector under Hamas

jdunton — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

In less than three decades Hamas health care activities have transformed dramatically. This transformation in health care has mirrored Hamas’s own evolution, albeit incomplete, from a militant organization to a de facto government.

Middle East Notes and Comment: The Predicament

dholodnik — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

For nearly four decades, the United States' reputation in the Middle East has been strengthened by its ability to broker peace between Israelis and Arabs. That ability is fading as the Palestinians seek to bypass the United States in their statehood bid and Israeli policies further alienate many American supporters.

Crossroads

jdunton — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The U.S.-Israel partnership is under unprecedented strain. The relationship is deep and cooperation remains robust, but the challenges to it now are more profound than ever. Growing differences could undermine the national security of both the United States and Israel, making strong cooperation uncertain in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable Middle East.

Palestine's UN Gamble

sherry — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In the coming weeks, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) will likely submit a formal request to the United Nations for full membership status. According to the UN Charter, the Security Council must approve the request before it goes to the General Assembly for a final vote.

Uncertain Commitment: Israeli Assessments of U.S. Power

ian — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Israelis believe the United States is projecting weakness in a region that has no mercy for the weak. The Israeli elite do not doubt U.S. power and military capabilities as much as they question how the United States will use its assets to shape regional trends and events that directly affect Israeli interests.

Bracing For Aftershocks: North African Politics and Security

ian — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

North Africa is bracing itself. Not since Algeria’s brutal civil war a generation ago has the region witnessed so much turmoil and uncertainty. Angry and frustrated masses demanding improved governance and greater socioeconomic opportunities present regimes with new challenges. The need for governments to address these grievances is urgent.

Gulf Roundtable: Eyes on Bahrain

Mon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The unrest raging in Bahrain is hardly surprising. The Bahraini uprising feeds on old political tensions, according ot Kristin Smith Diwan, professor of international relations at American University's School of International Service, and is part of a genuine call for a more representative government. Fred Wehrey, senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, believes the disc

Gulf Roundtable: Scarcity and Strategy in the GCC

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Resource scarcity in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will challenge the same political and economic structures that resource abundance has helped shore up. Dr. Toby Jones and Dr. Eckart Woertz discussed these challenges at a Gulf Roundtable hosted by the CSIS Middle East Program on February 25, 2011.

Military Aid to Egypt: A Critical Link

ian — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Calls in Washington to suspend military aid to Egypt are fuelling an already blazing fire. Although a serious review of the $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid to Egypt is long overdue, raising the threat in the midst of a burning crisis is dangerous. The Egyptian military, the primary beneficiary of U.S. aid, will play a significant role in shaping the contours of the post-Mubarak system.

What's Next for Tunisia?

mentman — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Tunisia remains in a state of emergency. The 23-year rule of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, one of the Arab world’s most ruthless and efficient autocrats, has crumbled. Few are sorry to see him and his cronies go, but it remains unclear what kind of governing system will take his place.

Middle East Notes and Comment: The Disconnect

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

There is a disconnect between U.S. diplomatic efforts to heal the ills in foreign lands and foreign leaders' focus on their own domestic affairs. There is a disconnect between a U.S. government committed to change and foreign leaders' interest in continuity.

Gulf Roundtable: From Soldiers to Diplomats: the U.S. Civil-Military Transition in Iraq

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

GCC concerns about Iranian influence in Iraq are "overplayed," according to Mark Matthews, former Director of Strategy, Plans, and Assessment for U.S.

Gulf Roundtable: Iran, the Bomb, and Gulf Security

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

When it comes to its nuclear program, Iran's government seeks to manipulate any U.S.

Gulf Roundtable: Iran: Addressing the Nuclear Threat

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

On September 21, 2010, the CSIS Middle East Program hosted Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA), chairman of the U.S.

Gulf Roundtable: The Conventional Military Balance in the Gulf

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

In a conventional war against Iran, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries would almost certainly win, according to Dr. Anthony Cordesman, the Burke Chair in Strategy at CSIS.

The Gaza Flotilla Raid and its Aftermath

ian — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

On May 31, Israeli commandos raided the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara in international waters resulting in the death of at least nine passengers and the temporary detention of several hundred others who were seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza. The raid and its aftermath seriously threaten Israeli-Turkish relations, complicate U.S.

Middle East Notes and Comment: Moment of Truth

Sat, 22 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Beneath the recent public embrace, a genuine crisis is emerging in U.S.-Israeli relations. Increasingly, the two countries have fundamentally different strategic priorities. In the past, high-level political understandings narrowed such differences; today, such understandings seem elusive.

Gulf Roundtable: Saudi Arabia: Domestic Dynamics and Regional Policies

Fri, 21 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Saudi debate on a range of social and regional policy issues has expanded considerably over the last five years. Much of this discussion is driven by the media which has expanded its coverage of women’s rights, freedom of speech, and government accountability.

Gulf Roundtable: Regional Reverberations: What If Israel Strikes Iran?

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

If Israel struck Iran militarily, experts say, Iran would likely seek to retaliate against U.S. and GCC interests in the Gulf, Iran and Afghanistan. While Dr. Gary Sick argued that the aftermath of such a strike would be so profound as to make it both undesirable and unlikely, Dr. Kenneth Katzman suggested that contingencies are already in place to help manage the consequences.

Middle East Notes and Comment: Dangerous Brinkmanship

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Israeli government’s surprise announcement of plans for new Jewish housing in East Jerusalem during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit last week does not bode well for U.S.-Israeli relations or for U.S.

Biden's Trip to Israel

sherry — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: The main headline that resulted from Vice President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel was Israel’s decision to announce the construction of 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem. Was this an intentional Israeli action?

Gulf Roundtable: Trouble in the Backyard: Yemen and the GCC

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Yemen’s plight has sparked concern in more than one corner of the world. While the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) fears a failed state in its backyard, the United States and Europe fear that al Qaeda will turn the country into a safe haven for terrorists.

Gulf Roundtable: The UAE 123 Agreement: A Model for the Region?

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The energy-rich countries of the Middle East often have a hard time making a case for civilian nuclear power. In Iran, “peaceful purposes” are a thin veil for what many experts conclude are nuclear weapons ambitions, and the Gulf’s vast hydrocarbon reserves make any call for nuclear power appear illogical.

Gulf Roundtable: The New Silk Road: The Arab Rediscovery of China

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

For the first time in modern history, China has surpassed the United States as the largest exporter to the Middle East, with revenues totaling around $60 billion per year. Ben Simpfendorfer, chief China Economist for the Royal Bank of Scotland, suggests that the figure reflects a “historical rebalancing” in the global economy and that China-Middle East ties will continue to grow.

Gulf Roundtable: The Bet: Gulf Investment and the Future of Oil Demand

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

As fluctuating oil prices continue to affect both producers and consumers throughout the world,
PFC Energy consultant Roger Diwan offered his insights into the particular role of oil investment
within the Gulf States. He focused on the uncertainties of future oil demand, and how these
factors in turn motivate the exploration and development of new fields in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,

Gulf Roundtable: Assessing the Iranian Nuclear Challenge

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

“In the case of Iran, to think that you will deal with the weapons system without dealing with the reason that they find that option attractive is a serious mistake,” said David Kay, a senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and the former chief UN nuclear weapons inspector in Iraq.

Turkey's Evolving Dynamics

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Relations between the United States and Turkey stand at a critical juncture. Turkey is a key ally in the advancement of U.S. interests vis-à-vis the Middle East, Eurasia, and global energy diversification. Turkey still sees the United States as its closest ally and wants to be a partner in advancing mutual interests, particularly in its immediate environs.

Gulf Roundtable: The Democracy Tax: Accountability, Transparency and Efficiency in the Gulf

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

While democratic countries tend to be wealthier than authoritarian countries, few argue that democracy creates wealth. Still rarer are those who suggest that democracy inhibits wealth creation. The Gulf, however, may be an exception.

Deciphering the Israeli Elections

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: What effects have the actions in Gaza had on Israeli public opinion?

Gulf Roundtable: UAE 1-2-3 Nuclear Agreement

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

H.E. Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States, discussed the UAE's proposed civilian nuclear energy program at a CSIS Gulf Roundtable on January 12, 2009. He was joined by his colleague H.E.

Conflict in Gaza

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: What provoked the current war?

Middle East Notes and Comment: Value Investing

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Hedge funds have had their day. Following years in which audacious bets paid off handsomely, the financial markets have tanked. The Bush administration has made similar bets in the Middle East, and it has left similar wreckage. Now many investment professionals are returning to the fundamentals: solid analysis, sustained investment, and modest expectations.

Gulf Roundtable: Making Sense of Gulf Economic Trends

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

“What happens in the Gulf affects the entire Middle East,” observed Mohsin Khan of the International Monetary Fund, but he estimates that the Gulf countries will fare far better than most through the current economic downturn.

Gulf Roundtable: Iraq’s Reintegration into the Gulf

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

“Ordinary Iraqis fear that the Gulf states are working against Iraq,” explained Stephen Negus of the Woodrow Wilson Center. While there is a small Gulf Arab presence in the country, “Iran is indispensible to Iraq in a way the Gulf has not been and is not likely to become,” he added.

Gulf Roundtable: Fundamentalist Islam at a Crossroads: 9/11, Iraq, and the Saudi religious debate

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

“The split between the Muslim Brothers and the Wahhabis is now at the center of all Islamist debates” in Saudi Arabia stated Stephane Lacroix, a post-doctoral fellow and a lecturer at Sciences Po in Paris.

Middle East Notes and Comment: Iran's Soft Power Creates Hard Realities

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

While U.S. public diplomacy appears to be withering in the Middle East, the Islamic Republic of Iran is on a tear. The country is exploiting an ever-widening array of instruments to build goodwill and strategic partnerships throughout the Muslim world and beyond.

Gulf Roundtable: Recentering the Global Economy: Gulf capital and the future of wealth

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

“U.S. companies have no choice but to depend on sovereign wealth funds for assets,” stated Daniel Gross, Newsweek’s chief economic columnist. A growing supply of dollar-based capital piling up on the balance sheets of foreign governments has intersected with a sudden demand for capital in the United States. These conditions have created opportunities for U.S.

Gulf Roundtable: Iraq after the Surge: Implications for the Gulf States

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Africa at the International Crisis Group (ICG). Hiltermann asserted that the U.S. surge strategy, combined with U.S. engagement with Sunni tribes through the so-called Sunni Awakening (or sahwa), has created precisely the openings Arab states were calling for to create some political accommodation in Iraq. Still, significant challenges remain.

Gulf Roundtable: The New Rules of the Game: Gulf wealth and the global economy

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

While the Arab Gulf is enjoying a huge windfall as oil revenues have skyrocketed, the region continues to face serious economic challenges, according to Ahmed Saeed of Cerberus Capital. Saeed, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa and the Middle East at the U.S.

Virtual Agreement, Virtual Negotiations

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Getting Israeli and Palestinian leaders to sit down together at Annapolis was an impressive show of support and hope, but negotiations need more than hope to succeed.

Practical Steps Beyond Annapolis

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Israeli and Palestinian leaders seeking to resolve their differences in Annapolis may as well meet on the moon.

Middle East Notes and Comment: Taking it to the Streets

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

The age of bread riots in the Middle East may be over. With each passing year, people in the Middle East seem to expect less and less from their governments. The governments, for their part, seem to be encouraging the trend.

Gulf Roundtable: Iran: Meeting the Military Challenge

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Defining the Iranian military challenge to the Gulf is “exceedingly difficult given the multidimensional nature of the threat, the enigmatic nature of the state, and the fact that Iran frequently exaggerates and obfuscates its military capabilities” argued Frederic Wehrey, an international policy analyst at the RAND Corporation.

Blair Has a Long Shot at Achieving Middle East Progress in Atlantic Outlook Vol 1. No 3

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Tony Blair’s foray into peacemaking as the envoy of the Middle East Quartet (United States, Russian Federation, European Union, and United Nations) seems baffling at first. With violence continuing …

"Why Moscow is Threatening to Suspend Conventional Forces Treaty," Atlantic Outlook Vol. 1 No. 3

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Topics covered in this issue of Atlantic Outlook:

Support Grows for Keeping Stronger U.S. Force in Europe
Why Moscow Is Threatening to Suspend Conventional Forces Treaty
After Election Victory, Turkish Leader Faces New EU Challenges
Blair Has a Long Shot at Achieving Middle East Progress
And More.

Gulf Roundtable: The Gulf’s Shi’a: Toward Loyalty or Rebellion?

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0400

National identity trumps sectarian identity among the Shi’a populations of the Arab Gulf, stated J.E. Peterson, an expert on the history and politics of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states who is affiliated with the University of Arizona. He analyzed the current state of the Gulf Shi’a for the third session of the CSIS Gulf Roundtable on July 12, 2007.

Gulf Roundtable: Iran and the Struggle for Gulf Supremacy

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Two leading American experts on Iran judged that Iran is a more rational power than is often supposed, and more aggressive U.S. diplomacy to test Iranian intentions and shape Iranian actions could have positive effects in the coming years.

Middle East Notes and Comment: Déjà vu Diplomacy

Fri, 18 May 2007 00:00:00 -0400

As the Middle East marks the fortieth anniversary of the Six Day War, it is a remarkably different place. Nasserism is dead, Islamism is surging, and Israelis and Palestinians are facing deep internal political crises. The U.S. approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict, however, is eerily similar to the way it was forty years ago.

Gulf Roundtable: The Arab Quartet

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0400

The re-launching of the “Arab Peace Initiative” at March’s Arab League Summit was accompanied by an innovation: the creation of an “Arab Quartet” to help pursue peace efforts between the Arab world and Israel. Professor F.