Program Related Publication Feeds

Egypt and U.S. Health Assistance

jdunton — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Few countries have been as successful as Egypt in parlaying its strategic position into an economic asset. At the nexus of two continents, astride the Suez Canal, and with one-quarter of the Arab world’s entire population, Egypt has made itself an object of interest, and often an object of concern, among the world’s great powers for more than a half-century.

Middle East Notes and Comment: The Arab Decade?

dholodnik — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

One year ago, the protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square proved that Tunisia was not a fluke. Until January 2011, Tunisia didn’t resonate much in the Arab world. It was too small, too Francophile, and too socially liberal.

Egypt in Transition: Insights and Options for U.S. Policy

dholodnik — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Egypt’s leadership has dashed expectations for a swift and complete shift from autocracy to democracy. The inherent conservatism of Egypt’s military leadership, combined with the political ineffectiveness of many of the activists who were at the center of public protests a year ago, is widening the gap between public expectations of the post-Mubarak era and its reality.

Middle East Notes and Comment: Allies at Odds

mDziuban — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The United States is used to looking for trouble from its enemies, but a growing set of problems will emerge from its allies. In the eastern Mediterranean, three U.S. allies are increasingly at loggerheads, and the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.

Middle East Notes and Comment: Politics of Piety

ian — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Many in the United States—and in the Middle East—worry that religious extremists in the Arab world are on the cusp of something big. Across the region, groups that blend religion and politics are injecting more religion into more open politics.

Saudi Youth: Unveiling the Force for Change

dholodnik — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been spared the unrest that recently swept many of its neighbors in the Middle East.

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.

Seeing Through the Fog: Transitional Governments in Libya and Elsewhere

dholodnik — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

On October 6, 2011, Dr. Jon Alterman delivered a talk at the Marine Corps University in Quantico, VA, entitled “Seeing Through the Fog: Transitional Governments in Libya and Elsewhere.” The talk drew on experience with transitions around the world to caution patience, identify the perils of U.S.

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.

Middle East Notes and Comment: The Turkey Connection

dholodnik — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Saudi Arabia has a problem. Its decades-long alliances with Iraq and Egypt have been sundered, and its faith in U.S. leadership is at its lowest point in memory. Its regional threats have grown, not only from Iranians directly across the Gulf, but from the actions of Iranian proxies in Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East that endanger Saudi allies.

Conference Report: Planning for Post-Gadhafi Libya

mDziuban — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

On July 25, CSIS convened approximately 50 experts from the government, diplomatic and expert communities to analyze the way forward in Libya. Among the key conclusions of the speakers are:

Middle East Notes and Comment: A Troubling Mix

mDziuban — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Five months in, Egypt's post-Mubarak politics have yet to take shape. With parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in only two months, and with Egyptians still wondering if they will vote for district representatives, national party lists, or some hybrid system, July's uncertainty has replaced February's euphoria.

Gulf Roundtable: Iran’s Maritime Evolution

dholodnik — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Iran’s nuclear program gets the press, but Iran’s navy is an indispensible part of its regional strategy. A swift, versatile navy gives Iran political and economic leverage in and around the Gulf, and allows it to challenge U.S. presence without necessarily suffering retaliation. Dr. David B.

Gulf Analysis Paper: Iran's Maritime Evolution

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

As Iraq and Afghanistan fade from the headlines, Iran is likely to re-emerge as the preeminent security concern in the Middle East for the United States and its allies. Iran’s intransigence over its nuclear ambitions, its support for Shia opposition forces in the region, and material support for terrorist organizations are challenges that will likely persist for the foreseeable future.

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.

Capacity and Resolve

jdunton — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The last decade has seen the United States involved in two wars, an ongoing worldwide struggle against terrorism, and more recently a severe economic recession. This period has exposed two great structural challenges facing the United States. First, in a globalized world, vectors of prosperity quickly become vectors of insecurity. And second, the center of gravity in world affairs is shifting to Asia.

Investing in A More Robust Public Policy Environment in the Middle East

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

With the winds of change blowing through the Arab world, the time is ripe for supporting a more robust public policy environment in the region. Over time, a disciplined and coordinated effort can help nurture an environment in which younger generations are more intimately connected with policymaking and where political debate occurs outside the blogosphere, among individuals and civil soc

Middle East Notes and Comment: Forgotten Lessons

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

If there were a single lesson to be learned from the bloody and chaotic period that followed the toppling of Saddam Hussein, it was the importance of planning carefully for the post-conflict environment. As coalition forces bear down on Muammar Gadhafi’s Libya, that lesson is being forgotten.

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.

Fierce or Feeble: Persian Gulf Assessments of U.S. Power

ian — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Since the conclusion of the Cold War brought an end to Soviet threats to Western Europe, no region of the world has a security architecture more reliant on U.S. power than the Persian Gulf. The U.S. military commitment to the Gulf is substantial for such a small piece of geography.

"U.S.-China Relations: Cooperation and Contending over the Middle East" (in Chinese and English)

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

China, the United States, and the Middle East form a triangle. All three value regional stability and energy security, and each needs strong relations with the other two. Chinese engagement in the Middle East makes some in the United States worry that China could become its rival in the Middle East.

Global Forecast 2011

jdunton — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Earthquake: How Egypt Emerges From Uncertainty

ian — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Egypt is not Tunisia. When Tunisian president Zine El-Abidine Bin Ali fl ed Tunis on January 14, it was a curiosity in the Middle East. Tunisia had long nurtured pretentions of being more European than Arab, and its relatively small population cast a scant shadow on the Arab world.

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.

Middle East Notes and Comment: The Middle East Turns East

Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

As the United States struggles to understand the paradigm shifts underway in the Middle East, one shift has received almost no attention, and it should. After more than two centuries of the United States viewing the Middle East from the perspective of an Atlantic power, the United States increasingly views the region from the perspective of a Pacific power as well. The shift has pro

Gulf Roundtable: A GCC Strategy for Counter-Piracy?

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Pirates’ bounties have never been more bountiful in the Arabian Sea. Despite a multi-national counter-piracy effort in the region, pirates are pursuing increasingly lucrative targets with unprecedented skill and sophistication. The GCC states, whose economies rely heavily on maritime trade through the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, feel the piracy threat acutely but have th

Counter-Piracy in the Arabian Sea

Mon, 09 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Piracy not only threatens to disrupt maritime trade in the region that Gulf economies depend on, it also undermines confidence in the ability of regional governmnets to address security challenges in their own "backyard." The problem provides a unique opportunity for local actors, most importantly the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, to demonstrate initiative and exercise

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

Middle East Notes and Comment: The Earthquake

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

When Hosni Mubarak resigned on February 11, it was an earthquake that shook the entire region, and shakes it still. Egypt had long ago lost its mantle as the leader of the Arab world, but it was certainly its center of gravity. How Egypt emerges from its current uncertainty will shape the coming decades in the entire Middle East.

Water and National Strength in Saudi Arabia

mDziuban — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Of all the manifestations of Saudi Arabia's spectacular development over the past half century, none presents a starker set of contrasts than water. Oil has helped finance rapid urban development and generous philanthropic and humanitarian projects around the world.

Middle East Notes and Comment: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

It is tempting to see the political protests sweeping the Middle East as "Facebook Revolutions"; to see the Internet as a force that galvanizes hundreds of thousands of young people into a new political force that breathes life into stolid authoritarian regimes. But the Internet is only part of the story. Good old-fashioned television is probably more important in turning

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.

Scarcity and Strategy in the GCC

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

One of the Gulf Arab region's most pressing challenges over the next several decades relates not to national defense or conventional warfare, but to water. Policymakers traditionally think of the GCC in terms of defense sales and security umbrellas, and international conflict in the region remains a possibility. However, water scarcity and the domestic strains it will create ar

Middle East Notes and Comment: Drawing the Wrong Lessons

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Mubarak's end is near, but the danger is that other Arab leaders will draw the wrong lesson from his fall. Rather than concluding that Mubarak was too wed to the ideas of the past, they are likely to conclude he was insufficiently cautious of abandoning those ideas.

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.

Getting the Message

mDziuban — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The public protests in Egypt are not about minor changes or grievances. Mubarak's regime faces a deep process of legitimacy erosion that has been decades in the making. A unique set of historical, social and religious forces is challenging Mubarak's regime and U.S. understandings of how to remain engaged with it.

Events in Egypt

ian — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: What is at stake for the United States in Egypt?

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.

Clear Gold

jdunton — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The real wild card for political and social unrest in the Middle East over the next 20 years is not war, terrorism, or revolution—it is water. Conventional security threats dominate public debate and government thinking, but water is the true game-changer in Middle Eastern politics.

الذهب الزُلال

mentman — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

لن تنبع القلاقل السياسية والاجتماعية خلال العشرين عاما القادمة في الشرق الأوسط من الحروب، أو الإرهاب، أو الثورات، بل من منبع مفاجئ مستتر- إنه المياه.

Middle East Notes and Comment: Testing Patience

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Domestic politics and challenging allies will soon test the Obama administration's strategy of patience towards Iran. A Republican-led U.S.

Middle East Notes and Comment: A Question of Commitment

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Middle East concern is not one of U.S. capability. There is no alternative superpower in the wings, nor a regional power that threatens to displace the United States from its privileged position. In a region that sees itself as both vulnerable and weak, the United States remains a vital part of the stable order.

Middle East Notes and Comment: Failure and Success on the Nile

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The U.S.-Egyptian bilateral relationship over the last 30 years has been a failure. Either that, or it's been a tremendous success. One can make a strong case for both arguments.

Middle Eastern Perspectives on the United States

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The following is an undedited transcript of an event convened by the Middle East Policy Council at the Rayburn House Office Building on October 14, 2010. The event featured discussions by Jon Alterman, Amin Tarzi, James Zogby, and Leon Hadar.

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.

Middle East Notes and Comment: Bipolar Disorder

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

U.S. foreign policy increasingly centers on two very different poles. The first is Asia, where trade-based relationships offer opportunities for extensive mutual benefit. The second is the Middle East, where persistent insecurity and violent extremism threaten American lives and American interests. The U.S. relationship with Asia is largely about upside benefits, and the U.S.

"The Vital Triangle"

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

For the United States, China's increasing involvement in the Middle East represents the convergence of two major security problems. The first has to do with China's rise, which depending on whom you talk to, is something that needs to be accommodated or something that needs to be shaped. The second has to do with energy security, which the United States began to take seriously after