Middle East PolicyCast: Recent Episodes
The Washington Institute
Few countries from the Middle East or North Africa were invited to participate in the Biden administration's December Summit for Democracy, a telling reflection of regional politics a decade after the Arab Spring. Tunisia—once considered the only successful Arab democracy—recently suffered significant backsliding on that front, while Sudan's attempted coup has raised doubts about its political transition. Meanwhile, a "new normal" of protests has settled in as citizens continue demanding improvements in healthcare, housing, jobs, freedom of expression, and more. Given such realities, where are countries like Tunisia and Sudan headed, and how should the administration shape its broader regional approach to democracy, human rights, and reform?
Listen to an expert conversation with the Tunisian political analyst Chiraz Arbi, the Sudanese scholar Yasir Zaidan, former U.S. diplomat Alberto Fernandez, and former Institute scholar Sarah Feuer.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Watch full video of this conversation: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/popular-protest-democratic-prospects-and-us-policy-dilemmas-middle-east
Marking the release of Anna Borshchevskaya's groundbreaking new book on Russia's Putin-era Middle East Policy, the Institute senior fellow held a lively conversation with a leading scholar of the Russian military and a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow. In this episode, we present their in-depth conversation on the full extent of Russian activity in the Middle East, how Moscow sees its interests and calculates costs and benefits, and the implications for U.S. policy.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Watch full video of this conversation: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/future-putins-war-syria
Read Anna Borshchevskaya's new book, "Putin's War in Syria": https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/putins-war-syria-russian-foreign-policy-and-price-americas-absence
Twenty years after the deadly terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, how has the global terrorist threat, and American strategy against it, evolved? And what lessons can we learn from the successes and failures of U.S. counterterrorism policy as we enter the third decade since 9/11? Two of the country's leading scholars of terrorist groups and counterterrorism assess twenty years of U.S. counterterrorism policy and the current state of the global terror threat.
Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of its Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.
Aaron Y. Zelin is the Richard Borow Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Read Matt's presidential transition memo, Rethinking U.S. Efforts on Counterterrorism: Toward a Sustainable Plan Two Decades After 9/11: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/rethinking-us-efforts-counterterrorism-toward-sustainable-plan-two-decades-after
Read Aaron's monograph, Your Sons Are at Your Service: Tunisia’s Missionaries of Jihad: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/your-sons-are-your-service-tunisias-missionaries-jihad; and his presidential transition memo, Syria at the Center of Power Competition and Counterterrorism: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/syria-center-power-competition-and-counterterrorism
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
How will America’s choice to withdraw military forces from Afghanistan, and the manner of our withdrawal over the course of the last two presidential administrations, affect America’s standing in the wider Middle East? How will our partners and adversaries on the ground in the Middle East’s hot spots view American commitment and credibility in light of the rapid fall of Kabul? And how will Russia’s increasingly assertive Middle East policy adjust in light of these events in nearby Afghanistan?
Three Washington Institute scholars - Anna Borshchevskaya, Bilal Wahab, and Kathryn Wheelbarger - share their insights into how America's allies, partners, and adversaries will respond to the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the rapid collapse of the previously U.S.-backed Afghan government in Kabul.
Read Bilal Wahab's study, " Promoting Sovereignty and Accountability in Iraq: Guidelines for the Biden Administration," here: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/promoting-sovereignty-and-accountability-iraq-guidelines-biden-administration
Read Anna Borshchevskaya's article, "Russia’s Questionable Counterterrorism Record: Why Moscow Is an Unreliable Partner for the West" here: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/syria/2017-11-23/russias-questionable-counterterrorism-record; her article, "Afghanistan's Women Face a Dangerous and Uncertain Future," here: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/afghanistans-women-face-a-dangerous-and-uncertain-future; and her 2014 book, "Putin's War in Syria: Russian Foreign Policy and the Price of America's Absence," here: https://www.amazon.com/Putins-War-Syria-Russian-Americas/dp/0755634632
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
To promote stability and other U.S. interests, Washington must reshape its approach to the increasingly complex staging ground for global competition that is the emerging Red Sea region. In the latest Middle East PolicyCast, Institute scholar Elana DeLozier expands on the economic and strategic risks and rewards facing the United States, and our Russian and Chinese adversaries, in this populous and increasingly prosperous region.
To read Elana's recent presidential transition memo, " The Case for a Holistic U.S. Policy Toward the Emerging Red Sea Region ," go tohttps://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/case-holistic-us-policy-toward-emerging-red-sea-region
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Two experts on security and political issues in the Middle East, Grant Rumley and Neri Zilber, share insights into the causes and outcomes of the May 2021 Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza - and they offer policy advice for American, Israeli, and Palestinian leaders who seek to prevent the recurrence of such violence.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
How can the Biden administration build a mature, balanced relationship with Saudi Arabia? Institute executive director Robert Satloff, coauthor of a new study on the opportunities and challenges facing the Washington-Riyadh relationship, outlines that can secure American interests and help cement positive developments in the kingdom.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
In a new paper from Amb. Dennis Ross, he argues that Iran, its nuclear program, and its threats to regional security will pose some of the toughest challenges for the incoming Biden administration. In this episode, we speak to Amb. Ross about how Biden can maximize U.S. leverage in order to compel the Iranian regime to change its destabilizing behavior.
His Transition Series paper, “The Coming Iran Nuclear Talks: Openings and Obstacles”, is available now at https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/coming-iran-nuclear-talks-openings-and-obstacles.
Ambassador Dennis Ross is the Counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He has served as a lead negotiator and diplomat in Democratic and Republican administrations, most recently as a special assistant to President Obama. He has also worked closely with Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Warren Christopher and James Baker.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Israel has a couple of new friends in the Persian Gulf. On September 16, representatives from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Bahrain met at the White House, signing peace treaties that agree to fully normalize relations with the State of Israel. On this episode of Middle East PolicyCast, we've enlisted the help of three experts in order to understand where these deals came from, why American-made F-35 fighter jets are of such heated debate, and what these deals mean for the Middle East. Former U.S. Ambassador to the UAE Barbara A. Leaf, journalist Neri Zilber, and former Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senior Staff Member Dana Stroul lead us through the complexities of this latest stride in Israeli-Arab peacemaking.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Lebanese Hezbollah has been well-known to Americans as a deadly terrorist group for nearly forty years, but there has never been an accessible, all-in-one record of Hezbollah’s global terrorist and criminal activity.
Until now. Hezbollah expert Matthew Levitt this month unveiled a comprehensive new interactive map and timeline that illuminates the full range of Hezbollah’s activities, from travel routes and aliases to larger themes related to the group’s founding, development, and relationships with state sponsors. (https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/hezbollahinteractivemap/)
In this episode of MIddle East PolicyCast, Matt offers a guided tour through this ambitious new interactive tool and shares the important lessons it can teach about Hezbollah's nature, its methods, and its objectives.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
What factors will shape Israel's decisionmaking, and how would unilateral annexation affect its relations with the Palestinians, Arab neighbors, Europe, and U.S. legislators? In this week's Middle East PolicyCast, we share a conversation between former U.S. peace process advisors David Makovsky and Ambassador Dennis Ross, former Palestinian peace process advisor Ghaith al-Omari, and former Senate Foreign Relations staff member Dana Stroul on the scenarios and implications of potential Israeli annexation of West Bank territory.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Military analyst Michael Eisenstadt details how the Islamic Republic of Iran operates in the gray zone between war and peace to manage escalation, leverages asymmetries to achieve disproportionate effects, and employs its hybrid force structure for maximum effect. The current U.S. approach, he explains, is based on overt action, blunt force, and emphatic messaging, all of which entail a heightened potential for escalation. But an alternative approach—one focused on unacknowledged activities, indirection, subtlety, and discreet messaging—could more effectively deter Iran while reducing the risk of further escalation and broader conflict.
Michael Eisenstadt is Kahn Fellow and director of the Military and Security Studies Program at The Washington Institute. He is the author of the recently published study, Operating in the Gray Zone: Countering Iran's Asymmetric Way of War. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/operating-in-the-gray-zone-countering-irans-asymmetric-way-of-war
View a presentation on countering Iran's gray zone activities prepared by Michael Eisenstadt: https://www.slideshare.net/TWIPubs/operating-in-the-gray-zone-countering-irans-asymmetric-way-of-war
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
In the last decade, Tunisia has been seen as both a democratic bright spot of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings and a major source of manpower for the Islamic State and other violent jihadist movements. How did this country of 12 million, with little history of domestic terrorism before 2011, come to play such a crucial role in filling the ranks of violent Islamist groups worldwide? Jihadism scholar Aaron Y. Zelin, author of the 2020 book "Your Sons Are at Your Service: Tunisia's Missionaries of Jihad," explains Tunisia’s little-known role in powering the Islamic State’s rise in Iraq and Syria, the “original sin” of the 2011 revolution that helped unleash Tunisian jihadism, and the lessons that the United States and other countries should learn from Tunisia’s experience.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
For two decades, rumors have swirled around the royal succession from Jordan’s King Hussein to his son, King Abdullah II. Hussein reinstated Abdullah as crown prince just days before Hussein died, a move that struck many at the time as sudden, controversial, even capricious.
But in a private conversation years earlier, King Hussein told Robert Satloff in confidence of his plans to return Abdullah to the line of succession, and the deeply personal reasons why. Long sworn to secrecy, Satloff can now tell the story of how a royal father’s heartache changed the course of a kingdom.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
The head of the UN team charged with monitoring each group assesses their prospects for bouncing back and recommends further steps that governments can take to counter them.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Listen to an exclusive press briefing on the Trump administration's newly announced peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Four expert, including former Palestinian and American peace negotiators and a veteran congressional foreign policy analyst, share their views of the ramifications of the peace plan for the Middle East and for domestic politics in Israel, the United States, and the Palestinian Authority.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Since 2016, statements from Riyadh have suggested that Saudi Arabia might be on the verge of reorienting its decades-long promotion of Salafism around the world. In a new Institute study titled "Course Correction: The Muslim World League, Saudi Arabia's Export of Islam, and Opportunities for Washington," Arab politics scholar Dr. Sarah Feuer investigated Saudi reform efforts and their potentially profound global ripple effects. In this interview, Sarah shares the origins of Saudi religious export, profiles the personalities behind the current reform program, and offers policy advice for how Washington can help promote Saudi reform efforts.
Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
The FBI’s top intelligence official shares his insights into how authorities and agencies are collaborating to keep the United States safe amid a shifting threat landscape. Middle East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
"Decision Points" is a new Washington Institute podcast that provides fresh insights into critical moments in the U.S.-Israel relationship from prominent historians and policymakers. The series is hosted by Ziegler Distinguished Fellow David Makovsky, a renowned expert on U.S.-Israel relations, including territorial solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Decision Points" is a new Washington Institute podcast that provides fresh insights into critical moments in the U.S.-Israel relationship from prominent historians and policymakers. The series is hosted by Ziegler Distinguished Fellow David Makovsky, a renowned expert on U.S.-Israel relations, including territorial solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Each episode highlights an important event in the 70-year history between Israel and the U.S., from President Truman's recognition of the State of Israel, to the internal U.S. government deliberations over Israel's wars, to Washington's involvement in the Israel-Palestinian peace process.
David Makovsky will be joined by a distinguished figure who has been intimately involved in Middle East affairs as a policymaker, journalist, or political leader. Guests include Michael Oren, the former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S.; Natan Sharansky, a human rights activist and former Israeli government minister; and William Quandt, one of the U.S. negotiators of the Camp David Accords and a leading diplomatic historian.
The podcast is both a history lesson, a biography of the key Israelis and Americans that shaped the modern bond between the two nations, and a quest to understand how these decision points continue to reverberate today.
What is going on in Israeli politics? Two elections this year, both leaving no clear majority and a deadlocked parliament, a prime minister facing imminent criminal indictment, Israeli Arab leaders hinting at a willingness to join a Zionist government, and the clock ticking down to a possible third election - Israel expert and author David Makovsky explains who's who in Israeli politics, what each party and leader wants, and why repeated rounds of voting keep producing political deadlock for one of America's most vital allies. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
"Turkey more isolated, more alone, and more exposed to foreign policy threats than it has been for decades if not centuries." Soner Cagaptay, author of a new book on Turkish foreign policy, details the ways in which Recep Tayyip Erdogan represents both a revolution in Ankara's regional relations and deep continuity with centuries of Ottoman and Turkish strategy. Find Cagaptay's new book, "Erdogan's Empire: Turkey and the Politics of the Middle East" at https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/erdogans-empire-turkey-and-the-politics-of-the-middle-east. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
What sets Israel's greatest leaders, Labour and Likud, apart from others? And can U.S. policy encourage wiser statesmanship from our Israeli allies? In this episode, David Makovsky and Ambassador Dennis Ross, veteran observers of and participants in the peace process, discuss the lessons of their new book on Israel's greatest leaders. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
What are the consequences of the Iranian government's massive, systematic campaign to spread disinformation about religious minorities through social and traditional media? Three leading Iranian activists detail Tehran's campaign of slander and incitement and offer practical suggestions for how tech companies and Western governments can act to protect vulnerable religious minorities in Iran. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkote, IDF (ret.) delivered the 2019 Zeev Schiff Memorial Lecture on Middle East Security earlier this month. In his first public remarks since his retirement as chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, General Eizenkot detailed the four pillars of Israeli strategy and shared his assessment of Israel's military position as it faces new threats on multiple fronts. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Jared Kushner, the senior advisor to President Donald Trump, was the keynote speaker of the Washington Institute's 2019 Soref Symposium dinner on May 2, 2019 in Washington, DC. Kushner was interviewed by Institute executive director Robert Satloff. Since becoming the President's senior advisor, Kushner has traveled extensively in the Middle East and has met numerous times with the region's key leaders. He has been present for major Middle East policy decisions, including moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. He has been central to the development of the administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
A notably divisive Israeli campaign is coming down to its final hours. Will Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu survive the election, a likely corruption indictment, and a strong challenge by a new centrist party led by three former top IDF generals? And whoever leads Israel's next government, what do the April 9 elections mean for American interests and for a potential U.S. peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians? Three leading experts, Ehud Yaari, Tal Shalev, and David Makovsky, share their assessments of the campaign, the candidates, the parties, the polls, and the implications. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
The Arab states of the Persian Gulf region perceive that U.S. interest in and commitment to their region is declining even as Russian and Chinese military and economic activity in the Middle East grows. As a result, the Gulf states are looking to their west, to the Red Sea, to bolster their own long-term commercial and security interests. In this episode of Near East PolicyCast, Institute scholar Elana DeLozier explains the new Red Sea competition, why Gulf states are getting involved, and what it means for American interests and policy. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Israel's April 2019 parliamentary elections feature two of the most significant developments in modern Israeli political history, says Institute scholar David Makovsky: The formation of a new opposition coalition featuring three recently former IDF commanders and the criminal indictment of a sitting prime minister. In this episode, David explains the issues, parties, and personalities at play in Israel's parliamentary vote and what the outcome may mean for American policy and interests. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
American Middle East policy has focused on forging security and economic ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors. In a new report (http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/reclamation), Joseph Braude documents growing opportunities for reclaiming cultural space for Arab-Israeli reconciliation. In this episode, Joseph joins Brookings Institution scholar Tamara Cofman Wittes to discuss the possibilities and obstacles facing this new cultural opening, and how U.S. policy can encourage it. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Iran's latest missile tests point to a new generation of rocket, one potentially capable of delivering a first-generation nuclear warhead, and defeating advanced missile defenses, to targets up to 2,000 kilometers away with pinpoint accuracy. Farzin Nadimi, a longtime student of Iranian military capabilities and doctrines, joins us to explain the significance of Tehran's new missile and what it tells us about Iranian intentions. Also see Farzin's January report, "Iran’s Continued Push for a Nuclear-Ready Missile Capability" https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/irans-continued-push-for-a-nuclear-ready-missile-capability. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Dana Stroul, The Washington Institute's newest research fellow, is a veteran Pentagon and U.S. Senate foreign policy staffer. In this podcast, Dana shares her insights about Capitol Hill's role in making foreign policy, from the fraying bipartisan consensus on vital Middle East issues to the conflicts between the legislative and executive branches that transcend administrations. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
"Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Period. It has held that dubious distinction for many years now and shows no sign of relinquishing the title." Speaking at The Washington Institute on November 13, State Department Counterterrorism Coordinator Ambassador Nathan Sales announced new diplomatic and financial sanctions against Tehran and its terrorist proxies. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Since the Trump administration's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), November 4 has loomed large as the date on which significant U.S. sanctions on Iran, and on third parties doing business with Iran, return to force. Former Treasury Department sanctions expert offers a guide to what the new sanctions mean for U.S. strategy, for global markets, and for American businesses and citizens. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Do the counterterrorism partnerships that Washington has developed with Middle Eastern states since the 9/11 attacks helped or hindered the global war on terror? Four leading CT scholars debate the past success and future utility of counterterrorism partnerships in this latest episode of Near East PolicyCast. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
In early August, the Trump administration issued sanctions against Turkey for its continued detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson. Ties between the two governments have been under strain for years, but the latest incident has seemingly touched off the most severe crisis in recent memory. What are the future prospects and pitfalls for U.S.-Turkish relations? Listen to analysis from an expert panel as they debate how to salvage the bilateral relationship - and even whether the alliance is worth saving at all. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
When he passed away in May, Bernard Lewis—the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton and inaugural recipient of The Washington Institute’s Scholar-Statesman Award—left behind a legacy of unparalleled scholarly consequence that crossed disciplines, centuries, continents, governments, and generations. To discuss his influence on the study, politics, and policy of the Middle East, the Institute hosted a forum with three of his former students: Martin Kramer, the Institute’s Koret Visiting Fellow and founding president of Shalem College in Jerusalem, Katherine Nouri Hughes, author of the highly acclaimed historical novel The Mapmaker’s Daughter, and Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
U.S. Army Lieutenant General Michael Nagata, director of strategic planning at the National Counterterrorism Center, delivered a hard-hitting address at the Institute earlier this month. After nearly two decades and much success, General Nagata said it's time for Americans to ask ourselves had questions: Why is terrorism today more widespread and complex than ever? Why have terrorists proven so resilient and adaptive in the face of massive military pressure from the United States and its global allies? And what new policies and approaches should Washington consider to turn the tide?
Barbara Leaf served as U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates from 2014-2018 and recently joined The Washington Institute as Rosenblatt Distinguished Fellow. In this episode, Ambassador Leaf looks back at her time as American envoy in Abu Dhabi, what the future holds for American interests in the Gulf, and her own transition from policymaker to scholar. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
On June 24, Turks voted for president and parliament for the first time under their new constitution, handing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP party narrow victories that may reshape Turkish politics and society for years to come. Did Erdogan win fairly, and what does his victory mean for the future of Turkey, the Middle East, and American relations with this key NATO ally? Turkey scholar Soner Cagaptay joins us to explain the elections and their implications for the future. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
How can policymakers deal with the urgent crises of the day without neglecting important issues of long-term strategy? Ambassador Dennis Ross has advised presidents from both parties since the 1980s, and he literally wrote the book on diplomacy and statecraft. In this episode, he connects the dots between immediate policy challenges in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, as well as the rising threat of a regional war, to chart a wider policy agenda for securing the most vital American interests in the Middle East. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
In a rare public address in Washington, D.C., Israel's defense minister explained his government's strategy for dealing with challenges including the emergence of a direct Iranian front to the north and recurrent mass protests along the Gaza border to the south. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
In military terms, what did the April 13 allied airstrikes on Syria accomplish? Will deterring the Assad regime from using chemical weapons change the Syrian battlefield? Veteran military analyst Michael Eisenstadt shares his insights into the tactical and strategic effects of the coalition airstrikes and the future course of the conflict there. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Amid dimming hopes for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and growing disarray in the Palestinian political scene, one bright spot remains the growing effectiveness and professionalism of the Palestinian Authority's 30,000-man security services. Neri Zilber and Ghaith al-Omari, coauthors of a new study of the past, present, and future of PA security forces, discuss the evolution of Palestinian domestic security services as well as whether and how they can retain morale and competence. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
David Cattler, the U.S. government's national intelligence manager for the Near East, recently shared a survey of the Middle East and American security and interests there. Will there be a "peace dividend" from the defeat of ISIS? What keeps the U.S. intelligence community up at night? How likely is war on Israel's northern border? Where do human rights rank among America's security priorities? Does the Middle East really matter to the United States? Cattler addressed these questions, and more, over the course of his presentation and the Q&A session that followed. Listen for a rare on-the-record account of how the U.S. intelligence community views and operates in the Middle East. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
From February 12 to 14, representatives of governments, NGOs, and private businesses from around the world met in Kuwait for a conference that was intended to raise $85 billion for rebuilding destroyed areas and resettling displaced Iraqis in formerly ISIS-controlled territory. In the end, the Kuwait conference raised $30 billion. Was this a failure for Iraqi reconstruction, or the start of a longer process? Is Baghdad equipped to handle and spend even that lower amount of reconstruction funding? Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
What is the Shia Crescent, and how does Iran’s government exploit it to spread its influence and sow division across the region, from the Karun River to the Mediterranean Sea? Lebanese journalist Hanin Ghaddar, a visiting fellow at The Washington Institute, discusses the Shia Crescent, Iranian influence, and the loss of the Lebanon she once knew. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
During an eventful week in the Middle East – which included President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the death of Yemen’s former president Saleh – a fifty-person delegation from The Washington Institute traveled to the capitals of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates to meet with senior leaders, engage with a broad range of local society, and learn about important changes under way in each country. Institute scholars Robert Satloff and Katherine Bauer share their findings from an eventful week traveling around the Gulf. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
On December 5, 2017, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy honored three former Israeli ambassadors who fought for justice and fairness at the United Nations: Dore Gold, Dan Gillerman, and Ron Prosor. The annual Scholar-Statesman Awards ceremony, held in New York City, took place on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the ratification of the UN's Partition Plan for Palestine. Institute executive director Robert Satloff led a lively conversation with Ambassadors Gold, Gillerman, and Prosor about Israel's relationship with the world body, institutional bias against the Jewish state, and prospects for leveraging improved bilateral ties to create opportunities for Israeli interests in multilateral forums. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Do Turkey’s political and social upheavals following that country’s 1980 military coup have anything to tell us about Turkey under President Erdogan today? Journalist Ece Temelkuran believes so, and in her new novel, “The Time of Mute Swans,” she tells a story of post-coup Ankra in which divisions and bloodshed blur the lines between right and wrong, truth and falsehood, beauty and ugliness. Listen to a conversation about authoritarianism and literature with Temelkuran, distinguished American diplomat and Turkish literature scholar Robert Finn, and the Institute's own Soner Cagaptay. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Seventy-five years ago, in November 1942, American troops made their first landing in the modern Middle East. Operation Torch, the allied invasion of French North Africa, set the stage for subsequent offensives against Axis forces in Sicily, Italy, Greece, and France. Did American decisions during and after Torch also set the stage for the next eight decades of U.S. policy across the broader Middle East? Institute executive director Robert Satloff and historian Eliot Cohen explore the choices made by American diplomats and generals at the time of Operation Torch to trace their lasting effects on U.S. policy. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Functioning as a state within the Lebanese state, Hezbollah has accumulated more rockets than many European militaries. But it is also an irregular army that uses terrorism as a strategic weapon against adversaries at home and abroad. Today, the conflicts in Syria and Iraq have reconfigured Hezbollah and other forces in ways that could lead to a new war, one far more destructive than previous Middle Eastern conflicts. In this episode, we'll hear from three senior European military leaders who have just published a detailed report on the growing likelihood of Hezbollah aggression against Israel, the devastating course such a conflict would take, and what Western governments can do now to prevent renewed bloodshed. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
On October 13, President Trump announced a new Iran strategy, including decertifying the 2015 nuclear deal and asking for changes from Congress and from international partners. Does this mean the end of the nuclear deal? What comes next for the executive branch and for Congress? Can the administration bring our allies on board for a comprehensive push to counter the full range of Iran's destabilizing activities? Institute scholar and former National Security Council senior official Michael Singh joins us to dig into the details of the Trump administration’s new Iran policy, from the nuclear agreement to terrorism sanctions, and to explain how the White House can turn the broad outlines of strategy into successful policy that advances American interests. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Iraqi Kurds voted overwhelmingly to seek national independence - and their neighbors, as well as the Baghdad government, have responded with a rapidly escalating war of words. Iraqi politics expert Bilal Wahab joins us to explain what comes next, whether armed conflict can be avoided, and how the United States can best approach the rising tensions between its vital partners, the Iraqi Kurds and the Iraqi national government. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
On September 7, distinguished Israeli general Yair Golan, who recently completed service as the IDF’s deputy chief of staff, delivered The Washington Institute's 2017 Zeev Schiff Memorial Lecture. General Golan’s remarks focused on three themes: the role of vision and founding values in Israeli society, the overall contours of Israeli national security policy, and military defense as a component of that policy. In assessing the current military situation, the general emphasized the threat posed by Iran, a sophisticated adversary that seeks "to become the most dominant power in the Middle East." Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Institute scholar Michael Knights says that the upcoming independence referendum in Iraq’s Kurdistan region is already yielding positive results in the form of compromise and cooperation among parties and movements whose enmity has long gridlocked Iraqi Kurdish politics. While a pro-independence result is a near certainty for the September 25 vote, the shape of an eventual settlement between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraq’s national government in Baghdad could take many forms, each with its own problems and benefits for U.S. interests in the region. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Why is the most successful and powerful leader in modern Turkey's history driven by insecurity and grievances? Author and Turkey expert Soner Cagaptay unpacks the ways in which Recep Tayyip Erdogan's biography shapes his politics and the fate of his nation. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Although terror attacks conducted by individuals are not a new phenomenon, recent years have seen an alarming increase in these "lone-wolf" incidents. The Islamic State, for instance, has been proactive in using its global tentacles to inspire individuals to carry out attacks in its name. Meanwhile, in Israel, solo operators unaffiliated with organized terror groups have taken to carrying out attacks with the weapons at hand—cars, knives, homemade. Are such attacks a growing trend and the future of jihadism, or are they simply another passing fad in the annals of terrorist activity? Four leading counterterrorism scholars and policymakers chart the rise and future of "lone-wolf" terrorism. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Gulf politics scholar and former intelligence analyst Lori Plotkin Boghardt explains the Qatar crisis - what it is, why it's happening now, and how it could affect American interests and alliances in the Middle East. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Jihadism scholar Aaron Zelin explains how al-Qaeda survived drones, revolutions, and the rise of ISIS to persist and re-emerge as a primary local, regional, and global terrorist threat. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
For years, Jordan has been surrounded by an arc of instability, from Iraq to Syria to Lebanon to the West Bank. Yet the kingdom remains, for now, an island of relative calm. Institute scholar David Schenker discusses how the kingdom has weathered regional storms and what the future holds for this vital American friend in the Middle East. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Donald Trump is making his first foreign trip as president to the Middle East, with his initial stop in Saudi Arabia. President Trump will arrive in a kingdom on the precipice of major changes, including a youth boom, technological revolutions, a possible succession to a younger generation of royal leadership, and an ambitious economic reform program dubbed “Vision 2030.” Gulf and energy policy scholar Simon Henderson explains thepolitical, economic, and social changes facing Saudi Arabia, and what the future holds for the kingdom, for its Arab neighbors, and for Washington’s relations with Riyadh. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
To assess the new U.S. administration's approach to Middle East policy at the conclusion of its first 100 days in office - and on the eve of a presidential trip to the region - The Washington Institute hosted a keynote conversation at its 2017 Soref Symposium on Middle East policy between Gen. John M. "Jack" Keane, USA (ret.), Adm. James G. Stavridis, USN (ret.), and Institute Executive Director Robert Satloff. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
The Soref Symposium is an annual conference of Institute experts, supporters, and policymakers to explore U.S. policy in the Middle East.
Gen. John M. "Jack" Keane, USA (ret.), is a retired general and former vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army.
Adm. James G. Stavridis, USN (ret.), is a retired U.S. Navy admiral who served as NATO's supreme allied commander.
Robert Satloff is executive director of The Washington Institute and Howard P. Berkowitz chair in U.S. Middle East Policy.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is in Washington, DC, for only the second time since 2010, and meets with President Trump at the White House on May 3. How should the U.S. administration approach Abbas as they begin to lay the groundwork for a new push to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Can Turkish democracy - and Turkey's strategic relationships with Europe and the United States - survive Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasing consolidation of domestic political power? Three Turkish experts, including the author of a timely new book on Erdogan's rise and ambitions, discuss the country's likely future. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Defending against terrorism requires more than stopping or catching terrorists. Just as important as military and law-enforcement actions against active terrorists are broader government and community efforts to prevent individuals from adopting extreme ideologies in the first place, and countering the attraction of violent methods for those already radicalized. Counterterror expert Matthew Levitt discusses a new bipartisan report that aims to help the new U.S. administration improve and broaden our efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism (PCVE). Read their report at http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/pcve. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
The countries of northwest Africa – Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria – may look like islands of stability in a sea of Middle East turmoil. But perhaps better to see them as low coral atolls – and the sea around them is rising fast. Soref Fellow Sarah Feuer, coauthor of a presidential transition study of American challenges and policy options in northwest Africa talks about why these countries matter to the United States, what Washington can do to help preserve reform and democracy there, and what the stakes are should these islands of regional stability sink below the waves of chaos lapping at their shores. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Less than a month into the new U.S. administration, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will be the fourth foreign leader to confer with President Trump in Washington. How will the bilateral relationship change in the Trump administration? What is on the Israeli premier’s agenda on this first visit to the Trump White House? And how does the alliance with Israel serve America’s broader interests in the Middle East? Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Join us as two veteran observers preview the Trump-Netanyahu visit and the near-term agenda for bilateral relations.
A veteran American diplomatic and strategic advisor to presidents of both parties, Ambassador James Jeffrey discusses the vital U.S. interest in the Middle East and how the Trump administration can protect and advance them. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
If the Trump administration follows through on campaign commitments to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, how should it proceed? How will America's Arab partners respond? And could an embassy relocation play a positive role in reinvigorated American engagement on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Join us for a conversation with the scholars David Makovsky and Ghaith al-Omari about a potential American embassy in Jerusalem. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
After a surprising presidential election, Americans and foreign leaders have closely watched the executive transition for clues to American priorities and policy under the Trump administration. What does Donald J. Trump’s victory tell us about American politics – and how will our allies and adversaries respond? Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Where does the Middle East fit into America's global strategy, and is the rise of Russian and Chinese great-power competition in the region a permanent new reality or an anomaly that the next president can reverse? We talk with Michael Singh, the National Security Council's former senior director for Middle East affairs about regional challenges to America's interests, the policy choices necessary to overcome them, and the personnel and management decisions that can help the next president avoid the foreign policy blunders common to most new administrations. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
From al-Qaeda to the Islamic State, the global terrorist threat has evolved rapidly in recent years, and will likely change further still in the next president’s term. Counterterrorism expert Matthew Levitt looks ahead to the next administration and the choices the 45th president will have to face to keep Americans safe from this adaptive global menace. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
"Syria is going to hit the next president very hard," warns Ambassador Dennis Ross. A veteran of five administrations, under presidents of both parties, Ross shares his insights into the decisions that will face the next commander in chief as well as the planning that must take place before Inauguration Day to create an orderly process for making choices. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Politics has become a life-or-death struggle for several of America's important partners in the Middle East, says Eric Trager, and their leaders increasingly perceive even mild U.S. encouragement on human rights issues as support for domestic enemies. The next president will face a decision about how to prioritize America's strategic and security interests against our commitment to liberal and democratic values in countries such as Egypt, Turkey, and Iraq.
Eric Trager is the Esther K. Wagner Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and an expert on Egyptian politics and the Muslim Brotherhood. His new book is titled, "Arab Fall: How the Muslim Brotherhood Won and Lost Egypt in 891 Days," on bookshelves now.
Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
How the next president deals with the conflict in Syria will shape American foreign policy in the Middle East for years to come, says Andrew Tabler, and American decisions in Syria will determine the course of American relations with our regional allies, with Iran, and even with Russia. Join us for the latest in our Middle East 2017 series with Syria expert Tabler's insights into why Syria in the late 2010s will likely resemble Iraq in the 1990s, with Libya right behind it.
When the forty-fifth president of the United States gets down to work on January 21, 2017, the new commander in chief will face life-or-death decisions that will shape America’s role in the Middle East for years to come. In this podcast series, Washington Institute scholars explore those historic challenges. As former high-level officials in Democratic and Republican administrations, our experts know the issues, the stakes, the leaders and the players on the ground. Ambassador James Jeffrey is Solondz Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and former United States ambassador to Iraq and Turkey. His most recent publication, coauthored with Michael Eisenstadt, is "U.S. Military Engagement in the Broader Middle East," a comprehensive study of American involvement in the region since World War II.
A leading humanitarian criminal justice advocate and a journalist who's helped uncover the Assad regime's atrocities in Syria explain why bringing war criminals to justice matters, and what must be done now to make later prosecutions possible.
A former State Department counterterrorism official outlines the gaps in European efforts to fight violent extremisms: Why they exist, what needs to change, and how they make it harder for U.S. officials to do their job of defending the American homeland.
Diplomat-in-residence Olivier Decottignies from the French Foreign Ministry share an insider’s view of the jihadist threat facing Europe – how the Islamic State seeks to exploit economic, cultural, and political crises facing the European Union and what EU leaders are and should be doing about it.
Days before the deadly bombings in Brussels, Belgian authorities carried out raids that killed or captured several of Europe’s most-wanted terrorists. At the same time, Institute Fromer-Wexler fellow Matthew Levitt was in Brussels, meeting with Belgian counter-terrorism officials from neighborhood cops to national intelligence leaders. What he found was a city where a terrorist safe-haven has arisen side-by-side with the gleaming capital of modern Europe. On one picturesque square in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek, Matt saw on one corner, the mayor’s ornate office, and on the opposite corner, the family home of accused Paris conspirator Salah Abdeslam.
Anna Borshchevskaya explains how Russia's growing weakness and Vladimir Putin's focus on maintaining his grip on domestic power have led to meddling and intervention across the Middle East.