A noted journalist and author, Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is professor of international relations and Middle East studies at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University. Ben-Meir holds a masters degree in philosophy and a doctorate in international relations from Oxford University.

His exceptional knowledge and insight, the result of more than 20 years of direct involvement in foreign affairs, with a focus on the Middle East, has allowed Dr. Ben-Meir to offer a uniquely invaluable perspective on the nature of world terrorism, conflict resolution and international negotiations.

Fluent in Arabic and Hebrew, Ben-Meir's frequent travels to the Middle East and meetings with highly placed officials and academics in many Middle Eastern countries including Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, Syria and Turkey provide him with an exceptionally nuanced level of awareness and insight into the developments surrounding breaking news. Ben-Meir often articulates policy positions and discusses them with top officials in the respective country.

Ben-Meir's views on current international affairs are sought out by major television and radio networks. He is a frequent speaker before groups and organizations at venues as varied as world affairs councils, town hall meetings and a variety of universities.

In addition to his essays on global conflict-oriented issues, Dr. Ben-Meir writes a weekly article about current international policies and events. Ben-Meir is the author of numerous books, including: The Middle East: Imperative and Choices; Israel: The Challenge of the Fourth Decade; In Defiance of Time; Framework for Arab-Israeli Peace; The Last Option and A War We Must Win. He expects to publish his latest books in the winter of 2008; Lost Perspectives that tackles the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a book that addresses the debacle of the Iraq war and its consequences entitled ‘Iraq Divided'.

To learn more, please visit his website, www.alonben-meir.com

Blog Entries by Alon Ben-Meir

Mending a Strained Alliance

Posted October 23, 2009 | 03:44 PM (EST)


What should have been a multinational exhibit of military cooperation earlier this month between the Turkish Air Force and its counterparts in the US, Italy, and Israel, has become yet another political snub in the growing public rift between Turkey and Israel. The joint exercise, which takes place every few...

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Fighting a War by Objective

1 Comments | Posted October 9, 2009 | 02:21 PM (EST)


The ongoing deliberations among President Obama's national security team and congressional leaders are necessary to determine the best possible means of successfully conducting the war in Afghanistan. But what must guide these discussions and take precedent for all parties involved is a thorough understanding of the objective and a clearly...

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The Prospect for a Breakthrough

44 Comments | Posted September 24, 2009 | 03:12 PM (EST)


Although the Obama administration's efforts to resume the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations have not, as yet, produced tangible results, the prospect for a breakthrough in negotiations may be closer today than it has been in many years. Notwithstanding the inherent skepticism about the prospect of real progress, the conversion of certain...

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Supporting Fayyad's Vision

15 Comments | Posted September 1, 2009 | 02:34 PM (EST)


Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's unveiling of his government program to build the apparatus of a Palestinian state within two years is an admirable, bold and welcome imitative. For sixty years the Palestinians have been accused by Israel and the international community of being weak, fragmented, and harboring extremist ideologies....

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Winning Back Israel

133 Comments | Posted August 24, 2009 | 01:53 PM (EST)


During his recent meeting with Egypt's President Mubarak, President Obama expressed cautious optimism about the progress being made in the Arab-Israeli peace process. While both presidents noted that there was "movement in the right direction," eight months of American direct engagement in the Arab-Israeli conflict has produced few tangible results....

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A Strategic Necessity

23 Comments | Posted July 31, 2009 | 01:32 PM (EST)


The Obama administration's push for a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace may have a much stronger likelihood of succeeding this time around because of the prevailing political and security dynamics. For an agreement to occur however, Israel must concede the inevitable by relinquishing territories captured in the 1967 war, and the United...

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Obama's Peace Offensive (Part 2)

7 Comments | Posted July 28, 2009 | 11:11 AM (EST)


This is Part 2 of a two-part series on what the Obama administration must do to achieve a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace deal

Ending the Settlements Expansion:

Ending the settlements expansion is one of the most critical elements in changing the dynamic of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. More than anything else...

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Obama's Peace Offensive (Part 1)

17 Comments | Posted July 28, 2009 | 10:54 AM (EST)


This is Part 1 of a two-part series on what the Obama administration must do to achieve a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace deal

On a recent trip to the Middle East I had the opportunity to meet with many Israelis and Palestinians from all walks of life, including high government officials,...

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The Palestinians at a Pivotal Crossroads

16 Comments | Posted June 12, 2009 | 05:49 PM (EST)


President Obama's push for a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict has given the Palestinians an historic opportunity to end their disastrous state of affairs. Although many parties involved in the conflict -- especially the Arab states and Israel -- have contributed directly or indirectly to Palestinian suffering, the Palestinians have...

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The Settlements: Obama's Demands and Netanyahu's Options

276 Comments | Posted June 9, 2009 | 10:29 AM (EST)


Amidst the whirlwind of activity surrounding President Obama's diplomatic efforts to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict, one issue has stood out among others as particularly contentious. The renewed statements by President Obama, Secretary Clinton and the rest of the US administration on ending Israeli settlement activity has caused considerable discord on...

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Wake Up, Israel

32 Comments | Posted May 28, 2009 | 04:23 PM (EST)


I am departing from my usual analysis of the Arab-Israeli conflict as I profoundly feel that these are neither ordinary times, nor ordinary circumstances. The challenges and opportunities that Israel faces today will undoubtedly lay the ground for its future coexistence both in the Middle East and as an ally...

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Obama's Two-State Challenge

20 Comments | Posted May 14, 2009 | 01:13 PM (EST)


President Obama's May 18th meeting with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will introduce a new dimension to the long standing American-Israeli alliance. The changing circumstances in the Middle East and the potentially diverging views each leader holds in connection with the Arab-Israeli conflict could make finding common ground more challenging...

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Netanyahu's Second Chance

Posted April 7, 2009 | 04:55 PM (EST)


The new Israeli government led by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu has raised many conflicting feelings among those concerned about the fate of the Arab-Israeli peace process. Will Netanyahu scuttle the little progress that was made under his predecessor Olmert, or will he engage the Palestinians anew? Questions about whether he...

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Treading an Ominous Path

Posted March 18, 2009 | 04:54 PM (EST)


The collapse of the coalition negotiations between Likud Leader Benjamin Netanyahu and Kadima's Tzipi Livni over Netanyahu's refusal to commit to the two-state solution may force him to form a narrow-based right-of-centre government. Such a government is likely to impede any progress or end up disintegrating under domestic and American...

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Coalition Of The Unwilling

Posted February 16, 2009 | 01:01 PM (EST)


The result of the Israeli elections on February 10th expressed clear sentiments of the public's weariness of the political process and deep cynicism about the campaigning leaders. The question that faces the two leading contenders for prime minister, Kadima's Tzipi Livni and Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud is two fold: Will...

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The Violence And Settlements Anathema, Part 2

Posted February 11, 2009 | 10:29 AM (EST)


To make serious progress toward a final status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, George Mitchell must first work on restoring confidence in a peace process that years of havoc and destruction have all but destroyed. To that end, he needs to address the two core sensitive issues that both...

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The Violence And Settlements Anathema, Part 1

Posted February 5, 2009 | 11:31 AM (EST)


From his first Middle East tour as President Obama's special envoy, George Mitchell must have found that not much has changed since his 2001 report. During his previous mission on the origins of the Second Intifada, Mitchell concluded that ending the Israeli settlement activity and violence are intertwined and remain...

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How Mitchell Should Deal With Hamas

Posted January 30, 2009 | 11:30 AM (EST)


The recent appointment of George Mitchell as special envoy to the Middle East is no doubt a positive sign of President Obama's commitment to the region, signaling that there will be immediate and direct American involvement in the Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. Mitchell, who was the architect of Ireland's Good Friday...

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A War Against Hamas -- Not The Palestinian People

Posted January 22, 2009 | 12:49 PM (EST)


Now that Israel has unilaterally declared an end to the hostilities it appears that Hamas, which has been badly crippled, will eventually sign on to the ceasefire. Having achieved its war objectives, Israel must demonstrate that the war was waged against Hamas and not the Palestinian people. The tragic losses...

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Weighing Proportionality in Gaza

Posted January 14, 2009 | 01:16 PM (EST)


Proportionality in war is often judged subjectively as each side weighs the consequences of hostilities, especially when civilian casualties are involved. While it is extremely difficult to justify a military operation solely on the basis of proportionality at any stage during war, a just cause must be central to the...

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