Middle East Politics

Palestinian Attitudes Toward Israel

Dr. Michael Sharnoff | Posted 05.24.2012

Dr. Michael Sharnoff

A third intifada could have disastrous consequences for all parties involved. Yet it remains unclear if a new uprising would be directed against Palestinian leaders for failing to deliver realistic change and reform or against Israel -- or both.

Ingenious Political Coup Or Insidious Political Scheme

Alon Ben-Meir | Posted 05.14.2012

Alon Ben-Meir

By expanding the coalition, Netanyahu has provided himself with the ideal political environment to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians and bridge the social gap domestically.

Politics and Policies: Dealing With Ankara No Turkey Trot for Damascus

Claude Salhani | Posted 05.03.2012

Claude Salhani

Turkey is a real force to be reckoned with in the Levant. And if memories serve well, upsetting the Ottoman Turks never proved to be a very intelligent policy. Upsetting modern-day Turks may not differ.

An Iranian's View on a Nuclear Iran

Paul Heroux | Posted 05.29.2012

Paul Heroux

While it is not wise to use one interview as a basis to form an opinion or policy, one point of view is better than no point of view. I am fortunate to know someone from Iran briefly studying in the U.S. that is willing to talk about this issue from an Iranian point of view before he returns to Iran.

At Sea in Afghanistan

Michael Brenner | Posted 04.10.2012

Michael Brenner

Last week the Obama administration sent clear signals that it was planning to fold its tents in Afghanistan earlier than previously advertised. That set off a flurry of speculation as to why and whether we were giving up on the mission. Most of the talk is about how a retreat could be accomplished with credibility intact. After all, Afghanistan is where the "war on terror" began more than ten years ago. Once again, though, we are focusing on means and modalities without specifying the ends. And the bitter truth is that the Obama administration's foreign policy team is witless about too many things. There is a strong case to made that it is not competent to be the custodian of the nation's welfare in the larger world; nor is it honest about its shortcomings.

Is Iran's Nuclear Program Slowly Boiling Us?

Paul Heroux | Posted 04.02.2012

Paul Heroux

While the West could be all wrong about Iran's intentions, the evidence uncovered by the IAEA does not suggest this to be the case.

Big Change Whether We Like It or Not

Andrew Bacevich | Posted 01.14.2012

Andrew Bacevich

Proclaim it from the rooftops: No, America is not "over." Yet a growing accumulation of evidence suggests that America today is not the America of 1945. Everyone else on the planet understands this. Perhaps it's finally time for Americans to do so as well.

Cold War or Employment and Peace?

Kevin Bermeister | Posted 11.23.2011

Kevin Bermeister

There is only one avenue for a sustainable peace: finding a means to employ the vast populace in Israel, Jordan and Lebanon who currently endure the indignities and difficulties of unemployment.

Feeding The Beast: When Journalists Fuel Harmful Narratives

Sharmine Narwani | Posted 11.14.2011

Sharmine Narwani

The old paradigms of supporting Israel unconditionally, marginalizing political Islam and propping up dictators we whitewash as "moderates" do not hold when the region is experiencing such fundamental shifts.

Recognize Palestine and Reaffirm Israel As a Jewish State

Rabbi Michael Lerner | Posted 11.14.2011

Rabbi Michael Lerner

The Palestinian state that is now emerging should be recognized as an affirmation action state, recognized by the United Nations before it has control over any territory of its own as a way to alleviate the special suffering of the Palestinian people.

Critics of Polls Disrespect Arab Public Opinion

James Zogby | Posted 10.06.2011

James Zogby

When over 4,000 Arabs from Morocco to the Arab Gulf States are asked their views about critical issues of importance to the region and to peace, it is important that they be heard and understood. For too long, Arabs have been ignored.

The Middle East and the Debt Ceiling Conflict -- The Similarities and Challenges of Ideological Conflicts

Doug Noll | Posted 09.28.2011

Doug Noll

Those of us outside of Washington D.C. are faced with potential disaster if our elected representatives cannot compromise on debt ceiling limits. The ...

Only a Democracy Can Liberate the Golan

Sami Moubayed | Posted 09.11.2011

Sami Moubayed

It is foolish to believe that if/when the Baath is no longer "leader of state and society," Syria would crumble before international pressure to sign peace with Israel or automatically transform into a Mubarak-like Egypt.

No Yellow Brick Road for Palestinian UN Bid

Anav Silverman | Posted 09.05.2011

Anav Silverman

The creation of a Palestinian state via the UN will in no way end the Mideast conflict, but will only add another dimension of instability to the region. Nor will it serve the interests of the Palestinian people.

Jaweed Kaleem

Obama's Middle East Speech: Religious Leaders Respond

HuffingtonPost.com | Jaweed Kaleem | Posted 07.19.2011

Religious leaders are responding to President Barack Obama's ‬much-anticipated speech on the Middle East, in which the president said that "all fait...

Lessons from PFC Restrepo's Mother

Mike Casey | Posted 07.12.2011

Mike Casey

We had to respond forcefully to the 9-11 attacks. But our people's sacrifice over the past decade demands that we push our leaders to identify the structural drivers that have so many of our people in harm's way.

Clinton: Mideast Religious Minorities Under Threat

AP | The Associated Press | Posted 05.25.2011

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is warning that Christians and other religious minorities are being targeted across the M...

Don't Worry About the Oil Prices

Georges Ugeux | Posted 05.25.2011

Georges Ugeux

The crass ignorance of the realities in the Middle East and the exploitation of that ignorance by speculators compounded by the mediatization of the...

What Does Egypt Mean for Pakistan?

Ethan Casey | Posted 05.25.2011

Ethan Casey

There is a lot of work to do to continue educating the American public on our steep learning curve about the Muslim world in general and Pakistan in particular.

Where Do Middle Eastern Protestors Get All Those Stones?

Dan Pashman | Posted 05.25.2011

Dan Pashman

Are they the same stones that were thrown the last period of chaos? Are they just lying around in piles, waiting for some unrest? Are there bins kept in strategic locations, for your protesting convenience?

It's Time for US Foreign Policy to Recognize Young, Connected and Democratic Islam

Alex Becker | Posted 05.25.2011

Alex Becker

The true failure thus far has been the inability of the US foreign policy establishment to realize the unsustainable nature of alliances with undemocratic leaders in demographically and ideologically shifting countries.

United We Stand, Divided We Fall

Sam Sasan Shoamanesh | Posted 05.25.2011

Sam Sasan Shoamanesh

On 13 December 2010, The Elders released a joint statement that is sure to strike a chord with anyone interested and genuinely concerned with cause of...

Tunisia: The First Arab Democratic Revolution?

Shadi Hamid | Posted 05.25.2011

Shadi Hamid

Stability is often illusory. Autocracies are stable -- until they're not, and then it's too late. This will, or at least should, be one of the major lessons of the Tunisian uprising.

Could Israeli Muslims Kick-Start An Environmental Movement in the Middle East?

Karin Kloosterman | Posted 05.25.2011

Karin Kloosterman

I've lived in Israel for almost a decade and was beginning to think that environmentalism in this part of the woods was a Jewish thing. Israel is burs...

Jordanian Candidate Uses Debate to Call for Curtailing King's Powers

Daoud Kuttab | Posted 05.25.2011

Daoud Kuttab

The hall where a lively debate had been taken place suddenly went silent. A courageous Jordanian journalist asked a candidate for Jordan's parliamentary elections a question rarely asked.