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In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

07/24/08
Strategy and Leadership Needed  —Lt. Gen. (Ret.) David W. Barno, U.S. Army; commander, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan (2003-2005); director, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, Natl Defense University. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
07/22/08
What the U.S. Should Do  —Andrew Exum, former Army captain, led U.S. Army Rangers in Iraq and Afghanistan; Ph.D student, War Studies, King's College London. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.
07/08/08
Planning the Transition  —Ghaith al-Omari, director of advocacy, American Task Force on Palestine; former foreign policy adviser to Palestinian President Abbas. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

Neglecting Afghanistan

“[W]e're fighting two wars at once, three wars at once. We're fighting the global war on terror, we're fighting a war in Iraq, and we're fighting a war in Afghanistan. There are multiple demands on our forces. That's the reality of life at this point. The focus of our efforts clearly has been in Iraq, the battleground which Osama bin Laden identified as the central front in their war against us, the place in which they sought to set up a foothold for their caliphate that would reach into Europe.”
—Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell, DoD News Briefing, July 23, 2008  versus
  • “The most dangerous area of the world … representing the most significant U.S. national security threat … is not Iraq but the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. … [W]e still lack relevant, long-term strategies to achieve sustainable security and stability in both Iraq and Afghanistan.”
    —Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), speech, Brookings Institution, June 26, 2008

    • Middle East Analysis

    What to expect, what to hope for, after Prime Minister Olmert’s visit to Washington

    November 16, 2006

    Gadi Baltiansky - Director General of the Geneva Initiative and former Press Secretary to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

    We are pleased to invite you to a roundtable discussion with Gadi Baltiansky, jointly hosted by The Century Foundation and Center for American Progress and held at 1333 H Street, NW at 12:30 PM on November 16. Gadi Baltiansky will offer his views on the current Israeli political and public map and its possible impact on future decisions regarding Israeli-Arab relations. We plan to move to a discussion on related implications for U.S. policy in the last two years of the current Administration, with the newly configured 110th Congress.

    Gadi Baltiansky is the Director General of "Education for Peace Ltd.", an Israeli NGO whose focus includes promoting the Geneva Initiative model peace accord. Between 1999 and 2001, he served Prime Minister Barak’s press secretary. In this capacity, he handled the public aspects of Israel’s security and foreign affairs in general and the peace process in particular. He participated in Israeli negotiations with Syria and the Palestinians. He accompanied numerous Israeli prime ministerial visits to DC, and thus carries considerable experience in commenting on PM Olmert’s visit. Previously Gadi served as a career diplomat at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and among other postings was Press Counselor at the Embassy in Washington from 1995-98.

    Thursday, November 16, 2006

    Program: 12:30pm to 2:00pm

    Admission is free.

    Lunch will be served at 12:00pm