15 Issues To Keep on Your Radar in 2010

December 23, 2009

PM Netanyahu, Ayatollah Khamenei, King Abdullah, President Abbas

As 2009 comes to a close, we wanted to leave you with fifteen questions, some under-the-radar, about the year ahead in the greater Middle East.

1. AFGHANISTAN: What kind of progress will be made in training the Afghan National Army and Police?

2. ARAB PEACE INITIATIVE: Will the countries of the Arab League continue to support the Arab Peace Initiative and what kind of support will they give Israeli-Palestinian negotiations?

3. EGYPT: How will the situation in Gaza impact Egypt?

4. ELECTIONS: When will Palestinian and Jordanian elections happen and what impact will they have?

5. INDIA: How will India’s role in the region affect the situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan?

6. IRAN: How will the internal turmoil in Iran develop and how might it affect Iran’s foreign policy?

7. IRAQ: How will Iraqi elections in March, the scheduled U.S. troop reduction and the actions of regional actors impact Iraqi political reconciliation?

8. ISRAEL: How will Israel implement the 10-month moratorium and what repercussions will it have externally and internally?

9. LEBANON: What will be the result of the recent Lebanese-Syrian rapprochement and how will that affect the National Dialogue?

10. PAKISTAN: What will be the repercussion of the large number of internally displaced persons resulting from military operations in FATA and Swat and what will the government do to help them?

11. PALESTINIANS: Will Fatah and Hamas find a formula for reconciliation that will meet the international community’s requirements and allow aid to the Palestinian Authority to continue to flow?

12. SYRIA: When will the U.S. send an ambassador to Syria?

13. TURKEY: What will be the implications of the recent Turkish-Syria visa waiver on the countries’ bilateral relationship and regional dynamics?

14. WATER/CLIMATE: Will the countries of the region find a way to work together on water and climate issues?

15. YEMEN: How will the challenges Yemen faces, including a growing Al Qaeda presence and Houthi uprising, affect regional stability and the fight against transnational terrorism?



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