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In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

08/20/10
Center for American Progress Welcomes Resumption of Direct Talks  —
08/10/10
A View from the Ground  —Darbaz Kosrat Rasul, chair, Rebaz Foundation. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
08/03/10
U.S.-Turkish Relations  —Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr., recently returned deputy ambassador in Afghanistan; former ambassador to Egypt (2005-2008); and deputy chief of mission and charge d'affaires in U.S. embassy in Turkey (1995-1999). Congressional Testimony.

Setting the Record Straight

Eye Still on the Ball

“Adverse developments in Iraq will be (and will look to be) increasingly a function of the Obama Team taking their eye off of the ball and rushing to declare mission accomplished. Yes, in such a scenario the Iraqis should bear most of the blame, but the part that is due to U.S. action or inaction will be Obama's responsibility. And it will matter. Iraq is at the center of a region that every president since Jimmy Carter has identified as vital to our national security. Iraq is next door to, and the playground for mischief from, the most thorny national security challenge the United States faces: a nuclear-weapons-seeking Iranian regime. These inconvenient facts mean that if the Iraqi situation demands more focused and costly U.S. attention, it will likely get it. At that point, what sort of domestic coalition will be available for President Obama's Iraq policy?”
—Peter Feaver, director, Triangle Institute for Security Studies; former director for defense policy and arms control, National Security Council, “Obama’s Iraq Speech: Another Missed Opportunity,” Foreign Policy, August 3, 2010versus
  • “Iraq is a strategically important place in the Middle East, just by its geographic location, by its population, by the influence it's had in the Middle East for a long time. So neighboring countries from around the Middle East have an interest inside of Iraq.

    “But I will tell you that I think Iraqis themselves are nationalistic in nature, and that's why it's important. A strong Iraq will defend itself against interference from outside countries, and I think as we build a strong Iraq and as we continue to build a strong security mechanism and as we continue to help them economically and diplomatically, that will make it less likely of others from the outside being able to interfere.

    “Now, for the vacuum as we see today, again, I remind everyone is that we still have a significant presence here, and we are not going to—we will not allow undue maligned influence on the Iraqi government as they attempt to form their government. What we're trying to do is provide them the space and time for them to do that, and we will continue to do that post 1 September. We'll still have a significant civilian presence, and again, we'll still have 50,000 troops on the ground here to ensure that this government can be formed by the Iraqis. And that all the other nations respect their sovereignty as they go about forming their government.”
    —General Ray Odierno, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, interview, “This Week” with Christiane Amanpour, August 8, 2010

    • Middle East Analysis

    Upcoming Events

    The Road Forward on Middle East Peace

    Event: October 1, 2009 - 12:00pm-1:00pm

    Introduction:
    Winnie Stachelberg, Senior Vice President for External Affairs, Center for American Progress

    Featured speaker:
    Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL)

    Moderated by:
    Moran Banai, U.S. Editor of Middle East Bulletin

    WATCH HERE

    All items on Israel

      • Center for American Progress Welcomes Resumption of Direct Talks
      • Original Commentary | Aug 20, 2010

      • Special Envoy Mitchell discusses resumption of talks (AP)

        Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s announcement of the resumption of direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians is the beginning of an important new chapter in the administration’s efforts to bring about comprehensive Middle East peace and a sustainable two-state solution.

        The resolution of the conflict is a U.S. national interest and we applaud the Obama administration’s ambitious vision of achieving an agreement within a year, as well as its continued emphasis on the importance of such an agreement, as Special Envoy

        more

      • Turkey Warns Israel on Barak’s Spymaster Comments
      • News | Aug 3, 2010

      • Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned Israel’s ambassador to complain about remarks by Defense Minister Ehud Barak suggesting the new head of Turkish intelligence could leak information to Iran, officials said on Tuesday.

        Israeli envoy Gaby Levy was called to the ministry in Ankara on Monday. “We expressed our discomfort and dissatisfaction with Barak’s statement,” a Turkish foreign ministry official, who declined to be named, told Reuters.

      • Helping Israel Seize the Opportunity for Peace
      • Heard on the Street | Jul 20, 2010

      • Andrew J. Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, remarks, Brookings Saban Center for Middle East Policy, July 16, 2010:

        “As Secretary Clinton has often said, the status quo is unsustainable. Without a comprehensive regional peace, the Middle East will never unlock its full potential, and Israel will never be truly secure.

        “The dynamics of ideology, technology, and demography in the region mean that this continuing conflict poses serious challenges to Israel’s long-term security and its future as a Jewish

        more

      • Working on a Shared Goal
      • Original Commentary | Jul 20, 2010

      • Netanyahu and Obama, Mitchell and Abbas (AP)

        How do you assess the meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu last week? Were there any tangible results?

        The meeting between the president and the prime minister was successful both in a substantive way and a political way. Clearly, the two men had a remarkably positive exchange in private for roughly an hour and a half. I take great confidence from the fact that the president left that meeting with a degree of confidence that Prime Minister Netanyahu was

        more

      • U.S.: Israel Capable of Conducting Impartial Gaza Flotilla Probe
      • News | Jun 15, 2010

      • The United States declared Monday that it stood by Israel’s decision to conduct an internal probe moderated by international observers of its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla. …

        The United Nations responded cautiously to Israel’s approval of an internal probe, saying the investigation “could fit” with internation calls for a credible investigation. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon “took note”of Israel’s announcement, said UN spokesman Farhan Haq, but continued to push for a full international investigation.

      • Israel Reviewing Gaza Blockade Format - Minister
      • News | Jun 15, 2010

      • Israel is examining ways to ease its Gaza blockade, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday, calling the current policy counterproductive and confirming remarks by Middle East envoy Tony Blair that change was likely.

        “It is time to end the closure in its current form. It does not provide any value to Israel. From a diplomatic standpoint it causes great image problems,” Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog told Israel Radio.

      • ‘Gaza Economy Collapsing Under Siege’
      • News | Jun 15, 2010

      • Most of Gaza’s factories have closed and its water is polluted as a result of Israel’s policy of closing land crossings to all but humanitarian aid, according to a new report being released Monday by the human rights group B’tselem.

        The closure policy has “led to economic collapse in Gaza,” B’tselem charged in a 44-page report that looked at Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem during the period from January 2009 to the end of April 2010.

      • Fayyad Wants Gaza Opened in Line With 2005 Deal
      • News | Jun 15, 2010

      • Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad called on Thursday for Gaza’s borders to be opened in line with an agreement that would restore a role for his West Bank-based government in managing the crossings. Fayyad told Reuters in an interview that opening the crossings in accordance with the 2005 agreement would help reunify the West Bank and Gaza—which have been ruled by separate governments since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.

        “Reopening the crossings actually creates a much better environment for

        more

      • Iranian Aid Ship, Parliamentarians to Make Gaza Trip
      • News | Jun 15, 2010

      • Iran will send a ship carrying aid to the Gaza Strip to try to breach Israel’s blockade, while four Iranian lawmakers plan to visit the Palestinian coastal enclave if Egypt gives them visas.

        Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani approved the trip for the four members of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, the state-run Fars news agency cited one of the four, Mahmoud Ahmadi-Bighash, as saying today. They are among 200 Iranian lawmakers who said they wanted to visit Gaza,

        more

      • Defusing the Gaza Flashpoint
      • Analysis | Jun 15, 2010

      • The siege of Gaza has failed. It has not weakened Hamas control of the strip; rather it seems to have cemented it. Nor has it disarmed Hamas. Hamas’ old enemy Fatah has faded away in Gaza. The opposition to Hamas’ control of Gaza today comes from even more radical groups that align themselves with al Qaeda. …

        We need to find a way to get humanitarian aid to Gaza while ensuring Hamas can not smuggle in more rockets to attack Israeli

        more

    More »