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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

    Events

    Policy Toward Gaza: A Discussion With Taghreed El-Khodary and Ghaith al-Omari
    Thursday, June 17, 2010, 9:00am-10:30am
    Private Discussion
    Featuring:

    • Taghreed El-Khodary, New York Times correspondent in Gaza and Carnegie Endowment visiting scholar
    • Ghaith al-Omari, adviser to Middle East Progress (MEP) and advocacy director for the American Task Force on Palestine

    Moderated by:

    • Moran Banai, MEP policy director

    The Role of Independent Media in the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities
    Thursday, April 8, 2010, 10:00am-11:00am
    Introduction by:

    • Rudy deLeon, Senior Vice President, National Security and International Policy, Center for American Progress

    Featuring:

    • Nabil Al Khatib, Executive Editor, Al Arabiya
    • Howard Schneider, Staff Writer and former Jerusalem Bureau Chief, Washington Post

    The Current Predicament in the Middle East: Opportunities and Risks–A Conversation with Yossi Gal
    Wednesday, February 3, 2010, 8:45am-10:15am
    Private Roundtable
    Featuring:

    • Yossi Gal, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs

    Moderated by:

    • Rudy deLeon, Senior Vice President for National Security and International Policy, Center for American Progress

    Realizing a Two-State Solution: A Briefing by Ami Ayalon
    Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 1:00pm-2:00pm
    Private Roundtable
    Featuring:

    • Ami Ayalon, former Member of Knesset (Labor) and head of Shin Bet

    Moderated by:

    • Moran Banai, U.S. Editor, Middle East Bulletin

    The Road Forward on Middle East Peace
    Thursday, October 1, 2009, 12:00pm-1:00pm
    Featuring:

    • Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL)

    Introduced by

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

    Moderated by:

    • Moran Banai, U.S. Editor of Middle East Bulletin

    Turkey in the 21st Century: A Roundtable with Today’s Zaman
    Friday, June 26, 2009, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
    Private Roundtable
    Featuring:

    • Delegation from Today’s Zaman, led by editor-in-chief Bulent Kenes

    Moderated by:

    • Moran Banai, U.S. Editor, Middle East Bulletin

    Assessing the Results of the Iranian Elections: A Briefing by Meir Javedanfar
    Tuesday, June 16, 2009, 12:00pm-2:00pm
    Private Roundtable
    Featuring:

    • Meir Javedanfar, Iran expert, director of the Middle East Economic and Political Analysis Company and co-author of “The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and The State of Iran.”

    Moderated by:

    • Moran Banai, U.S. Editor, Middle East Bulletin

    Briefing with Hagit Ofran
    Thursday, June 11, 2009, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
    Private Briefing
    Featuring:

    • Hagit Ofran, director of Peace Now’s Settlement Watch

    Moderated by:

    • Moran Banai, U.S. Editor, Middle East Bulletin

    The Status of Jerusalem
    Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 1:30pm-2:30pm
    Featuring:

    • Ambassador Michael Bell, co-director of the Jerusalem Old City Initiative at the University of Windsor, and former Canadian ambassador to Jordan, Egypt, and Israel
    • Marshall Breger, professor of law at the Columbus School of Law, The Catholic University of America, co-author of Jerusalem’s Holy Place and the Peace Process and consultant to the Jerusalem Old City Initiative

    Introduced by:

    • Rudy deLeon, senior vice president for national security and international policy, Center for American Progress

    Moderated by:

    • Ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer, S. Daniel Abraham Professor in Middle Eastern Policy Studies at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School and former U.S. ambassador to Israel and Egypt

    Restarting Mideast Diplomacy: A Briefing by Avi Issacharoff
    Monday, May 4, 2009, 10:30am-12:00pm
    Private Roundtable
    Featuring:

    • Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Middle East affairs correspondent and author with Amos Harel of 34 Days: Israel, Hezbollah, and the War in Lebanon and The Seventh War: The Real Story of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, winner of the prestigious Tshetshik Prize from The Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University as the best military study in Israel in 2004

    Moderated by:

    • Moran Banai, U.S. Editor, Middle East Bulletin

    Egypt’s Strategic Role in the Middle East
    Monday, April 27, 2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm
    Private Roundtable
    Featuring:

    • Dr. Abdel Monem Said, director of Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies
    • Mr. Mounir Fakhri AbdelNour, secretary general of Al Wafd Party and member of the National Council on Human Rights
    • Prof. Hossam Badrawi, member of the Upper Chamber of Egyptian Parliament and member of the board of governance of the National Democratic Party.

    Moderated by:

    • Moran Banai, U.S. Editor, Middle East Bulletin

    Preventing Waste and Fraud in Afghanistan and Pakistan Spending
    Monday, April 13, 2009, 12:00pm – 1:30pm
    Featuring:

    • Lessons from Iraq with Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction
    • A Look at the Reconstruction Challenges in Afghanistan with Major General Arnold Fields, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction

    Moderated by:

    • Brian Katulis, senior fellow, Center for American Progress, adviser, Middle East Progress

    Prospects for a Two-State Solution: Understanding Challenges and Creating Opportunities
    Friday, March 20, 2009, 9:00am-10:30am
    Featuring:

    • Brigadier General (Ret.) Ilan Paz, former head of the Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank (2002-2005)
    • Ghaith al-Omari, advocacy director, American Task Force on Palestine; adviser, Middle East Progress; former adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas

    Moderated by:

    • Brian Katulis, senior fellow, Center for American Progress, adviser, Middle East Progress

    Navigating the Transitions: How to Avoid the Pitfalls and Steer the Course Forward
    Roundtable Discussion
    Thursday, October 2, 2008, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
    Featuring:

    • Daniel C. Kurtzer, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Egypt and S. Daniel Abraham Visiting Professor of Middle East Policy Studies, Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
    • Ghaith al-Omari, director of advocacy, American Task Force on Palestine, and former foreign policy adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
    • Brigadier General (ret.) Ephraim Sneh, Member of Knesset and former Deputy Defense Minister

    Moderated by:

    • Mara Rudman, adviser to Middle East Progress and a former deputy national security adviser

    Coping with the Iraqi Displacement Crisis: Implications for the Region, the United States and the International Community
    Thursday, July 10, 2008,12:30pm - 2:15pm
    Featured panelists:

    • Morton Abramowitz, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation and Board Member, the International Rescue Committee
    • Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, the Center for American Progress
    • Kristele Younes, Senior Advocate, Refugees International

    Moderated by:

    • Michael Wahid Hanna, The Century Foundation

    Iraq: Examining the Diplomatic and Political Tools to Achieve Progress and Stability
    Monday, April 21, 2008, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
    Discussion introduced by:

    • Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Advisor to Middle East Progress, Center for American Progress

    Featured panelists:

    • Christopher A. Kojm, Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and former Senior Advisor to the Iraq Study Group and Deputy Director of the 9-11 Commission
    • Carlos Pascual, Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution and former Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, United States Department of State
    • Nabil Al-Tikriti, Senior Fellow, Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program, United States Institute of Peace

    Moderated by:

    • Mara Rudman, Senior Fellow, Advisor to Middle East Progress, Center for American Progress

    A View from the Ground in Iraq
    Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
    Featured panelists:

    • Michael Ware, CNN’s correspondent in Baghdad
    • Nir Rosen, journalist; Center on Law and Security Fellow, NYU

    Moderated by:

    • Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

    No End in Sight: Conversations on Iraq
    Thursday, March 13, 2008, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
    Keynote address:

    • Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)

    Introduction by:

    • Rudy deLeon, Senior Vice President of National Security and International Policy, Center for American Progress

    Featured speaker:

    • Charles Ferguson, author, No End in Sight

    Moderated by:

    • Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

    Persepolis: A Reel Progress Screening
    Sunday, December 16, 2007, 7:00pm - 9:15pm
    Featured panelists:

    • Marjane Satrapi, writer/director, PERSEPOLIS
    • Vincent Paronnaud, writer/director, PERSEPOLIS

    Moderated by:

    • Mara Rudman, Senior Fellow, Advisor to Middle East Progress, Center for American Progress

    Iraq’s Displacement Crisis and the International Response
    Thursday, December 6, 2007, 9:00am - 2:30pm
    Introductions:

    • Helga Flores Trejo, Director, Heinrich Boell Foundation, North America
    • John Podesta, President, Center for American Progress

    Keynote remarks:

    • Earl Blumenauer, Congressman, U.S House of Representative (D-OR)

    Panel One: The Current Crisis and Responses Thus Far

    • Reinhold Brender, Counselor, Political Section, European Commission Delegation to the United States
    • Bill Frelick, Refugee Policy Director, Human Rights Watch
    • Said Hakki, President, Iraqi Red Crescent Society
    • Victor Tanner, Adjunct faculty member, Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University and consultant for the International Rescue Committee

    Moderated by:

    • Anita Sharma, Center for American Progress

    Introductions:

    • Larry Korb, Center for American Progress

    Luncheon address:

    • An Iraqi Account of the Situation and the International Response to the Crisis
    • Ahmed Ali, former translator and interpreter for numerous media outlets, the U.S. and Iraqi governments, recently resettled in the United States
    • Michel Gabaudan, Washington Director, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

    Panel Two: The Next Challenges of Iraq’s Displacement Crisis

    • Elizabeth Ferris, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, and co-director of the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
    • John Merrill, Director for Refugees, IDPs, and Parole Programs, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Middle East - Iraq Office
    • Kristele Younes, Advocate, Refugees International

    Moderated by:

    • Mara Rudman, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

    No End in Sight: A Reel Progress Screening
    Monday, July 24, 2007, 9:00am - 12:00pm
    Featuring:

    • Charles Ferguson, Filmmaker, "NO END IN SIGHT"
    • Nicholas Cull, Professor and Director of the USC Master’s in Public Diplomacy
    • Gregory Treverton, Director, RAND Center for Global Risk and Security

    Moderated by:

    • Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

    No End in Sight: A Reel Progress Screening
    Thursday, July 19, 2007, 7:00pm - 9:30pm
    Featuring:

    • Charles Ferguson, Filmmaker, “No End in Sight”
    • Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

    Settlements vs. Security – Why Addressing Settlements is Critical to Next Steps in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    Thursday, July 12, 2007, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
    Featuring:

    • Brigadier General (Ret.) Ilan Paz, Retired high-ranking IDF officer
    • Talia Sasson, Legal adviser to Prime Minister Sharon on settlements and illegal outposts and author of the definitive and far-reaching "Sasson Report" on the issues of settlements, outposts, and law enforcement in the Palestinian territories.

    Moderated by:

    • Mara Rudman, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

    Palestinian Loan Guarantee and Risk Insurance Projects Roundtable
    Tuesday, July 10, 2007, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
    Featuring:

    • Toni Verstandig, Executive Director, Middle East Investment Initiative, Director of the Middle East Strategy Group at the Aspen Institute, and Senior Policy Advisor at the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation
    • Jim Pickup, Partner at DLA Piper and contributing writer of the Mitchell Plan
    • Dan Morrison, Project Director for the Palestinian Political Risk Insurance Project and Middle East Investment Initiative
    • Mara Rudman, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Advisor to Middle East Progress

    No End in Sight: A Reel Progress Screening
    Monday, June 25, 2007, 7:30pm - 9:30pm
    Featured panelists:

    • Ambassador Barbara Bodine, Former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen
    • Col. Paul Hughes (Ret.), Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations, U.S. Institute of Peace
    • Charles Ferguson, Director, “NO END IN SIGHT”
    • Col. Lawrence Wilkerson (Ret.), Former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell

    Introduction by:

    • Anna Soellner, Center for American Progress

    Moderated by:

    • Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

    Assessing U.S. Policy in Iraq and the Middle East
    Monday, March 19, 2007, 8:30am - 1:30pm
    Time: 9:00am - 9:10am

    • Welcome: Melody Barnes, Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress

    Examining Iraq’s Impact on the Middle East and Regional Diplomacy
    Time: 9:10am - 10:15am

    • Jon Alterman, Director and Senior Fellow, Middle East Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
    • Mara Rudman, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
    • Judith Yaphe, Distinguished Research Fellow, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University

    Moderated by:

    • Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

    Debating U.S. Military Strategy
    Time: 10:30am - 11:45am

    • Ken Adelman, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations General John M. Keane, United States Army, Retired, and Senior Managing Director and co-founder of Keane Advisors, LLC
    • Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress, and Senior Adviser, Center for Defense Information

    Moderated by:

    • Peter Rundlet, Vice President and Managing Director for National Security, Center for American Progress

    Featured remarks by:
    Time: 12:00pm - 12:30 pm

    • Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher (D-CA)

    Luncheon keynote address by:
    Time: 12:30pm - 1:20pm

    • Congressman Lee Hamilton (D-IN)

    A Roundtable Discussion with Sheikha Lubna al Qasimi
    Tuesday, March 13, 2007, 8:30am - 10:00am
    Featuring:

    • Sheikha Lubna al Qasimi, Minister of Economy and Planning of the United Arab Emirates, introduced by The Honorable Madeleine K. Albright, former Secretary of State and trustee of the Center for American Progress.

    Moderated by:

    • Mara Rudman, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress

    What to expect, what to hope for, after Prime Minister Olmert’s visit to Washington
    Thursday, November 16, 2006, 12:30pm - 2:00pm
    Featuring:

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

    Comprehensive Peace-Making in the Middle East: What Next?
    Tuesday, October 24, 2006, 9:00am - 10:30am
    Featuring:

    • David Kimche, President, Israel Council of Foreign Relations, Former Deputy Head of Mossad, Former Director General of Israel’s Foreign Ministry

    Introduced and moderated by:

    • Daniel Levy, Senior Fellow, New America Foundation
    • Mara Rudman, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

    Arabian Tales: Walking the Winds — Can theatre and music build bridges and cross divides others cannot?
    Thursday, April 6, 2006, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
    Featuring:

    • Her Royal Highness Princess Dana Firas
    • Alina L. Romanowski, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Professional and Cultural Exchanges
    • Lina Attel, Founder and Director General, The Performing Arts Center of The Noor Al Hussein Foundation in Jordan; Co-Director of Arabian Tales
    • Kim Peter Kovac, Director for Youth and Family Programs, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; Production Manager of Arabian Tales

    Moderated by:

    • Mara Rudman, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress