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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

    Initiatives

    Promoting Public-Private Partnerships –
    Middle East Progress works to strengthen and develop actors invested in achieving stable and sustainable political outcomes throughout the Middle East. We do so, in part, through practical innovative economic private-public partnerships.

    We seek out individuals, organizations and activities whose efforts we can bolster through our communications, regional, political and/or convening leveraging abilities. We sometimes have a leading role; at other times, we help bolster existing capacity. We encourage others to join us with these efforts, and stand ready to expand our efforts to include similarly worthy projects. To date, our efforts include working with:

    Palestinian Political Risk Insurance (PPRI), led by Middle East Progress (MEP), focuses on developing a political risk insurance product to meet the needs of the Palestinian business community, encourage investment and sustain and create jobs. The idea was born on the plenary stage at the first annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in September 2005, and taken to the next level at the 2007 CGI Annual Meeting. On May 22, 2008, an agreement was signed at the Palestine Investment Conference in Bethlehem, helping the PPRI to establish a facility funded by public and private capital that will include the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the Middle East Investment Initiative (MEII). PPRI will provide affordable political risk insurance covering trade asset damage resulting from political violence.

    Middle East Investment Initiative (MEII), an independent nonprofit organization initiated by the Aspen Institute, formed to help revitalize the economy in the Palestinian territories and elsewhere in the region by developing specialized financial products to stimulate economic activity, create jobs and expand home ownership.

    MEII is engaged in three programs designed to support the Palestinian economy. Along with its partners, OPIC, the Palestinian Investment Fund (PIF), and CHF International, MEII currently operates a $228 million loan guarantee program for small and medium-sized businesses in the Palestinian territories. MEII also is working to create an affordable mortgage program intended to help Palestinian families finance the purchase of a home, in addition to helping to provide political risk insurance designed to facilitate exports from Palestinian businesses.

    The Aspen Institute’s Middle East Strategy Group (MESG) supports pragmatic economic initiatives that advance prospects for peace. The group includes prominent American, Israeli, and Palestinian leaders in the public and private sectors united by a common vision of a two-state solution to the conflict – prosperous, secure, and democratic Israeli and Palestinian states living side by side in peace – and the desire to help develop programs and policies that create momentum toward realizing that vision.

    U.S. Palestinian Partnership (UPP) launched by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and led by U.S. business leaders, focuses on creating economic opportunities for Palestinians and helping prepare Palestinian youth for the responsibilities of citizenship and good governance.