PAST EVENT
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
Washington, DC
The Saban Center for Middle East Policy hosted a policy forum luncheon in conjunction with Search for Common Ground on July 23, 2008. The Saban Center welcomed three members of Search for Common Ground’s US-Syria Working Group, including featured speaker Ahmad Samir al-Taki, director of the Orient Center for International Studies in Damascus and consultant to the Syrian Prime Minister. Read More
PAST EVENT
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
Arab public sentiment and opinion present critical challenges to the struggle for peace, stability and economic growth in the Middle East. On July 1, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings hosted a discussion of Shibley Telhami’s new analysis paper, Does the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict Still Matter? with Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org and the Program on International Policy Attitudes, who presented data from his recent poll of 18 nations focused on attitudes towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Shibley Telhami, June 2008, The Brookings Institution
In this Saban Center Analysis Paper, Shibley Telhami analyzes emerging trends in public attitudes and whether there has been a change over time in the degree to which Arabs assign importance to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the prospects of Middle East peace. In addition, Telhami addresses the ramifications of the divide between Hamas and Fatah, between the government appointed by President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and the Hamas-appointed government in Gaza. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, June 16, 2008
12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
Washington, DC
Arab moderates who embrace a future of regional peace and democracy appear to be losing ground in today’s Middle East. On June 16, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings hosted Marwan Muasher, former foreign minister and deputy prime minister of Jordan and Thomas L. Friedman for a discussion of Muasher's new book, The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation, and how to make a moderate future more possible in the Middle East. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Khalil Al-Anani, June 12-18 Issue, Al-Ahram Weekly
Khalil Al-Anani says conservatism is on the rise in the Middle East. He notes that by using modern communication technology, groups like the Salafis in Kuwait have spread their conservative ideas to younger generations, thus threatening moderate Islam. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ariel Kastner, June 10, 2008, Common Ground News Service
As indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria continue in Turkey, Ariel Kastner writes about the current climate in both countries regarding a possible breakthrough. One party that is so far missing in these talks, he contends, is the United States as a mediator or participant. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Hady Amr, June 02, 2008, Kuwait Times
Hady Amr believes that after 7 years of the Bush Administration’s blunders in Iraq, Lebanon and Israel-Palestine, Middle East leaders are beginning to solve their own problems. He writes that the new president of the United States will have to find a way to encourage the Middle East to continue to take responsibility for their problems while also restoring American credibility throughout the region. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Tamara Cofman Wittes, May 21, 2008, Middle East Strategy at Harvard
Tamara Cofman Wittes discusses a new deal announced in Doha between Lebanese factions including Hezbollah. Wittes believes that this decision should force others in the Middle East to recognize that Hezbollah is a regional actor with ambitions outside of Lebanon. Read More
VIDEO
Martin S. Indyk and Martha Raddatz, May 07, 2008
In this interview with ABC News senior White House correspondent Martha Raddatz, Martin Indyk discusses the state of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations toward a peace settlement; the rising influence of Iran in the region; and the consequences of a U.S. pullout from Iraq.
VIDEO
Yasser Abd Rabbo, April 25, 2008
Palestinian Liberation Organization Secretary General Yasser Abd Rabbo explained the PLO’s thoughts on the progress of the Israeli-Palestinain peace process in a discussion co-sponsored by the Saban Center and the American Task Force on Palestine.
PAST EVENT
Friday, April 25, 2008
9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Washington, DC
The Saban Center and the American Task Force on Palestine hosted Yasser Abd Rabbo, the secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and policy adviser to Palestinian President Abbas, for an assessment of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the prospects for a final status agreement before the end of the Bush administration. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Martin S. Indyk, April 24, 2008, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs
In congressional testimony, Martin Indyk argued that the current policy of isolating Syria has had mixed results. He believes that the next U.S. president should consider a different approach that could foster a more productive relationship allowing mutual goals to be realized in the troubled region. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Peter W. Rodman, April 24, 2008, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Testifying before the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Peter Rodman argued "the conditions do not exist for an improvement of relations with Syria as long as Syrian policies remain hostile to important interest of ours in the Middle East." He concluded that Syria must change course in relation to Iraq, Lebanon, and Arab-Israeli peace before the U.S. reaches out to the country. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, April 14, 2008
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Washington, DC
The Saban Center for Middle East Policy hosted the release of a new University of Maryland/Zogby International opinion poll reflecting public attitudes in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. Read More