RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bilal Y. Saab, Fall 2008, Middle East Policy Council Journal
Bilal Saab provides an examination of the true nature of Hezbollah, which he argues is an essential pre-requisite for sound policy making toward the organization. He recommends a rethinking of the issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament through a proper assessment of the challenge it poses and a thorough understanding of its organic connection with Iran. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bilal Y. Saab and Bruce Riedel, September 12, 2008, Haaretz
As tensions between Syria and Israel remain high, Bruce Riedel and Bilal Saab believe that the indirect negotiations which began last May between the countries have gone as far as they can. Now, they argue, it is time for direct talks between the countries with the United States as a mediator. Read More
PAST EVENT
Friday, September 05, 2008
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Washington, DC
The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings hosted Senior Fellow Kenneth Pollack for a discussion of his book A Path Out of the Desert: A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East. In the book, Pollack offers a long-term strategy to improve the political, economic and social problems that underlie the region’s many crises. 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
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
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
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Daniel L. Byman, April 2008, The Brookings Institution
Daniel Byman traveled to Israel and Jordan in March—a time of crisis in the Middle East. During Byman’s trip, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets against the Israeli cities of Sderot and Ashkelon, an attack occurred in the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem, and Israel took retaliatory measures in the Gaza Strip. In both Israel and Jordan, Byman found that the predominant mood was one of frustration and gloom. Israelis felt trapped between their sense that inaction would encourage more violence and their recognition that the military and political options looked unpromising. Jordanians fretted that the Israeli reaction to the violence would strengthen the radicals politically. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bruce Riedel, March 21, 2008, Middle East Bulletin
Bruce Riedel addresses the Israeli-Indian relationship in light of increased military and intelligence cooperation among the two nations. Arguing that the United States has played a role in fostering the friendship, he believes that the "connection in commercial military and space intelligence fields is good for both countries and for the United States." Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bilal Y. Saab, March 19, 2008, Middle East Memo #12
Lebanon is mired in a long running political crisis and the country has been without a president since November 2007. Bilal Saab writes that "three years after the withdrawal of Syrian troops, Lebanon has become less, not more stable." He offers suggestions for the U.S. to reshape its policy towards the country. Read More