Middle East/Southwest Asia

Program News

• Geneive Abdo Interviewed by KCRW on Sunni-Shia Sectarianism in Egypt

  Geneive Abdo spoke with Public Radio International affiliate KCRW for the nationally broadcast “To the Point” program on the rise of Sunni-Shia sectarian divide within Egypt,

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• Pathways to Progress launches Voices from the Region featuring the Arab Stabilization Plan

  Pathways to Progress is pleased to announce its latest feature, Voices from the Region. At its core, Pathways to Progress looks to promote dialogue and the fruitful flow of ideas

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• Que Newbill publishes oped in Diplomatic Courier on Jordanian youth

  Que Newbill published on oped in the Diplomatic Courier on the enduring challenge of youth political participation in Jordan. Click here to read.

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• Geneive Abdo featured in Huffington Post on Shia-Sunni Friction in Egypt

  Geneive Abdo's piece on the increasing Shia-Sunni Friction in Egypt was featured in the Huffington Post.

  Click here to read her complete piece.

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• Mona Yacoubian appeared on CSPAN’s Washington Journal discussing US policy toward Syria.

  Mona Yacoubian appeared on CSPAN's Washington Journal to discuss US policy towards Syria. Click here to watch.

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• Mona Yacoubian interviewed by Council on Foreign Relations on Syria conflict

  Mona Yacoubian was interviewed by the Council on Foreign Relations about Syria's continuing civil war. Click here to read.

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• Ellen Laipson and Chester Crocker’s op-ed on the Sahel featured in International Herald Tribune

  Ellen Laipson and Chester Crocker's op-ed on turmoil in the Sahel was featured in the International Herald Tribune.

  Click here to read the complete op-ed.

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• “The Arab Spring and Climate Change” featured in The New York Times

  Thomas L. Friedman addressed Stimson's report, "The Arab Spring and Climate Change," in his New York Times column.

  Read the full story here.

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• David Michel and Mona Yacoubian contribute to new volume “Climate Change and the Arab Spring”

  On February 28, the Stimson Center, Center for American Progress, and Center for Climate & Security jointly released a new report "Climate Change and the Arab Spring."  The Center of

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• Geneive Abdo Interviewed By CBC On The Recent Political Struggle Within Iran

  Geneive was interviewed by CBC about the recent power struggle between the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the speaker of the parliament, Ali Larijani. Click here to

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• Geneive Abdo quoted in Bloomberg

  Geneive Abdo was quoted in Bloomberg:

  "He [Qalibaf] is a rational player," said Geneive Abdo, a research fellow at the Washington-based Stimson Center, which was set up in 1989 to

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• Que Newbill invited to present at York University conference

  Que Newbill is invited to present a paper at the "Crisis, Resistance, and Prospects: The Arab Revolutions and Beyond" conference held at York University, Ontario, Canada in March.
  His

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• Genieve Abdo publishes piece in Foreign Policy on Bahrain’s national dialogue

  Genieve Abdo publishes piece in Foreign Policy on Bahrain's national dialogue. Click here to read.

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• Geneive Abdo interviewed by BBC Persian Service on Obama’s second term Middle East policy challenges

  Geneive was interviewed by the BBC Persian Service about the Middle East policy challenges faced by Obama in his second term. Click here to listen.

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• Mona Yacoubian served as a NDI international election observer in Jordan.

  Mona Yacoubian served as an international election observer as part of the National Democratic Institute's observer mission for Jordan's January 23rd Parliamentary elections. Click 

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• Que Newbill publishes article in Muftah on upcoming Jordanian elections

  Que'Nique Newbill published an article in Muftah on the upcoming Jordanian parliamentary elections.
  Click here to read.

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted in Huffington Post on need for a long term strategy for the Arab Transitions.

  Mona Yacoubian was quoted in a Huffington Post article on the need for a long term strategy for the Arab Transitions. Click here to read.

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• Geneive Abdo interviewed on the BBC

  Geneive Abdo was interviewed on the BBC.

  Click here to view the clip; Abdo is featured at 4:21.

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• Op-ed by Ellen Laipson featured in Bloomberg

  Ellen Laipson's op-ed, "Economic Ties Can Save Africa's Arab Spring," was featured in Bloomberg.

  Click here to see read the piece. 

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted in New York times on Syrian-Iranian prisoner exchange

  Mona Yacoubian was quoted in a New York Times article on Iranian captives freed in prisoner exchange in Syria. Click here to read.

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• Mona Yacoubian was quoted on Middle East strategy for the Obama Administration’s second term

   

  Mona Yacoubian was quoted in an article on Middle East strategy for the Obama Administration's second term. Click here to read. 

   

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• Mona Yacoubian speaks at the Center for National Policy on Syria

  Mona Yacoubian was a featured policy expert at the Center for National Policy's "Post-Assad Syria" discussion. Click here to watch.

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted in Reuters on Syria conflict

  Mona Yacoubian was quoted in Reuters article “Foreign Nerves Limit Syria rebel arms, Assad’s arsenals raided.” Click here to read.

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• Mona Yacoubian appears on CSPAN’s Washington Journal discussing developments in Syria

  Mona Yacoubian appeared on CSPAN's Washington Journal this morning to discuss the latest developments in Syria. Click here to watch.

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• Ellen Laipson and Genieve Abdo article picked up by Iran News Agency

  Ellen Laipson and Genieve Abdo's Presidential Inbox memo on Iran was picked up by Fars News Agency, a semi-official agency affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

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• Geneive Abdo quoted in Bloomberg on conflict in Gaza

  Geneive Abdo was quoted in Bloomberg on the message Israelis are sending to Iran through the war on Gaza.

  Click here to read the full article.

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• Geneive Abdo’s thoughts on Iran quoted in National Post

  Geneive Abdo was quoted in National Post from statements made at the Halifax Security Forum.

  On Iran, the mood was equally downbeat. Journalist Geneive Abdo, who once covered Iran for

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• Ellen Laipson appears on C-SPAN discussing American Priorities in the Middle East

  Ellen Laipson spoke on panel hosted by the Wilson Center and broadcast by C-SPAN on the topic of American Priorities in the Middle East. Speakers examined how the US prioritizes its

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• Ellen Laipson appears on Al Jazeera to discuss results of the presidential election

  Ellen Laipson appeared on Al Jazeera's Empire program to discuss election results and what the next four years will look like.

  Click here to watch.

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• Ellen Laipson interviewed by Milwaukee Public Radio on the situation in the Middle East

  Ellen Laipson was interviewed by Milwaukee Public Radio on the situation in the Middle East, with emphasis on the worsening turmoil in Syria.

  Click here to listen to the full

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• Mona Yacoubian participates in expert panel on the regional geopolitical dynamics of Syria

  Mona Yacoubian participates in expert panel regarding the regional geo-political dynamics of Syria at the National Council on US-Arab Relations' 21st Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers

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• Geneive Abdo publishes article in Foreign Policy on Iran’s Nuclear Resistance

  Geneive Abdo authored an article in Foreign Policy about Iran's nuclear resistance.

  Please click here for the full article.

   

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• Ellen Laipson publishes op-ed in Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee) on Syria

  Ellen Laipson authored an opinion-editorial in the Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI) about the crisis in Syria.

  Click here to read the op-ed.

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• Mona Yacoubian publishes piece in Foreign Policy on shifting the US paradigm on Syria

  Mona Yacoubian publishes piece in Foreign Policy on shifting the US paradigm on Syria. Click here to read.

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• Mona Yacoubian was quoted in McClatchy Newspapers on Syria and Turkey

  Mona Yacoubian was quoted on continuing tensions between Syria and Turkey in McClatchy Newspapers. Click here to read.

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• Mona Yacoubian was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald on tensions between Syria and Turkey

   

  Mona Yacoubian was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald on the spike in tensions between Syria and Turkey. Click here to read

   

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• Mona Yacoubian participates in panel discussion on the regional dynamics of the Syrian crisis

  Mona Yacoubian participated in a panel discussion on the regional dynamics of the Syrian crisis presented by the Middle East Institute's Center for Turkish Studies and the Institute

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• Mona Yacoubian publishes article on the need for continued US engagement in Arab world in The Hill

   

  Mona Yacoubian publishes article on the need for continued US engagement in the Arab world in The Hill.

  Click here to read.

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• Mona Yacoubian participates in KQED Radio’s public affairs program forum

  Mona Yacoubian participated in KQED Radio's public affairs program Forum to discuss the aftermath of recent unrest in the Middle East and the broader Muslim world and its implication

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• Mona Yacoubian discusses the continuing crisis in Syria on Encounter, a VOA news radio program

  Mona Yacoubian discusses the continuing crisis in Syria on Encounter, a VOA news radio program.
  
  Click here to listen.

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• Ellen Laipson appears on Al Hurra’s All Direction panel discussion

  Ellen Laipson appears as a guest panelist on Al Hurra's All Direction show. Click here to watch.

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• Ellen Laipson counters “shadow war” talk between the US and Iran in Foreign Policy

  Ellen Laipson counters the belief that the US and Iran have been engaged in a 30-year shadow war in Foreign Policy. Read the complete article here.

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• Ellen Laipson interviews David Crist on C-SPAN’s “After Words”

  Ellen Laipson interviewed David Crist on C-SPAN's "After Words." They discussed Crist's book "The Twilight War: the Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran." Click

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• Mona Yacoubian is quoted by Reuters on the ensuing chaos in Syria

  Mona Yacoubian was quoted by Reuters on July 27, 2012, about prolonged fighting in Syria and the ensuing chaos.  Click here to read the article.

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• David Michel and Mona Yacoubian co-author piece on Middle Eastern environmental issues in Al-Monitor

  David Michel, Director of the Environmental Security Program, and Mona Yacoubian, a Senior Advisor with the Middle East/Southwest Asia Program, published an article in Al-Monitor on

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• Mona Yacoubian writes a guest piece on Syria sliding into the abyss for the Monkey Cage

  Mona Yacoubian guest authored a piece on the violence and situation in Syria on July 23 for the Monkey Cage. Click here to read the full piece.

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted on power transition in Syria in the Sydney Morning Herald

  Mona Yacoubian was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald on June 30, 2012, on the ongoing talks in Geneva regarding a power transition in Syria. Click here to read the article.

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• Mona Yacoubian provides analysis on upcoming international conference for the New York Times

  Mona Yacoubian provides analysis on the upcoming international conference in Geneva, and a possible shift in Russia's position regarding Syria and the Assad regime. Click here to read

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• Mona Yacoubian appears on the PBS NewsHour and discusses the prospect of civil war in Syria

  Gwen Ifill discusses the prospects for civil war in Syria with Stimson expert Mona Yacoubian and Andrew Tabler of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Click here to view

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted in NY Times on UN monitors reaching Syrian village

  Mona Yacoubian was quoted in a NY Times article by Neil MacFarquhar, Rick Gladstone and Alan Cowell on UN monitors in Syria.

  Click here to read the article.

   

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• Mona Yacoubian appears on Washington Journal for an update on Syria

  Mona Yacoubian was a guest on C-SPAN's Washington Journal on June 3, 2012, to give an update on Syria and what - if anything - can be done to prevent further massacres.  Click here to

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• Ellen Laipson appears on Alhurrah TV to discuss situations in Egypt and Iran

  Ellen Laipson appears on Alhurrah TV to discuss situations in Egypt and Iran. Click here to watch the episode.

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• CFR Interviews Mona Yacoubian on the Houla massacre and the Russia/Syria relationship

  The Council on Foreign Relations interviewed Mona Yacoubian regarding the Houla massacre in Syria, and how this incident will impact Syria's relationship with Russia. Click here to

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• Mona Yacoubian comments on cease-fire violations in Syria in the Washington Post

  Mona Yacoubian is quoted in the Washington Post regarding Syrian cease-fire violations and the chances for removing the country's repressive leadership in the near term. Click here to

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• Mona Yacoubian writes for Al Monitor on the Annan Plan in Syria

  Mona Yacoubian authored an article in Al Monitor on the Syria and the UN-backed "Annan Plan," which "represents the last, best chance for avoiding widespread conflict in Syria."

  Click

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• Mona Yacoubian leads a conversation on Syria for a CFR Conference Call series

  Mona Yacoubian leads a conversation on the situation in Syria, including analysis of the religious divide, the role the United States and other international actors should play, and

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• Ellen Laipson quoted in Reuters on Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

  Ellen Laipson was quoted by Reuter's Tabassum Zakaria, analyzing Supreme Leader Khamenei's effect on the talks between Iran and P5+1 today.

  Click here to read the article.

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald on crisis in Syria

  Mona Yacoubian is quoted in a Sydney Morning Herald article by Ruth Pollard published on April 7, 2012, about different facets of the crisis in Syria. Click here to read. 

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted by AOL Defense on arming Syrian rebels in Syrian uprisings

  Mona Yacoubian is quoted in "Syria Rebels 'Rebound;' Will Arming Them Spark Civil Slaughter?," an April 11, 2012, piece written by Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. for AOL Defense. Click here

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• Asia Foundation interviews Ellen Laipson on the Arab Spring, women’s status, and models for change

  "In Asia," the blog that offers weekly insight and analysis from the Asia Foundation, recently interviewed Ellen Laipson for this Q&A on the Arab Spring, women’s status, and models

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted by Voice of America on role of Syrian Kurds in Syrian uprisings

  Mona Yacoubian is quoted in "Syrian Kurds Could Tip Scales of Syrian Conflict," a March 29, 2012, piece written by JulieAnn McKellogg for Voice of America. Click here to read.

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• Ellen Laipson quoted in Christian Science Monitor on India trading with Iran

  Ellen Laipson was quoted in Christian Science Monitor's Rebecca Byerly's report on India expanding trade with Iran. 

  Click here to read the article.

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• Mona Yacoubian publishes piece in the New York Times on Russia’s role in Syria

  Mona Yacoubian publishes a piece in the New York Times' Room for Debate Forum highlighting the implications of Russia's evolving role in the crisis in Syria. Click here to read. 

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• Ploughshares Fund interviewed Barry Blechman on his latest report, “Iran in Perspective”

  Ploughshares Fund interviewed grantee Barry Blechman on his latest report, "Iran in Perspective," which examines tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Iran's nuclear program and

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• Barry Blechman and Ellen Laipson co-authored an op-ed in “Al Monitor” for engaging with Iran

  The drumbeat for war over Iran's nuclear activities has grown fainter in recent weeks. This easing of tensions, while perhaps temporary, could provide a rare opportunity to imagine

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• InterPress Service reviewed two new publications on ways the US can engage with Iran

  InterPress Service attended the March 15 launch of "Engaging Iran on Afghanistan," by Stimson president Ellen Laipson, and "Iran in Perspective," by Stimson co-founder Barry

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted in Brisbane Times about humanitarian crisis in Syria

  Mona Yacoubian is quoted in a Brisbane Times article by Ruth Pollard published on March 3, 2012, discussing the humanitarian situation in Homs. Click here to read.

   

   

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• Mona Yacoubian publishes piece in Foreign Policy on Russia’s role in Syria

  Mona Yacoubian publishes piece in Foreign Policy's Middle East Channel highlighting various ways Russia may engage and influence Syria going forward. Click here to read.

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• Mona Yacoubian joins expert panel at Center for National Policy to discuss Syrian unrest

  Mona Yacoubian participates in expert panel moderated by Bloomberg News correspondent Indira Lakshmanan, discussing potential international responses to Syrian unrest. Click here to

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted in the USA Today about Al Qaeda in Syria

  Mona Yacoubian is quoted in a USA Today article by Jim Michaels published on February 20, 2012, exploring Al Qaeda's prospects for expanding its influence in Syria. Click here to read

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• Mona Yacoubian appears on Radio France International to analyze US policy options in Syria

  Mona Yacoubian appears on Radio France International on February 15, 2012, to discuss US policy options in Syria. Click here to listen.

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• Mona Yacoubian discusses the prospects for US intervention in Syria in the Daily Beast

  Having returned recently from a trip to North Africa and the Middle East, Mona Yacoubian comments on the likelihood of U.S. intervention in Syria, in a February 9 piece in the Daily

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted in Reuters article on Obama administration’s policy options in Syria

  Mona Yacoubian is quoted in Andrew Quinn's article, "In growing Syria crisis, Obama has few options," published by Reuters on February 15, 2012. Click here to read more.

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted in Sydney Morning Herald on Arab League decision to suspend Syria mission

  Mona Yacoubian is quoted in Ruth Pollard's article in the Sydney Morning Herald, "Arab League Goes to UN as Blood Flows in Syria," on January 30, 2012. Click here to read.

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• “Iran and America: A Dialogue about Disability” Report Now Available in Farsi

  The Stimson Center project, Iran and America: A Dialogue about Disability, held in partnership with BlueLaw International LLP, the Harvard Law School Project on Disability, and

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• Mona Yacoubian participates in panel discussion on Al Jazeera’s Inside Syria program

  Mona Yacoubian was invited to participate in an on-air panel discussion on a recent episode of Al Jazeera's Inside Syria show. They discuss if Syria's economic decline will act as a

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• Mona Yacoubian publishes op-ed in the Hill’s Congress Blog on Marshall Plan for Arab Spring nations

  Mona Yacoubian publishes an op-ed in the Hill's Congress Blog on developing a new Marshall Plan for the countries impacted by the Arab Spring uprisings. Click here to read.

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• Ellen Laipson appears on the Diane Rehm show to discuss escalating tensions with Iran

  Ellen Laipson speaks about the escalating tensions between the West and Iran on the Diane Rehm Show (NPR affiliate WAMU 88.5 FM, Washington, DC), January 5, 2012. Click here to

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald on evolution of the Arab Spring uprisings

  Mona Yacoubian was quoted by Sydney Morning Herald's Ruth Pollard on the challenges facing countries across North Africa and the Middle East that were roiled by popular protests in

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted in Sydney Morning Herald on increasing violence in Syria

  Mona Yacoubian was quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald's Ruth Pollard on the Syrian government's violent crackdown on protestors in the city of Homs.

  Click here to read the article.

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• Mona Yacoubian authors article for Foreign Affairs on Hezbollah

  Mona Yacoubian recently authored an article for Foreign Affairs regarding Hezbollah. With Bashar al-Assad's regime on the brink of collapse, Hezbollah stands to lose a close ally.

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• Mona Yacoubian quoted in NPR report

  Mona Yacoubian was interviewed by Michele Kelemen of NPR on how the U.S. will approach dealing with new political parties formed after the Arab Spring.

  Click here to listen to the

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• Ellen Laipson on Saudi succession in Foreign Affairs

  Ellen Laipson authors an article for Foreign Affairs on the new crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Summary: Nayef's appointment as Saudi heir apparent doesn't mark the start of a

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• Ellen Laipson appears on NPR’s On Point

  Ellen Laipson was a guest on NPR's On Point, hosted by Tom Ashbrook, to speak about President Obama's recent decision to remove US troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.

  To listen to

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• Ellen Laipson talks with Esther Brimmer about multilateral diplomacy and US global leadership

  Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs, held a conversation with Ellen Laipson, President and CEO of the Stimson Center, September 15 on

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• Ellen Laipson discusses recent violence and political unrest in the Middle East with James Zogby

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• Ellen Laipson discusses the protests in the Middle East and North Africa on C-SPAN

  Ellen Laipson discusses the geopolitical impact from the continuing anti-government protests in the Middle East and Northern Africa, and offers suggestion on how the U.S. should

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• Ellen Laipson and USIP’s Steven Heydemann on prospects for change in the middle east in the Hill

  After weeks of excitement and surprise, it is time to try to make meaning out of the momentous events in Tunisia and Egypt. 

  Are we on the brink of a democratic tsunami across the

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• Ellen Laipson advocates diplomacy over military action in Iran on VOA News

  Obama administration says that economic sanctions against Iran are having an impact, and the international community is cutting back on commercial ties with Iran.  However, another

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• Ellen Laipson Discusses WikiLeaks with James Zogby

  Ellen Laipson appeared on Viewpoint with James Zogby with Edward Walker and David Frum. Laipson stated that there seemed to be a system or specific rationale behind the time of the

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• Ellen Laipson discusses “The New Arms Race” on Al Jazeera

  Ellen Laipson joins Robert Kaplan, Joe Cirincione, and Ambassador Richard Butler on Al Jazeera's Empire to discuss the new arms race.

  The episode will air Thursday, October 28 at 2

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• Ellen Laipson contributes, “Reading Iran,” a chapter in the “The Iran Primer”

  Ellen Laipson contributes, "Reading Iran," a chapter in the "The Iran Primer," a joint product of the United States Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for

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• Ellen Laipson discusses the renewed Arab-Israeli negotiations on Minnesota Public Radio

  Ellen Laipson discusses the renewed Arab-Israeli negotiations on Minnesota Public Radio »

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• Stimson releases new report on Nuclear Dangers, Nuclear Realities

  From a workshop held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: April 11-12, 2010

  July, 2010 

  In the future, 2009 and 2010 may emerge as a decisive time in the evolution of international nuclear

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• Ellen Laipson and Charles Dunne examine the future of Iraq as the US prepares to withdraw

  Ellen Laipson and Charles Dunne examine the future of Iraq as the US prepares to withdraw.  This article first appeared in The National »

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• Ellen Laipson contributes her thoughts about Iraq’s future challenges in “Iraq in Focus”

  Ellen Laipson contributes her thoughts about Iraq's future challenges in "Iraq in Focus," published by The Homeland Security Policy Institute. »

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