Lebanon’s Summer of Fear
This commentary first appeared on bitterlemons-international.org on July 19, 2007 By Emile El-Hokayem – One has to wonder whether to admire the resiliency of Lebanese society or ridicule its ability to adapt so easily to potential doom. Assailed by speculation of another summer conflict, Lebanese displayed a mixture of hope and angst. Youth flocked to […]
How to Engage Syria, If You Really Have to
This article first appeared in Al Hayat on May 6, 2007 Syria, we are told lately, is ready to deal. A full return of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights would transform Syria from a spoiler to a stabilizing partner in the Middle East. This may be true, and peace itself is worthy enough a goal to […]
A New Beginning in US-Iran Relations?
By Ellen Laipson – This weekend, the US Secretary of State may meet her Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, at a meeting on Iraq in the Egyptian resort Sharm el-Sheikh. Even a brief encounter will raise expectations about a shift in US-Iran tensions. The most optimistic outcome is the first step in a long and painful […]
The Security Sector and Prospects for Change in the Middle East
Pre-production draft of the article in the Summer 2007 publication of Survival Magazine For the published text, please click here. The Middle East state system is characterized by states that have too little, or too much, security. Current international efforts to bring stability to the region focus on states with profound security deficits: Palestine, Iraq, […]
Investing in the Future: The Arab Gulf States Adapt to the Challenge of Modernization
There have been so many short-term threats to the stability of the Persian Gulf over the past few years- including the invasion of Iraq and saber-rattling over Iran’s nuclear program- that it would be easy to forget about the long-term challenges the region faces. One subject that the region risks ignoring is the role of […]
Ahmadinejad’s International Education
By Ellen Laipson and Elena McGovern – Iran’s President, elected with no foreign policy experience and apparently no first-hand knowledge of any of Iran’s immediate neighbors or any of the great powers, has been making up for lost time. In his two years in office, he has been to the US twice, and will make […]
China and the Middle East: No threat to US interests, for now
By Ellen Laipson – China wants the US to be more flexible vis a vis Iran and is concerned about the consequences of US failure in Iraq. It does not harbor, for now, any great ambition to inherit leadership for the region’s protracted problems, and is satisfied with its current limited role in the Arab-Israeli […]
Talk by Sheikha Lubna Al Qassimi
Sheikha Lubna Al Qassimi, the Minister of Economy and Planning of the United Arab Emirates, addressed an audience of Washington-based Gulf watchers at The Henry L. Stimson Center on March 12, 2007. The event was moderated by Lincoln Bloomfield, a member of the Center’s Board of Directors and a former Assistant Secretary of State for […]