Analysis
- Netanyahu’s Moves Spark Debate on Intentions
- Analysis | Oct 13, 2010
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An offer on Monday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu … to freeze West Bank Jewish settlements in exchange for Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state—instantly rejected by the Palestinians— was the latest complex maneuver engendering debate about his intentions. The offer … was aimed either at keeping talks with the Palestinians alive and his right-wing coalition partners in check, or at seeking to shift the burden of failure to the Palestinians and escape blame should the talks wither
- Palestinian Dream City Hits Snag From Israel
- Analysis | Oct 13, 2010
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It is billed as a symbol of the future Palestine: a modern, middle-class city of orderly streets, parks and shopping plazas rising in the hills of the West Bank, ready for independence, affluence and peace. But the $800-million project has hit a snag: Palestinians say construction of the city of Rawabi depends on getting an access road, which can’t go ahead without Israeli permission. …
The Palestinian Authority asked Israel last year for jurisdiction over the strip of land needed, and
- No to a Third Intifada
- Analysis | Oct 13, 2010
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The prospect of a breakdown again raises the specter of another intifada, since many Palestinians may conclude that the occupation is either permanent or that diplomacy is simply an ineffective tool in resolving it and that a new uprising is the only remaining way to pressure Israel. … [I]t is essential that Palestinians do not turn to, or allow themselves to be sucked into, another round of violence. … [T]he consequences of the second intifada were disastrous for the Palestinian
- The President’s Awkward Friend
- Analysis | Oct 5, 2010
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In the summer of 2009 Iran’s divided conservatives came together to save the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, after his disputed re-election provoked huge street protests by the reformist Green Movement. …
All the same, many conservatives are far from enamoured of Iran’s president. Challenging him, however, is turning out to be a different matter. Barely a year into his second and constitutionally final term, his future is again the object of dark speculation, only this time by people who once professed
- The U.S. Should Test Iran
- Analysis | Oct 5, 2010
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Iran is signaling that it wants to join regional efforts to stabilize Afghanistan—presenting President Obama with an interesting diplomatic opportunity. He had solicited just such help from Tehran last month, but the administration has not yet responded to the Iranian feelers.
U.S. policy is still in flux, but the administration appears ready for a limited dialogue with Iran about Afghanistan, perhaps conducted through the two countries’ embassies in Kabul. This position has not been communicated to the Iranians, in part
- The Strength of Obama’s Long Game With Iran
- Analysis | Oct 5, 2010
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[I] am more convinced than ever that a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be potentially disastrous for U.S. interests. At worst, it could lead to a third war in the greater Middle East without the benefit of stopping Iran’s nuclear program. It makes much more sense for Obama to stick to his bet that a combination of diplomacy and toughness might yet compel Tehran to yield. …
Since he took office, the president has believed that negotiations with
- Beyond Optimism or Pessimism: the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks
- Analysis | Sep 28, 2010
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[I]t is surely premature—and counterproductive—to dismiss the negotiations as pointless or doomed to fail simply because reaching an agreement will be painful and complicated.
In many cases, the pessimism has been a consequence of focusing solely on obstacles, rather than potential incentives for an agreement for both parties. In other cases, it reflected not so much pessimism about, but rather opposition to, a negotiated agreement based on serious compromises. …
Similarly, undue optimism has also taken hold in some quarters as
- Could Syria Become a Force for Peace?
- Analysis | Sep 28, 2010
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But Syria’s recent behavior is very cryptic, or perhaps we should say, very Syrian, in keeping with the country’s long history of balancing diverse alliances. While maintaining support for some of the worst actors in the Middle East, it has been curbing the influence of Muslim conservatives and lifestyles at home, and approving humanitarian and cultural initiatives, even from the U.S. Meanwhile the Western-educated wife of President Bashar al-Assad has been quietly supporting modernization, even whispering of ultimate democracy, albeit
- Obama and His Audacity of Hope for Middle East Peace Talks
- Analysis | Sep 28, 2010
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At the United Nations on Thursday, President Obama
- Does Turkey’s Global Rise Equal a Transatlantic Fall?
- Analysis | Sep 21, 2010
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As a G-20 founding member, holder of a European seat on the UN Security Council and head of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), a more nuanced appreciation of Turkey’s emergence onto the world scene is needed by Western analysts and policymakers. The changing regional, international and domestic environments have created a more self-confident Turkey. This reality has transformed Ankara into a more autonomous actor, pursuing greater regional and global influence as evidenced by the Transatlantic Trends.
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