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Palestine
As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice travels to the Middle East this week for another round of negotiations in the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, deep divisions and institutional decay on the Palestinian side remain the most daunting obstacles to peace. Nathan J. Brown concludes that ongoing Palestinian unity talks brokered by Egypt have little chance of success without a significant international push.
Egypt
Islamist women, increasingly restless with their subordinate status in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, are pushing for greater representation and a wider role. Omayma Abdel-Latif explores the growing impact of young leaders and female activists and examines what type of change is possible, despite major obstacles.
Iran
Iran continues to be a critical national security challenge for the United States, despite decades of effort to change Tehran’s behavior by isolating the country politically and economically. In a new policy brief, Karim Sadjadpour explains that the relevant question is not whether to talk to Iran but how. He prioritizes U.S. engagement with Iran on six critical issues: Iraq, Afghanistan, nuclear proliferation, the Arab–Israeli conflict, energy, and terrorism.
Sovereign Wealth Funds
The financial interdependence that sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) created between the West and the Arab world could help stabilize multilateral relations and promote economic development and political stability in the Middle East. In a new Carnegie Paper, Sven Behrendt studies the rise of Arab SWFs, assesses their investment strategy, and evaluates the policies of Arab investors and Western nations.
Algeria
Since the civil war of the 1990s, Algeria’s government has given moderate Islamist parties only a superficial role in politics. Consequently, support for Algerian Salafism, which rejects the country’s political system, has increased, creating for its followers a separate Islamic way of life without engagement in politics or confrontation with the army. Amel Boubekeur examines how the rise of Salafism indicates the need for Algeria to increase political transparency and participation and engage its citizens, particularly the young, to discourage radicalization outside the political system.
Syria-Israel
Syria and Israel have reached the threshold of signing a peace agreement twice in the past twelve years. An agreement between the two countries would have a transformative effect on a number of states and issues in the Middle East. Paul Salem explained at a recent Carnegie event how the next U.S. administration can devise a strategy that would maximize the chances of a Syrian-Israeli breakthrough while guarding against the pitfalls of appeasement or failure.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s increasing use of unconventional, “soft” measures to combat violent extremism is bearing positive results and leading others in the region, including the United States in Iraq, to adopt a similar approach. Christopher Boucek explains that understanding the successes of the Saudi strategy—composed of prevention, rehabilitation, and aftercare programs—will be important in the fight against radical Islamist extremism.
Libya
On the eve of Secretary Rice’s visit to Libya, Michele Dunne urges the United States to use its limited but growing influence in Libya to support growth in non-governmental sectors rather than implicitly endorsing the regime’s status quo. The United States should set clear objectives aimed at helping the Libyan people and avoid merely putting more resources into the hands of regime insiders and crony capitalists.
Turkey
Turkey narrowly avoided an unprecedented constitutional crisis on in August when its Constitutional Court refrained from banning the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Henri Barkey analyzes the court’s decision, outlines the history of the AKP, and assesses the impact of the crisis on Turkey’s political future.
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| Palestinian Politics |
Palestinian Presidential Elections
A presidential election in Palestine will not take place until both Fatah and Hamas reach consensus—and Israel permits it—resulting in a deadlock with no clear path toward political reconciliation. In a new question and answer guide, Nathan Brown offers an analysis of Palestinian law and the core disagreements between the Palestinian factions that cast new doubt on President Mahmud Abbas’s political future.
Related:
• Sunset for the Two-State Solution?
• The Road Out of Gaza
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| Carnegie Middle East Broadcasts |
Progress Towards Democracy Has Halted in the Arab World
A substantial majority of the audience at the first of the new series of Doha Debates was convinced that progress towards democracy in the Arab world has come to a halt. Carnegie's Amr Hamzawy, speaking for the motion, said modern Arab states lacked the checks and balances for parliaments and the judiciary that are fundamental to democracy.
Click here for more TV/Radio Broadcasts. |
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| The Arab Reform Bulletin |
November Arab Reform Bulletin
In the November Arab Reform Bulletin, leading thinkers in the Middle East and Europe offer advice to President-elect Barack Obama on how to:
• Shore up fragile stability gains in Iraq
• Take a radically new approach to Israeli-Palestinian peace
• Promote democratization in Egypt and other Arab countries
• Work with Europe for regional peace
Plus news developments from across the region, debates in the Arab media, new publications about the Middle East, and much more.
Join the debate by trying our new feature allowing readers to comment directly on articles.
• English Edition: November
• Arabic Edition: November
• English Archive
• Arabic Archive
• Sign up now to receive the Bulletin in your in-box. |
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| Iran |
Engaging Iran
Undersecretary of State William Burns met with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran’s nuclear envoy, Saeed Jalili, in Geneva recently—a move which could open the door to dialogue between the US and Iran on the nuclear issue. Carnegie's Karim Sadjadpour reflects on U.S. and EU interests in avoiding a military confrontation with Iran.
Related:
• Reading Khamenei: The World View of Iran's Most Powerful Leader
Click here for more on Iran. |
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| Economic Reform |
Arab Food Crisis: The Right Response
As food prices continue to rise across the Middle East, Arab governments have tempered public anger by increasing wages and subsidies. But their approach is not sustainable without raising taxes. In Food Price Crisis in the Arab Countries: Short Term Responses to a Lasting Challenge Ibrahim Saif emphasizes long-term initiatives that revise agricultural policies, expand social safety nets, and curb excessive energy consumption.
Related:
• Egyptian Unrest Rises with Inflation
Click here for more on Economic Reform in the Middle East. |
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| Carnegie Middle East Articles |
A Reluctant Middle East
Carnegie's Amy Hamzawy assess the legacy of the Bush administration in the Middle East and the challenges that will face the new President of the United States.
A Post-Pharaonic Egypt?
By Michele Dunne
When it happens, it will rock the world, at least briefly: octogenarian Hosni Mubarak, President of the largest Arab country for over a quarter century, will leave office, either by his own decision or that of Providence, probably within the next three years. So far, few in the West have paid much attention. But Egyptians certainly are getting ready, and we should do so as well.
Click here for more Articles and Op-Eds. |
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| Resources |
Carnegie Arabic Web Portal
Carnegie’s Arabic-language resource is designed to reach new audiences and broaden access to Carnegie’s growing volume of Arabic publications.
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Arab Political Systems
Provides easily accessible baseline information about the political systems of Arab countries, and is frequently updated to provide information about reforms being introduced. |
Fact Sheet: U.S. Actors Promoting Democacy in the Middle East
A new Carnegie Fact Sheet clarifies the growing and often confusing world of U.S. governmental and nongovernmental organizations that are funding and implementing democracy assistance programs in this region. |
Carnegie Resources by Issue:
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Carnegie Resources by Country:
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| Related Events |
Strategic Engagement with Iran: Steps for the Next U.S. President
The next president must revise Washington's approach to Iran if the United States hopes to halt Iran's enrichment activities and address Iran's role in other issues of critical importance to the United States.
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Saudi Arabia's "Soft" Counterterrorism Strategy
Saudi Arabia’s increasing use of unconventional, “soft” measures to combat violent extremism is bearing positive results, especially its rehabilitation program, which officials claim enjoys an 80-90% success rate. The Saudi approach is now serving as a model for the US military as it deals with insurgent detainees in Iraq.
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Can Syria and Israel be serious about Peace? And What Should the U.S. Do About It?
The status of Golan Heights remains the last major disputed land issue between Israel and its neighbors, outside of its conflict with the Palestinians. Indirect talks between Syria and Israel have set the stage for starting meaningful negotiations, but their success depends heavily on U.S. direct involvement. If signed, a deal between Syria and Israel would have a transformative effect on the region.
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Turkey: Aftermath of the Political Crisis
Turkey’s constitutional crisis – which nearly led to the banning of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) – is not over yet. Henri Barkey and Ian Lesser argue the country has yet to fully recover, and the AKP needs to implement a set of changes to the party’s hierarchy and political agenda in order to avoid another crisis.
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| Related Publications |
The New Middle East
Confrontational U.S. policy that tried to create a “New Middle East,” but ignored the realities of the region has instead exacerbated existing conflicts and created new problems. To restore its credibility and promote positive transformation, the United States needs to abandon the illusion that it can reshape the region to suit its interests.
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Reading Khamenei: The World View of Iran's Most Powerful Leader
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Beyond the Façade: Political Reform in the Arab World
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Human Rights in the Arab World: Independent Voices
Human Rights in the Arab World: Independent Voices offers perspectives from those at the forefront of research and debate at the intersection of human rights and Islam, globalization, transnational advocacy, and the politics of key states such as Egypt, Morocco, and Yemen.
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Uncharted Journey: Promoting Democracy in the Middle East
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