PAST EVENT
Friday, January 15, 2010
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Washington, DC
On January 15, the Middle East Youth Initiative and the New America Foundation hosted a discussion on the prospects for young people in the Palestinian territories, where nearly three-quarters of the population is under the age of 29. One year after the conflict in Gaza, reconstruction of homes and buildings has barely begun, economic development has stagnated, and the humanitarian situation facing the Gazan population remains dire. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Martin S. Indyk and Kenneth M. Pollack, January 13, 2010, The Brookings Institution
After almost a year in the White House, Martin Indyk and Kenneth Pollack evaluate the Obama administration’s effectiveness in dealing with key challenges in the Middle East. Their assessment focuses on policies toward Iran, Iraq, Arab-Israeli peace and terrorism, with particular regards to Yemen. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Martin S. Indyk and Kenneth M. Pollack, January 13, 2010, The Brookings Institution
In this installment of the Status Report, a series of policy assessments of the Obama administration’s first year, Martin Indyk and Kenneth M. Pollack give the administration a B for confronting major challenges in the Middle East. This grade reflects an A for effort, and a C for results that have so far not matched the promise of the administration’s ambitious agenda. Read More
PAST EVENT
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Washington, DC
On January 5, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy hosted a policy luncheon discussion with His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, the prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of Qatar. The discussion touched on a range of issues, including the Israeli-Arab peace process, United States-Qatar relations, terrorism, and Iran. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Martin S. Indyk, December 11, 2009, The Brookings Institution
From November 14-16, 2009, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy hosted its Sixth Annual Saban Forum titled, "The U.S.-Israel Partnership: Can New Governments Overcome Old Challenges." In this summary trip report, Martin Indyk details the discussions at this year’s forum – the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Iran’s ascendency and nuclear aspirations, and prospects for further negotiations between Iran and Syria. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Shadi Hamid, December 10, 2009, Democracy: A Journal of Ideas
The June 4, 2009 speech by President Obama at Cairo University marked a turning point in U.S. policy in the Middle East. Shadi Hamid contends that America's relationship with Egypt is critical to this reorientation of U.S. policy, as it highlights the tension that the United States faces between its desire for democracy and the need for stability in the region. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Martin S. Indyk, December 04, 2009, The Los Angeles Times
Martin Indyk argues that unless President Obama can find Arab and Israeli leaders who feel a sense of urgency to return to negotiations, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process will remain stalled, leaving a vacuum that Hamas will readily fill. In Indyk’s opinion, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are the two mostly likely candidates to lead the parties back to the negotiating table. Read More
PAST EVENT
Saturday, November 14, 2009
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Monday, November 16, 2009
On November 14-16, 2009, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings brought together top Israeli and American policymakers, journalists, and members of the public and private sectors to Jerusalem for discussions on the most critical issues in the Middle East. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, November 09, 2009
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
On November 9, the Brookings Doha Center hosted a policy discussion with H.E. Mohamad Chatah, the Lebanese minister of finance, H.E. Ghassan Khatib, director of the Palestinian Government Media Center, and H.E. Ayad Al Samarrai, speaker of the Iraqi Parliament on the project of inclusive national dialogue and state-building in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, and Iraq. The speakers examined past and current nationally-driven conflict resolution efforts. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Hady Amr and Steven W. Barnes, October 12, 2009, Daily News Egypt
President Barack Obama’s 2009 Nobel Peace Prize immediately triggered strong reactions worldwide. Hady Amr and Steven Barnes write that the prize presents President Obama an opportunity to build on his recent efforts to foster dialogue between America and people of all faiths around the globe. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, October 01, 2009
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
On October 1, Shibley Telhami, Saban Center nonresident senior fellow and Anwar Sadat professor for peace and development at the University of Maryland, presented results of the 2009 University of Maryland/Zogby International opinion poll, conducted in August 2009, that surveyed Israeli Arabs and Palestinian public opinion. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Washington, DC
On September 9, the Saban Center at Brookings hosted a policy discussion with Alon Pinkas, former Consul General of Israel in New York and current President of the U.S.-Israel Institute at the Rabin Center in Tel Aviv. The discussion came in advance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to New York to attend the UN General assembly and amid debate over the health of the United States-Israel relationship. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Martin S. Indyk, August 18, 2009, The Diane Rehm Show
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak visited the White House for the first time in five years this week. His message was that Arab nations want peace but Israel must make concessions first. Martin Indyk joined Diane Rehm to discuss the future of U.S.-Egypt relations and the Middle East peace process. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Anouar Boukhars, July 23, 2009, bitterlemons-international.org
Anouar Boukhars, visiting fellow at Brookings Doha Center, says the world has watched the rearrangement of practices and strategies of American foreign policy under the Obama administration with interest and fascination. By making Arab-Israeli relations a top priority, Boukhars believes Obama is determined to address the tough unanswered challenges of the past. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Kenneth M. Pollack, Daniel L. Byman, Martin S. Indyk, Suzanne Maloney, Michael E. O'Hanlon and Bruce Riedel, June 30, 2009, The Brookings Institution
In a new Saban Analysis Paper, six Brookings experts analyze the main policy approaches toward Iran. In examining the benefits and drawbacks of the nine options—including engagement, persuasion, airstrikes, and containment—the authors refrain from recommending one policy over the other. Rather, they present the details of the policies in a manner that allows readers to understand the complexity of the challenge that is Iran and decide for themselves which group of policies is best. Read More