Wednesday February 22, 2012

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The Arab Awakening : America and the Transformation of the Middle East

Kenneth M. Pollack, Daniel L. Byman, Pavel K. Baev, Michael Doran, Khaled Elgindy, Stephen R. Grand, Shadi Hamid, Bruce Jones, Suzanne Maloney, Jonathan Pollack, Bruce Riedel, Ruth H. Santini, Salman Shaikh, Ibrahim Sharqieh, Ömer Taşpınar, Shibley Telhami, Sarah Yerkes and Akram Al-Turk , November 18, 2011


In early 2011, protests born of oppression and socioeconomic frustration erupted throughout the Middle East; public unrest provoked violent police backlash; long-established dictatorships fell. How did this all happen? What might the future look like, and what are the likely ramifications for the United States and the rest of the world? In The Arab Awakening, experts from the Brookings Institution tackle such questions to make sense of this tumultuous region that remains at the heart of U.S. national interests. Read More

Middle East, The Arab Awakening and Middle East Unrest, Foreign Policy, Islamic World

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioNo Arab Spring for Egypt's Bedouin

Akbar Ahmed and Harrison Akins, February 15, 2012, Al Jazeera

Bedouin children get ready to compete during the Al-Sharqiya camel racing Akbar Ahmed and Harrison Akins write about the plight of Egypt’s Bedouin, and the role the Arab Spring could play in reversing the group’s marginalization. Ahmed and Akins point out the challenge Egyptians will face in creating a space for a dispossessed minority in a state transitioning to democracy. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioReflections on the Revolution in Egypt

Robert Kagan, February 15, 2012, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia

Demonstrators protest, demanding the army hand power to civilians in CairoIn testimony before the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Robert Kagan discusses the Egyptian revolutions, the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, and America’s role in the process. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioIsrael-Iran Covert Spy Games Become More Dangerous

Bruce Riedel, February 15, 2012, Al Monitor

Bruce Riedel analyzes the state of the covert war between Israel and Iran. Riedel writes that escalating aggression from Hezbollah and countermeasures by Israeli intelligence service Mossad suggest that this “spy versus spy” game is getting harder to contain. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioEgypt Must Look Back before It Can Move Forward

Khaled Elgindy, February 14, 2012, Foreign Policy

While current protests in Egypt call for a variety of changes, Khaled Elgindy writes on three common demands: trials for former Mubarak regime figures, punishment for those responsible for the deaths during the revolution, and compensation for the families of the killed and wounded. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioShifting Sands in the Middle East

Kenneth M. Pollack, February 14, 2012, The Brookings Institution

Bab al-Tabbaneh neighbourhood in TripoliThe Arab awakening has triggered a number of geo-political realignments in the Middle Ease. Kenneth Pollack, coauthor of The Arab Awakening: America and the Transformation of the Middle East, examines how these events may trigger the creation of a "Shi'a crescent," including Iraq and Syria, that will have implications for internal and international politics.  Read More

VIDEO

Save to My Portfolio@ Brookings Podcast: U.S.-Egypt Tensions a Year after the Revolution

Shibley Telhami, February 10, 2012

On the first anniversary of Hosni Mubarak’s fall from power, the U.S. and Egypt face new tensions in their longtime alliance in the Middle East. Expert Shibley Telhami outlines the current strains on the U.S.-Egypt relationship.

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioCan We Help Syria without Making Things Worse?

Daniel L. Byman, February 10, 2012, The Washington Post

Protesters during a demonstration against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in TunisDaniel Byman outlines challenges for the international community in dealing with Syria. Arguing that the United States may have more at stake in Syria than other global actors, Byman outlines recommendations for U.S. policy moving forward. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioIsrael’s Dilemma: If It Attacks Iran, Will It Also Have to Hit Hezbollah?

Bruce Riedel, February 09, 2012, The Daily Beast

Bruce Riedel argues that should Israel conduct military strikes against Iran, it will also need to prepare for retaliation from Hezbollah in Lebanon. With the recent increases in Hezbollah’s military capacity, says Riedel, such a strike could prove very costly to Israel. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioIsrael and the Arab Awakening: A Failure to Communicate

Salman Shaikh, February 09, 2012, Foreign Policy

After a recent trip to the Herzliyah Defense Conference in Tel Aviv, Salman Shaikh discusses Israel's reaction to the Arab awakening. Shaikh writes that Israel must encourage the current evolution of Arab politics for long term stability in the region. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioIsrael Looks at the Arab Awakening with Skepticism

Daniel L. Byman, February 09, 2012, The Brookings Institution

A Palestinian activist argues with Israeli border police officer If Israel is to achieve peace, Daniel Byman, coauthor of The Arab Awakening: America and the Transformation of the Middle East, argues that it must recognize the new regional dynamics in the Arab world, including the potential for escalation and the political realities for its neighbors. Read More

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioMeet the Press at Brookings: The Egypt Revolution One Year On

Wednesday, February 08, 2012
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Washington, DC

Reuters/M. Abd El GhanyOne year after President Hosni Mubarak stepped down, democratic elections in Egypt have given Islamists a majority in Parliament; constitutional changes will have to be debated and decided; the division of power among Parliament, the presidency, and the military will have to be resolved; and the Egyptian economy will have to be put back on a growth trajectory. On February 8, Foreign Policy at Brookings and NBC’s Meet the Press hosted a panel discussion to assess the implications of the Egyptian revolution at its first anniversary. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioOn Syria, Go Back to the United Nations

Salman Shaikh, February 08, 2012, CNN.com

Salman Shaikh outlines options for ending gridlock in the UN Security Council on Syria. Shaikh argues that the international community should hold Russia to its endorsement of the Arab League’s November initiative, call for another Security Council vote, and form a united front demanding an immediate end to the violence in Syria. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Identity Politics of Kuwait's Election

Gwenn Okruhlik, February 08, 2012, Foreign Policy

After the February 2 parliamentary elections in Kuwait, which empowered a loose Islamist-tribal coalition of opposition candidates, political upheaval may continue in the country during the upcoming months. Gwenn Okruhlik examines political and ideological tensions surrounding the election and offers several insights into the future of Kuwaiti parliamentary politics. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Identity Politics of Kuwait’s Election

Gwenn Okruhlik, February 08, 2012, Foreign Policy

A Kuwaiti policewoman guides a female voter at a polling center during the 2012 parliamentary elections in JahraGwenn Okruhlik examines the competition between opposing candidates in Kuwait's election and identifies potential sources of conflict among its identity-based coalitions. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioEgypt after Year One

Suzanne Maloney, February 07, 2012, The Brookings Institution

Protesters clash with security forces in CairoAt the one year anniversary of Egypt's revolution, much uncertainty remains. Suzanne Maloney writes that the international community should bear Iran's post-revolutionary experience in mind as it seeks to persuade Egypt’s interim authorities to steer their country’s course in a responsible fashion. Read More

In Brief

In early 2011, uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt led to the overthrow of their heads of state and sparked a wave of protests throughout the Middle East and North Africa, now commonly referred to as the "Arab awakening." Brookings experts comment on the continuing unrest in the region, and its implications for relations with the United States and with the rest of the world.

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