ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
May 18, 2013
"When Arab States and Citizens Differ on Palestine"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
"Tensions between the Arab state and its citizens will expand in the years ahead, as the fundamental contradictions of Arab state-building, national identity, regional relations, the Arabism-Zionism confrontation, and international alliances all clash visibly. Jordan and Egypt provide the clearest examples because of their peace treaties with Israel, but they are not unique. Most other Arab states suffer similar contradictions and stresses, especially Levantine and Gulf states that must satisfy American-Israeli demands that contradict the sentiments of many of those Arab states’ own citizens."
AP Images
May 17, 2013
Belfer Center Perspectives On Iran
In the News
As debate over Iran's nuclear program intensifies, Belfer Center experts on Iran have been interviewed and quoted in numerous media reports and have written opinion pieces on the issues involved. Here are recent published perspectives.
May 14, 2013
"New Rules of the Evolving Arab Order"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
The uprisings that erupted across the region as of December 2010 have been the single most important sign of a region-wide malaise that was gnawing at the core of Arab countries for decades, signaled in its earlier stages in the 1980s-90s by the rise of mass Islamist movements that reflected widespread citizen discontent and challenged autocratic governments. The evolving regional order is now entering its most dynamic stage of change, with every component element transforming into something new.
Wikimedia Commons
May 10, 2013
"China Addresses the Middle East"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
The Israeli settlement news is nothing new, but the actions of the three big powers are new and noteworthy. The American, Russian and Chinese initiatives to resolve the Arab-Israeli and Syrian conflicts are as laudatory as they are difficult to achieve, though efforts like this open up new possibilities for collaborative diplomacy through the UN Security Council, which is usually critical for success.
May 4, 2013
"Drop the Failed Approaches and Try New Ideas"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
"There is good news and bad news on the Arab-Israeli peace-making front this week. The good news is that the United States and the Arab League’s ministerial committee seem energized to restart Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. This culminated a few days ago in the Arab clarification that the 2002 Arab Peace Plan that offers Israel a comprehensive and permanent peace can include minor and mutually agreed land swaps around the 1967 borders."
May 1, 2013
"Arab Transitions Are Slow for Good Reasons"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
"In the context of today’s Arab world, the political transitions being experienced in some countries provide the first ever opportunity for citizens to discuss and agree on the core elements of their statehood and nationhood."
April 30, 2013
"Golda to Henry: 'Why Do You Think We Put Them There?'"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"The hope that Israel might backtrack from its untenable policy on the settlements was dashed in the first Obama Administration. According to a new report by an Independent Study Group being published by the Henry L. Stimson Center, it might be a good idea to shift the attention to establishing a border between Israel and a Palestinian State."
Foreign Policy
April 27, 2013
"The Test to Come: Forgiveness and Reconciliation"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
Is reconciliation a feasible option for the Arab world that now seems to be moving in the direction of greater domestic intolerance and warfare? We do not know, and only time will tell. The track record of intra-Arab reconciliation has not been very impressive in recent decades, in countries like Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain, Sudan and others.
April 18, 2013
Rashid Khalidi: "Brokers of Deceit" Podcast
News
An audio recording of a talk by Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, on his new book, Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East, at MEI on April 10, 2013.
U.S. Department of State
April 12, 2013
"Development with Sovereignty"
Op-Ed, Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, Middle East Initiative
I join with many others who applaud and are surprised by the speed and persistence of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s engagement in diplomatic efforts to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. I applaud his initiative because it can only result in something positive, whether it succeeds or fails.
