Middle East PolicyCast

Latest Episodes:

Middle East Strategy with Dennis Ross May 08, 2018

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How can policymakers deal with the urgent crises of the day without neglecting important issues of long-term strategy? Ambassador Dennis Ross has advised presidents from both parties since the 1980s, and he literally wrote the book on diplomacy and statecraft. In this episode, he connects the dots between immediate policy challenges in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, as well as the rising threat of a regional war, to chart a wider policy agenda for securing the most vital American interests in the Middle East. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman Apr 27, 2018

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In a rare public address in Washington, D.C., Israel's defense minister explained his government's strategy for dealing with challenges including the emergence of a direct Iranian front to the north and recurrent mass protests along the Gaza border to the south. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Airstrikes on Syria Apr 16, 2018

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In military terms, what did the April 13 allied airstrikes on Syria accomplish? Will deterring the Assad regime from using chemical weapons change the Syrian battlefield? Veteran military analyst Michael Eisenstadt shares his insights into the tactical and strategic effects of the coalition airstrikes and the future course of the conflict there. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Palestinian Authority Security Forces with Neri Zilber and Ghaith al-Omari Apr 04, 2018

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Amid dimming hopes for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and growing disarray in the Palestinian political scene, one bright spot remains the growing effectiveness and professionalism of the Palestinian Authority's 30,000-man security services. Neri Zilber and Ghaith al-Omari, coauthors of a new study of the past, present, and future of PA security forces, discuss the evolution of Palestinian domestic security services as well as whether and how they can retain morale and competence. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

A Survey of the Near East with David Cattler Mar 15, 2018

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David Cattler, the U.S. government's national intelligence manager for the Near East, recently shared a survey of the Middle East and American security and interests there. Will there be a "peace dividend" from the defeat of ISIS? What keeps the U.S. intelligence community up at night? How likely is war on Israel's northern border? Where do human rights rank among America's security priorities? Does the Middle East really matter to the United States? Cattler addressed these questions, and more, over the course of his presentation and the Q&A session that followed. Listen for a rare on-the-record account of how the U.S. intelligence community views and operates in the Middle East. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Iraqi Reconstruction with Aleksandra Zittle, Shelly Culbertson, and Geoffrey Batt Feb 26, 2018

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From February 12 to 14, representatives of governments, NGOs, and private businesses from around the world met in Kuwait for a conference that was intended to raise $85 billion for rebuilding destroyed areas and resettling displaced Iraqis in formerly ISIS-controlled territory. In the end, the Kuwait conference raised $30 billion. Was this a failure for Iraqi reconstruction, or the start of a longer process? Is Baghdad equipped to handle and spend even that lower amount of reconstruction funding? Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The 'Shia Crescent' and Iranian Influence Jan 30, 2018

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What is the Shia Crescent, and how does Iran’s government exploit it to spread its influence and sow division across the region, from the Karun River to the Mediterranean Sea? Lebanese journalist Hanin Ghaddar, a visiting fellow at The Washington Institute, discusses the Shia Crescent, Iranian influence, and the loss of the Lebanon she once knew. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The Middle East through Gulf Eyes Dec 21, 2017

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During an eventful week in the Middle East – which included President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the death of Yemen’s former president Saleh – a fifty-person delegation from The Washington Institute traveled to the capitals of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates to meet with senior leaders, engage with a broad range of local society, and learn about important changes under way in each country. Institute scholars Robert Satloff and Katherine Bauer share their findings from an eventful week traveling around the Gulf. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Israel at the United Nations with Ambassadors Gillerman, Gold, and Prosor Dec 12, 2017

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On December 5, 2017, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy honored three former Israeli ambassadors who fought for justice and fairness at the United Nations: Dore Gold, Dan Gillerman, and Ron Prosor. The annual Scholar-Statesman Awards ceremony, held in New York City, took place on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the ratification of the UN's Partition Plan for Palestine. Institute executive director Robert Satloff led a lively conversation with Ambassadors Gold, Gillerman, and Prosor about Israel's relationship with the world body, institutional bias against the Jewish state, and prospects for leveraging improved bilateral ties to create opportunities for Israeli interests in multilateral forums. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Authoritarianism, Memory, and Literature in Turkey Nov 27, 2017

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Do Turkey’s political and social upheavals following that country’s 1980 military coup have anything to tell us about Turkey under President Erdogan today? Journalist Ece Temelkuran believes so, and in her new novel, “The Time of Mute Swans,” she tells a story of post-coup Ankra in which divisions and bloodshed blur the lines between right and wrong, truth and falsehood, beauty and ugliness. Listen to a conversation about authoritarianism and literature with Temelkuran, distinguished American diplomat and Turkish literature scholar Robert Finn, and the Institute's own Soner Cagaptay. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

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