Middle East PolicyCast

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Operation Torch and the Making of U.S. Mideast Policy Nov 13, 2017

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Seventy-five years ago, in November 1942, American troops made their first landing in the modern Middle East. Operation Torch, the allied invasion of French North Africa, set the stage for subsequent offensives against Axis forces in Sicily, Italy, Greece, and France. Did American decisions during and after Torch also set the stage for the next eight decades of U.S. policy across the broader Middle East? Institute executive director Robert Satloff and historian Eliot Cohen explore the choices made by American diplomats and generals at the time of Operation Torch to trace their lasting effects on U.S. policy. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Preventing a Third Lebanon War Oct 26, 2017

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Functioning as a state within the Lebanese state, Hezbollah has accumulated more rockets than many European militaries. But it is also an irregular army that uses terrorism as a strategic weapon against adversaries at home and abroad. Today, the conflicts in Syria and Iraq have reconfigured Hezbollah and other forces in ways that could lead to a new war, one far more destructive than previous Middle Eastern conflicts. In this episode, we'll hear from three senior European military leaders who have just published a detailed report on the growing likelihood of Hezbollah aggression against Israel, the devastating course such a conflict would take, and what Western governments can do now to prevent renewed bloodshed. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

U.S. Iran Policy with Michael Singh Oct 17, 2017

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On October 13, President Trump announced a new Iran strategy, including decertifying the 2015 nuclear deal and asking for changes from Congress and from international partners. Does this mean the end of the nuclear deal? What comes next for the executive branch and for Congress? Can the administration bring our allies on board for a comprehensive push to counter the full range of Iran's destabilizing activities? Institute scholar and former National Security Council senior official Michael Singh joins us to dig into the details of the Trump administration’s new Iran policy, from the nuclear agreement to terrorism sanctions, and to explain how the White House can turn the broad outlines of strategy into successful policy that advances American interests. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Kurdistan Referendum with Bilal Wahab Sep 27, 2017

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Iraqi Kurds voted overwhelmingly to seek national independence - and their neighbors, as well as the Baghdad government, have responded with a rapidly escalating war of words. Iraqi politics expert Bilal Wahab joins us to explain what comes next, whether armed conflict can be avoided, and how the United States can best approach the rising tensions between its vital partners, the Iraqi Kurds and the Iraqi national government. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Israeli National Security with Maj. Gen. Yair Golan Sep 14, 2017

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On September 7, distinguished Israeli general Yair Golan, who recently completed service as the IDF’s deputy chief of staff, delivered The Washington Institute's 2017 Zeev Schiff Memorial Lecture. General Golan’s remarks focused on three themes: the role of vision and founding values in Israeli society, the overall contours of Israeli national security policy, and military defense as a component of that policy. In assessing the current military situation, the general emphasized the threat posed by Iran, a sophisticated adversary that seeks "to become the most dominant power in the Middle East." Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Iraqi Kurdistan's Independence Referendum with Michael Knights Aug 31, 2017

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Institute scholar Michael Knights says that the upcoming independence referendum in Iraq’s Kurdistan region is already yielding positive results in the form of compromise and cooperation among parties and movements whose enmity has long gridlocked Iraqi Kurdish politics. While a pro-independence result is a near certainty for the September 25 vote, the shape of an eventual settlement between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraq’s national government in Baghdad could take many forms, each with its own problems and benefits for U.S. interests in the region. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Erdogan's Rise with Soner Cagaptay Aug 17, 2017

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Why is the most successful and powerful leader in modern Turkey's history driven by insecurity and grievances? Author and Turkey expert Soner Cagaptay unpacks the ways in which Recep Tayyip Erdogan's biography shapes his politics and the fate of his nation. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

'Lone Wolf' Terrorism with Boaz Ganor, Bruce Hoffman, Marlene Mazel, and Matthew Levitt Aug 04, 2017

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Although terror attacks conducted by individuals are not a new phenomenon, recent years have seen an alarming increase in these "lone-wolf" incidents. The Islamic State, for instance, has been proactive in using its global tentacles to inspire individuals to carry out attacks in its name. Meanwhile, in Israel, solo operators unaffiliated with organized terror groups have taken to carrying out attacks with the weapons at hand—cars, knives, homemade. Are such attacks a growing trend and the future of jihadism, or are they simply another passing fad in the annals of terrorist activity? Four leading counterterrorism scholars and policymakers chart the rise and future of "lone-wolf" terrorism. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The Qatar Crisis with Lori Plotkin Boghardt Jul 20, 2017

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Gulf politics scholar and former intelligence analyst Lori Plotkin Boghardt explains the Qatar crisis - what it is, why it's happening now, and how it could affect American interests and alliances in the Middle East. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

al-Qaeda's Survival with Aaron Zelin Jul 11, 2017

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Jihadism scholar Aaron Zelin explains how al-Qaeda survived drones, revolutions, and the rise of ISIS to persist and re-emerge as a primary local, regional, and global terrorist threat. Near East PolicyCast: Conversations on Middle East issues from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

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