In The News

A Triumph for Hamas... But a Tragedy for the Palestinians?

Donald Macintyre June 15, 2007
Muslims and non-Muslims alike around the world have long hoped for political and economic stability in the Palestinian territories. But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has dissolved what was once called a “national unity government,” formed after the Hamas party defeated Fatah in 2006 parliamentary elections. After a week of chaos, Hamas fighters, donned in hoods, control Gaza Strip and...

Seething Anger in a Broken Middle East

Fawaz A. Gerges June 12, 2007
Early in 2003, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman applied a rule common in retail pottery stores, “You break it, you own it,” to the then-impending invasion in Iraq. The succinct analogy warned that the US and other invading nations would bear responsibility for rebuilding Iraq. More than four years later, political and social institutions throughout the Middle East are in ruins, with...

Today’s Iraqi Refugees Key to Tomorrow’s Stability

Humphrey Hawksley June 7, 2007
On the surface, China’s gradual transition from Tiananmen-era suppression of dissent to controlled-yet-liberating market economics would seem to hold few lessons for turbulent Iraq. After all, Iraq needs many more resources, including an end to sectarian violence, before even attempting to emulate China’s evolution toward a competitive and developed economy, one achieved through careful...

Exit From Iraq Should Be Through Iran

William E. Odom May 29, 2007
The US Congress and the White House have been at odds over the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq for months, but brief historical reflection suggests that the only option left for Washington is to link forces with Iran. Starting in the mid-1950s, the US maintained stability in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf by establishing bilateral relationships with Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia, and...

Militants Widen Reach as Terror Seeps Out of Iraq

Michael Moss May 29, 2007
US leaders described the war in Iraq as a defensive measure and a way to contain terrorists, and for the past four years, militants from around the world flocked to Iraq to fight US forces. But chaos is plentiful in Iraq, and experts report that organizers have expanded their mission to thwart Americans and any governments that support US goals, by dispatching fighters to other nations, including...

Bush May Turn to UN in Search for Iraq Solution

Simon Tisdall May 24, 2007
The Bush administration is considering an alternative to the surge, and is in the process of internationalizing the Iraq crisis. This plan involves an expanded role for the United Nations, and also a greater role for regional countries, who must realize that their security depends on success in Iraq. Should these options fail, the US might, as a last resort, try to seek an arrangement with Mr....

Pakistan: Nuclear Power with Feet of Clay?

Husain Haqqani May 22, 2007
A nuclear-armed Pakistan may have the military capability worthy of an emerging global power, but its external power is belied by an increasingly precarious domestic situation. While the spread of anti-American and pro-Islamist sentiments in the past six years has empowered armed extremists and other non-state actors across the country, the educated middle class is increasingly disenchanted with...