Israel’s momentous withdrawal from Gaza and the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, while substantially reducing the level of violence in the past eight months, have not produced the hoped-for momentum to propel the peace process forward. The two parties have rem

The increasing number of clashes between U.S. and Syrian forces raises serious questions about the Bush administration’s intentions and the wisdom of its actions. It appears that this escalation on the American side is dictated not entirely by the urgency over the infiltration of for

If there is a strategy behind Egypt’s rejection of normalization of relations with Israel, it would reasonably follow to ask what underlies it and then whether the desired ends have been achieved after nearly three decades of relentless campaign against normalization. But whatever th

More than any other time in the past few decades, Turkey can play a pivotal role in advancing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and become a major political and economic force in the Middle East. Unlike the European nations and even the United States, Turkey enjoys good relations with

Hamas must sooner than later decide whether it wants to genuinely join the political process and become a positive political force in Palestinian lives or continue the violent struggle against Israel and destroy itself in the process. This, ultimately, is the choice because sooner than the

The Gaza withdrawal has changed the political landscape in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The political fortunes of Prime Minister Sharon, the course of economic and political development in Gaza, the prospects of Hamas’ participation in the Palestinian elections, as well as

Now that Israel has successfully withdrawn from Gaza, without violent resistance by the settlers or Palestinian provocation, both sides can either seize the moment and build toward peaceful coexistence or allow themselves to be trapped in continuing internal friction and miss a new histori

The failure to complete the new Iraqi constitution by the August 15th deadline should have been foreseen by the Bush administration. Notorious for establishing arbitrary datelines, the White House has never quite understood the social, political, religious, and traditional dynamics of Iraq

Israel must regain the high moral ground before it can defeat Palestinian militancy

The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza is one of the most significant developments in the long and violent struggle between Israelis and Palestinians, with the potential of changing the dynamic of the conf