Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - Middle East

Rebuilding the Iraqi Oil Industry: Legal and Constitutional Strategies for Sustainable Post-Saddam Development

Justin Dargin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:33:33 -0500

October 8, 2008

In Chapter 5 of Rebuilding Sustainable Communities in Iraq: Policies, Programs and International Perspectives, DI Fellow Justin Dargin argues that "without a viable legal framework, Iraq will find it difficult to attract the investment capital necessary for sustainable nationwide development and petroleum production."

Click here to access the full text.

The High Cost of Incompetent Governance

Rami Khouri — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:27:47 -0500

In times like this -- global economic crisis -- the dominance of exclusively oil-fueled economies in the Arab World expose a regional lack of competent governance.

Demeaning Democracy

Rami Khouri — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:51:14 -0500

As the consequences and costs of the Iraq war, the global war on terror, and the economic mismanagement unfold, so does the 2008 US presidential election. Now, even the latter appears to disgrace the once admired ideal of America's democracy in the eyes of the world.

The Strange Failures of 'The Global War on Terror'

Rami Khouri — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:31:44 -0500

"Something is very wrong if the United States and allies are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a global war on terror, but the main terror group targeted continues to operate, spawns many imitators and allies, and in most parts of the world is seen either to be holding its own against the United States or maintaining considerable public support or sympathy."

Trouble In Paradise – The Widening Gulf Gas Deficit

Justin Dargin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:00:15 -0500

September 29, 2008

DI Fellow Justin Dargin addresses the gas shortage in the Gulf in this op-ed.

Let the Quartet Die

Rami Khouri — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:57:28 -0500

"The agencies -- including Oxfam, Save the Children, Care, Christian Aid and World Vision -- said that in five of the ten main areas the Quartet had identified to improve Palestinians' daily life conditions, the situation has actually deteriorated. The situation also has worsened, rather than improved, for most Palestinians since the Annapolis peace process was launched last November. It added that the Quartet has not held Israel accountable for continuing to build settlements on occupied land, and that travel restrictions on Palestinians has also increased."

Tzipi Livni

Rami Khouri — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:20:35 -0500

"Her challenge is very similar to the one that her father faced in 1938 when he joined the Irgun underground in Palestine: How to safeguard a Zionist homeland and state for Jews, in a land that had been majority owned and populated by Palestinian Arabs?"

Thirty Years of Peacemaking

Rami Khouri — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:18:37 -0500

"The peace-making legacy of Camp David and Oslo remains thin, but real. It is certain that Arabs and Israelis, with assorted eternal mediators, will try again to negotiate permanent peace agreements, perhaps starting as early as next spring."

The Power of Oil Consumers

Henry A. Kissinger and Martin Feldstein — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:52:49 -0500

September 18, 2008

The oil-consuming nations are in a position to shape both the global economic and political balance, provided they coordinate and, to some extent, pool their efforts. America should play a major role in this effort. Rather than wait passively for the next blow to fall, the major consuming nations -- the Group of Seven, together with India, China and Brazil -- should establish a coordinating group to shift the long-term trends of supply and demand in their favor and to end the blackmail of the strong by the weak.

Why Has Al-Qaeda Lasted 20 Years?

Rami Khouri — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:10:06 -0500

"Much debate swirls around the condition and status of Al-Qaeda these days, which has clearly suffered operational setbacks with the loss of its Afghan bases, but seems to have regrouped in the northwestern frontier areas of Pakistan where it has widespread support among Taliban-friendly communities. While Al-Qaeda has been disrupted, other similar, smaller Salafist militant groups have sprung to life in Iraq, Somalia, Lebanon, Yemen and Algeria."

The Tragic Failure of Arab Moderates

Rami Khouri — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:21:08 -0500

"It is worthwhile viewing George W. Bush's presidency from a different perspective than America's performance abroad, for example by reviewing the efforts and fate of those around the world who partnered with Washington..."

Intemperance Keeps Terrorism Alive

Rami Khouri — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:04:35 -0500

"Terrorism is a symptom of other ailments and distortions, and a tool that fanatics use to express themselves and change conditions in society. It is not an ideology that springs out of purely religious milieus. It can be defeated and eliminated only if its underlying causes are recognized and seriously addressed."

Elegant Colonialism

Rami Khouri — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:50:52 -0500

September 3, 2008

It seems quite obvious to many of us that Italy's new agreement with Libya -- with its explicit apology and reparations for the colonial era -- is a new and disguised form of colonialism.

The Neocons vs. The Realists

Joshua Muravchik and Stephen M. Walt — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:17:41 -0500

"A must-read debate about our foreign-policy future. Does realism offer the best solutions to today’s threats? Or will neoconservatism be responsible for our policy triumphs? The choice is clear after eight years of failed Bush policies, says Walt, but Muravchik thinks the House of Kristol may well be vindicated." — National Interest

Adding Hunger to the Middle East Crises

Rami Khouri — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:27:00 -0500

September 2, 2008

The growing world food crisis will exacerbate the fragmentation of Arab states and societies, unless leaders step up. Governments that abdicate responsibility for feeding their hungry could collapse and intensify Middle East problems for the region and the world.

US-Iranian Tango

Chuck Freilich — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:36:29 -0500

"...Engagement with Iran does not constitute appeasement, nor a slippery slope leading to further concessions. It can be these things if mishandled, but there is no reason for it to be anything other than a coherent, integrated policy. A policy based solely on sticks, without carrots, will surely fail. Engagement, however, should be conducted from a position of strength, with a concomitant attempt to increase pressure, such as heightened restrictions on international trade, banking and investments...."

The Incredible Development of the Gulf States

Rami Khouri — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:31:53 -0500

August 27, 2008

The unfathomable wealth and development of the Gulf "statelets" has barely been studied. No serious plans have been devised to create in them institutions of civil society -- nor is there planned assistance for their poorer Arab neighbors.

When Hamas and Jordan Talk

Rami Khouri — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:14:59 -0500

August 25, 2008

The meetings between Jordanian intelligence officers and Beirut-based Hamas officials may be as important for what they signal about Iran, Syria, Israel and Palestine as for what they tell us about Hamas and Jordan.

New Players in the Arab Sands and Urban Shadows

Rami Khouri — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:43:43 -0500

August 21, 2008

In the evolving Arab world, a "triumph of Arab sectarianism, security services, and commercialism" dominate societies and localities. To see it, walk around in different neighborhoods and engage with those who stop and question you.

The Right Return

Chuck Freilich — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:51:04 -0500

Former Deputy Head of the Israeli National Security Council Chuck Freilich outlines a bold proposal to re-invigorate the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in an action memorandum to the next President of the United States.

Tripoli and Middle East Currents

Rami Khouri — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:44:32 -0500

When I returned to live and work in Lebanon some years ago, a wise Lebanese friend advised me to go to Tripoli in north Lebanon if I really wanted to understand the complex forces that drove the country and the region. He was right, as I discovered on several visits to the city. Today that advice is more valid than ever, though sadly the Middle East 's prevailing politics and ideologies often assert themselves violently.

Timely American Wisdom

Rami Khouri — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:25:15 -0500

August 13, 2008

The next American administration will have a timely, honest and very practical handbook. The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has just published a compact but rich little book entitled Negotiating Arab-Israeli Peace: American Leadership in the Middle East

The Importance of Iran

Rami Khouri — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:18:46 -0500

August 11, 2008

The American-European-led diplomatic minuet with Iran is the most interesting and significant political dynamic in the world today. What happens on the Iran issue will determine power relations for years to come -- far beyond Iran's immediate neighborhood.

Chinese, Russian Stall Tactics on Iran

Joshua Gleis — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 12:38:07 -0500

"...The Chinese and Russians say they do not support stronger sanctions because they don't believe in their effectiveness. Off the record, however, both countries recognize that any form of sanctions that restrict their own business ventures is not going to stop the Iranians from pursuing their end goal of acquiring nuclear weapons.Thus in the meantime, the Russians and Chinese are angling themselves to maximize the economic benefits of such a precarious state of affairs in the Middle East...."

Stephen M. Walt on the U.S., Iran, and the New Balance of Power in the Persian Gulf

Stephen M. Walt and Kayhan Barzegar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:44:18 -0500

Walt: “…..by maintaining a (new) balance you don’t get conflict breaking out and you tilt in favour whichever side seems to be falling behind. At the same time, you do try to discourage conflict whenever possible. You certainly don’t try to control the region yourselves and if the balance breaks down as it did in 1991 and you have to intervene you go in, you get out as quickly as possible. But you don’t try to organize these societies. You don’t try to tell them how to live. You don’t try to tell them how their governments should be organized and you don’t try to transform them at the point of a rifle barrel. This is not disengagement, but it is also not trying to control the region or dictate its political evolution.”

“…we are not going to have a stable long-term situation in the Persian Gulf until the United States and other countries in the region—including Iran—do come to some understanding about the various issues that concern them. Achieving that goal will require genuine diplomacy…The United States will also have to recognize that Iran’s size, potential power, large population, and its geo-strategic location inevitably make it a major player in the security environment in the Persian Gulf, and ignoring that fact is unrealistic…”

Conquering Tree Houses

Rami Khouri — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:51:07 -0500

This is a dark day for the Palestinians, but not the end of the line. When they hit bottom -- and they are almost there -- the Palestinians will find better leadership that can regain their cohesion and credibility, and their self-respect.

After Olmert

Chuck Freilich — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:21:29 -0500

"...In mid September, Olmert's Kadima party will hold primaries to elect his successor as party head, until which time he will stay on as premier. The two leading candidates are, Tzipi Livni, the current foreign minister and clear frontrunner among the public, and Shaul Mofaz, a former chief of staff and defense minister, now minister of transportation, the frontrunner among the party rank and file, who actually vote in the primaries...."

Ten Principles for US Policy in the Middle East

Rami Khouri — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:52:53 -0500

August 4, 2008

In recent months, Rami Khouri has been in Washington talking with friends and colleagues, and generating a list of ten principles and policies that should define US policy in the Middle East.

Advice to Heed

Rami Khouri — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:33:29 -0500

July 30, 2008

Thoughts worth pondering from a member of a rare species in Washington these days: the experienced, impartial, patriotic American public servant who knows both Washington and the Middle East -- and speaks honestly to both.

Good News and Bad in US Public Diplomacy

Rami Khouri — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:41:11 -0500

July 28, 2008

The new Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, James Glassman, is 'losing' the American arrogance in public diplomacy. But ironically, his game plan provides publicity for terrorists and extremists, and neglects necessary approaches to engage Arab and Muslim public life.