Current Analysis

Bush Misled Public About Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction

At long last, many are realizing that President Bush misled the public about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. But unlike the vigorous questioning of Prime Minister Tony Blair in Britain on the same issue, our long overdue debate about Saddam Hussein’s presumed illicit arsenal is missing the point.

Chris Toensing • 2 min read

Current Analysis

How Yemen's Ruling Party Secured an Electoral Landslide

Yemen's parliamentary elections, held on April 27, 2003, might have set a higher standard for contested elections in the Arab world. Instead, post-election shenanigans and gunfire that disrupted ballot counting in key districts cast doubt on the voting process and the ruling General People's Congres

• 8 min read

Current Analysis

A Road Map to the Oslo Cul-de-Sac

The "road map" to resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the subject of Secretary of State Colin Powell's recent diplomacy in the Middle East, may never reach the conclusion of its first phase. To date, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has yet to accept the initiative

Adam Hanieh • 12 min read

Current Analysis

Bedouin in the Negev Face New "Transfer"

The White House's hoped-for restructuring of the Middle East has begun: Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been ousted from power by US and British troops who now patrol the streets of Baghdad, while a few hundred miles away Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has been shunted aside in

Jonathan Cook • 10 min read

Current Analysis

Dual-Use Material and the Weapons Search in Iraq

Before the US-British invasion of Iraq, most skeptics did not argue that Saddam Hussein's regime possessed no illicit weapons of mass destruction. Rather, the majority of the international community doubted that Iraqi non-conventional weapons capabilities posed a pressing threat to the peace. Repeatedly presented with false,

Alistair Millar • 9 min read

Current Analysis

Appointing Abu Mazen: A Drama with Two Enactments

The Palestinian Legislative Council's approval of the cabinet of newly appointed Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas on April 29, 2003 completed a political drama with two enactments: one received with cheers by the international community and the other watched warily by a sober audience at home.

Charmaine Seitz • 11 min read

Current Analysis

Hizballah in the Firing Line

The overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq and Washington's recent pressure on Syria have placed Lebanon's Hizballah organization firmly in the firing line in the next phase of George W. Bush's war on terrorism. But Hizballah is confident that its strategic

Nicholas Blanford • 10 min read

Current Analysis

Shiite Religious Parties Fill Vacuum in Southern Iraq

Religious Shiite parties and militias in Iraq have recently stepped into the gap resulting from the collapse of the Baath Party, especially in the sacred shrine cities. This development must have come as a shock to Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, who in early March preferred Iraqis as US

Juan Cole • 9 min read

Current Analysis

On Settlement Trade, Europe Doesn't Stand Tall

The transatlantic rift over the war in Iraq, and now post-war reconstruction, builds on growing European disenchantment with muscular US unilateralism. French and German opposition to the war—echoing the sentiments of a majority of the European Union's member states—highlighted seemingly growing dif

Peter Lagerquist • 10 min read

Current Analysis

Pro-Israel Hawks and the Second Gulf War

On the eve of the Second Gulf War, Rep. James Moran (D-VA) told a meeting of his constituents that "if it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this." Leaders of the organized Jewish

Joel Beinin • 10 min read

Current Analysis

Egypt Struggles to Control Anti-War Protests

For the second consecutive Friday, thousands of Egyptians gathered at Cairo's al-Azhar mosque on March 28, 2003 to voice their opposition to the US-led invasion and bombing of Iraq. But it was immediately apparent upon arrival at al-Azhar that the March 28 demonstration would be

Paul Schemm • 8 min read

Current Analysis

Turkey's Dangerous Game

During his diplomatic attempts to avert the war now underway in Iraq, Abdullah Gul, until recently prime minister of Turkey and now foreign minister, said that he was suffering from sleepless nights. Today Gul's body language signals his distress at the deadlock faced by his neo-Islamist Justice

Yuksel Taskin, Koray Caliskan • 10 min read