US Policy::Articles

Iraq: Will We Ever Get Out?
Thomas Powers
New York Review of Books - May, 2008
In Iraq and Afghanistan alike the Americans have been trying to establish a government of convenience--friendly to the West, moderate in politics, predictable in business, open to peace with Israel, hostile to Islamic fundamentalists. The United States has been trying to establish such governments in the Middle East for sixty years.
The Roadmap Revisited
Naomi Chazan
Bitter Lemons - May, 2008
The "Performance-Based Road Map to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" highlights both the good intentions and the misplaced conceptions of its promulgators. Five years after its adoption, it lingers not as a tool for the achievement of a sustainable agreement but as a burdensome impediment to its realization.
A Roadmap to Nowhere
Joharah Baker
Bitter Lemons - May, 2008
As long as the roadmap, or any other agreement--and we have all witnessed the demise of the Oslo accords--does not unequivocally address and demand an end to Israel's military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, nothing will ever come good.
Selling the War with Iran
Nir Rosen
The Washington Note - May, 2008
The truth is, most allegations about Iran's role in Iraq and the region are unfounded or dishonest. Iran was responsible for ending the recent fighting in Basra and calming the situation after Iraqi parliamentarians who backed Prime Minister Maliki approached it.
Iraq After the Surge I: The New Sunni Landscape
International Crisis Group - April, 2008
In the U.S., much of the debate has focused on whether to maintain or withdraw troops. But this puts the question the wrong way, and spawns misguided answers. The issue, rather, should be whether the U.S. is pursuing a policy that, by laying the foundations of legitimate, functional institutions and rules of the game, will minimize the costs to itself, the Iraqi people and regional stability of a withdrawal that sooner or later must occur - or whether it is simply postponing a scenario of Iraq's collapse into a failed and fragmented state, protracted and multilayered violence, as well as increased foreign meddling.
Iraq after the Surge II: The Need for a New Political Strategy
International Crisis Group - April, 2008
But on their own, without an overarching strategy for Iraq and the region, these tactical victories cannot turn into lasting success. The mood among Sunnis could alter. The turn against al-Qaeda in Iraq is not necessarily the end of the story. While some tribal chiefs, left in the cold after Saddam's fall, found in the U.S. a new patron ready and able to provide resources, this hardly equates with a genuine, durable trend toward Sunni Arab acceptance of the political process. For these chiefs, as for the former insurgents, it mainly is a tactical alliance, forged to confront an immediate enemy (al-Qaeda in Iraq) or the central one (Iran).
The New Walls of Baghdad
Steve Niva
Foreign Policy in Focus - April, 2008
The new "surge" strategy in Iraq, led by General David Petreaus, has been heavily marketed as an example of the U.S. military's application of the "lessons of history" from previous counterinsurgencies to Iraq, foremost among them the need to win the population over from insurgents through cultivating human relationships, addressing popular grievances and providing security
2008 Annual Arab Public Opinion Poll
Shibley Telhami
University of Maryland - April, 2008
Choosing War: The Decision to Invade Iraq and Its Aftermath
Joseph J. Collins
National Defense University - April, 2008
The Price of the Surge: How U.S. Strategy Is Hastening Iraq's Demise
Steve Simon
Foreign Affairs - April, 2008
Pious Populist: Understanding the Rise of Iran's President
Abbas Milani
Boston Review - April, 2008
Washington's New Arms Bazaar
Sean L. Yom
MERIP Middle East Report - April, 2008
Petraeus-Crocker Hearing: Political Theater on Message
Phyllis Bennis
Foreign Policy in Focus - April, 2008
Thinking Strategically about Iraq: Report from a Symposium
Colin H. Kahl, Brian Katulus, & Marc Lynch
MIddle East Policy - April, 2008
Roundtable: Iran's Strategic Concerns and U.S. Interests
Gary Sick, Trita Parsi, Chas Freeman, Barbara Slavin, Ray Takeyh
Middle East Policy - April, 2008
Iraq After the Surge: Options and Questions
Daniel Serwer and Sam Parker
US Institute of Peace - April, 2008
Iraq: Dark Shadows of Things to Come
Wayne White
Middle East Institute - April, 2008
Grab More Hills, Expand the Territory
Henry Siegman
London Review of Books - April, 2008
Dealing with Iran's Hardliners
Patrick Disney and Danny Hosein
Foreign Policy in Focus - April, 2008
Why al-Maliki Attacked Basra
Juan Cole
Salon - April, 2008
The Next President and the Middle East
Daniel Levy
The American Prospect - March, 2008
In Iraq, U.S. Caught in Middle of Shiite Rivalry
Ned Parker
Los Angeles Times - March, 2008
The Case for Conditional Engagement in Iraq
Colin Kahl and Shawn Brimley
Center for a New American Security - March, 2008
The Al-Qaeda Media Nexus
Daniel Kimmage
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - March, 2008
The World Beyond Iraq
Barack Obama
- March, 2008
Iraq's "Hidden" Conflict
Raed Jarrar
Foreign Policy in Focus - March, 2008
Rule, Not Reconciliation
Dahr Jamail
Foreign Policy in Focus - March, 2008
Debating Devolution in Iraq
Reidar Visser
MERIP - Middle East Research and Information Project - March, 2008
Iran-Iraq Ties Show US the Way
Kaveh L Afrasiabi
Asia Times - March, 2008
The 'Laptop of Mass Destruction"
Gareth Porter
Asia Times - March, 2008
The Gaza Bombshell
Ken Silverstein
Vanity Fair - March, 2008
Is Iran Winning the Iraq War?
Robert Dreyfuss
The Nation - March, 2008
A Solution for the US-Iran Nuclear Standoff
William Luers, Thomas R. Pickering, and Jim Walsh
New York Review of Books - February, 2008
Iran in the Crosshairs
Phyllis Bennis
Foreign Policy in Focus - February, 2008
The New Middle East
Marina Ottaway, Nathan Brown, Amr Hamzawy, Karim Sadjadpour, Paul Salem
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - February, 2008
The Road Out of Gaza
Nathan Brown
Carnegie Endowment - February, 2008
IAEA's Latest Report on Iran: Time to Move On
Farideh Farhi
Global Affairs Blog - February, 2008
The Myth of the Surge
Nir Rosen
Rolling Stone - February, 2008
Latest Iran Safeguards Report Delivered to IAEA Board
International Atomic Energy Agency - February, 2008
The Enduring Trap in Iraq
Adil Shamoo
Foreign Policy in Focus - February, 2008
Who Will Stop the Bulldozers?
Gershom Gorenberg
The American Prospect - February, 2008
Counting Iraqi Casualties -- and a Media Controversy
John Tirman
Editor and Publisher - February, 2008
A Strike in the Dark
Seymour Hersh
New Yorker - February, 2008
Iraq's Civil War, the Sadrists and the Surge
International Crisis Group - February, 2008
Iran Tries to Make Up Lost Ground
Kaveh L Afrasiabi
Asia Times - February, 2008
Iraq: Politics Unfrozen, Direction Still Unclear
Daniel Serwer and Rend al-Rahim
US Institute for Peace - January, 2008
The Iraq Project
Paul Rogers
Open Democracy - January, 2008
Arming the Middle East
Stephen Zunes
Foreign Policy in Focus - January, 2008
360 Days
M.J. Rosenberg
Israel Policy Forum - January, 2008
What Does It Mean To Be the Pro-Israel Candidate?
Gershom Gorenberg
The American Prospect - January, 2008
Ali Abunimah Discusses US Presidential Candidates on Democracy Now!
Electronic Intifada - January, 2008
US Military Breaks Ranks
Mark Perry
Asia Times - January, 2008
Bush and Palestinian-Israeli Peace Efforts
Charles D. Smith
Informed Comment: Global Affairs - January, 2008
GCC-Iran Watch
Marc Lynch
Abu Aardvark Blog - January, 2008
Still No Peace
Stephen Zunes
Foreign Policy in Focus - January, 2008
Iran Sanctions: Impact in Furthering U.S. Objectives Is Unclear and Should Be Reviewed
General Accounting Office - January, 2008
Four Comments on Bush's Visit to Israel
Daniel Levy
Prospects for Peace - January, 2008
Stairway to Paradise & Obama's Religion
M.J. Rosenberg
Israel Policy Forum - January, 2008
New Study Estimates 151 000 Violent Iraqi Deaths Since 2003 Invasion
World Health Organization - January, 2008
Bush's Israel Problem -- And Ours
Ira Chernus
Foreign Policy in Focus - January, 2008
Israel's False Friends
John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt
LA Times - January, 2008
As Iraqis See It
Michael Massing
New York Review of Books - January, 2008
An American in Iran
Max Rodenbeck
New York Review of Books - January, 2008
Why US Strategy on Iran Is Crumbling
Marc Lynch
Christian Science Monitor - January, 2008
Dependency Politics
Ahmad Khalidi
Conflicts Forum - January, 2008
The Costs of Containing Iran: Washington's Misguided New Middle East Policy
Vali Nasr and Ray Takeyh
Foreign Affairs - December, 2007
Can the War on Terror Be Won?
Philip H. Gordon
Foreign Affairs - December, 2007
It's Time to Talk to Iran
Daniel Levy
Prospects for Peace - December, 2007
Can Israel Accept the Price of Peace?
Geoffrey Aronson
Foundation for Middle East Peace - December, 2007
Muqtada al-Sadr's Power Grab
Mohamad Bazzi
The Nation - December, 2007
The Israel Lobby Revisited
Stephen Zunes
Foreign Policy in Focus - December, 2007
Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq: Report to Congress
US Dept of Defense - December, 2007
Political Progress in Iraq During the Surge
Rend Al-Rahim Francke
US Institute of Peace - December, 2007
Iraq's Danger Signals
Paul Rogers
Open Democracy - December, 2007
GWOT: Egypt
Negar Azimi
The Nation - December, 2007
Between Annapolis and Bush's Presidential Visit to Israel
Daniel Levy
Prospects for Peace - December, 2007
Will Iraq's Great Awakening Lead to a Nightmare?
Douglas Macgregor
Mother Jones - December, 2007
Iraq Calmer But More Divided
Ned Parker
Los Angeles Times - December, 2007
Reading the NIE in Tehran
Farideh Farhi
Informed Comment: Global Affairs - December, 2007
Is Iran NIE a Blessing in Disguise for Israel?
Trita Parsi
Antiwar.com - December, 2007
The Costs of Containing Iran
Vali Nasr and Ray Takeyh
Real Clear Politics - December, 2007
New Intelligence Estimate Calls for Credible Diplomatic Option to Extend Iran's Nuclear Weapons Halt
Cara Ong
Foreign Policy in Focus - December, 2007
Why Bush's Troop Surge Won't Save Iraq
Juan Cole
Salon - December, 2007
The Failure of Annapolis
Stephen Zunes
Foreign Policy in Focus - December, 2007
"Follow Us, Not Them" - The Ramallah Model: Washington's Palestinian Failure
Geoffrey Aronson
- November, 2007
Broken Peace Process
Stephen Zunes
Foreign Policy in Focus - November, 2007
War Is Peace, Sanctions Are Diplomacy
Carah Ong
MERIP - Middle East Research and Information Project - November, 2007
Annapolis: The Cost of Failure
Henry Siegman
New York Review of Books - November, 2007
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Annapolis and After
International Crisis Group - November, 2007
Inside the Surge: The American Military Finds New Allies, But at What Cost?
Jon Lee Anderson
The New Yorker - November, 2007
IAEA Report on Iran's Nuclear Program
Director General
IAEA - November, 2007
National Intelligence Estimate - Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities
National Intelligence Council
- November, 2007
Kahl-Katulis Debate on Iraq
Marc Lynch
Abu Aardvark Blog - November, 2007
Syria and the Peace Process
Joshua Landis
Syria Comment Blog - November, 2007
A Wall of Mistrust
Maziar Bahari
Newsweek - November, 2007
The Iranian Challenge
Trita Parsi
The Nation - November, 2007
Strategic Drift in Iraq
John Podesta, Lawrence J. Korb, Brian Katulis
Center for American Progress - October, 2007
Quarterly Report to Congress, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, October 2007
Stuart B. Bowen
Council on Foreign Relations - October, 2007
Engaging Syria: We'd Be Crazy Not To
Shana Marshall
Foreign Policy in Focus - October, 2007
New Unilateral Sanctions against Iran: What Do They Mean?
Farideh Farhi
Informed Comment: Global Affairs - October, 2007
Ask the Iraqis
Lawrence Wright
New Yorker - October, 2007
Muting the Alarm over the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The New York Times versus Haaretz, 2000-06
Jerome Slater
International Security - October, 2007
When Promoting Democracy Is Counterproductive
Haleh Esfandiari and Robert S. Litwak
Chronicle of Higher Education - October, 2007
The Secret History of the Impending War with Iran That the White House Doesn't Want You to Know
John H. Richardson
Esquire - October, 2007
A Guide to a Successful November International Conference
Israel Policy Forum - October, 2007
Media Matters: The Arab Portrayal of the United States
Hosam Mohamed
Arab Insight - October, 2007
Beyond Media 'Dialogues': Time to Put Away the Champagne Flutes
Lawrence Pintak
Arab Media and Society - October, 2007
Shifting Targets: The Administration's Plan for Iran
Seymour M. Hersh
The New Yorker - October, 2007
The Iranian Conundrum
Peter Galbraith
New York Review of Books - October, 2007
A Diplomatic Road to Damascus: The Benefits of U.S. Engagement with Syria
Leon T. Hadar
Independent Institute - October, 2007
Bravely Stating the Obvious: Egyptian Humor and the Anti-American Consensus
Walter Armbrust
Arab Media and Society - October, 2007
After Neoconservatism
Francis Fukuyama
Political Concepts - September, 2007
The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States
Trita Parsi and Ervand Abrahamian
Democracy Now - September, 2007
Can't Win With 'Em, Can't Got to War Without 'Em: Private Military Contractors and Counter Insurgency
P. W. Singer
Brookings Institute - September, 2007
The World Can Live With a Nuclear Iran
Martin van Creveld
Jewish Daily Forward - September, 2007
The Terrorism Index
Foreign Policy Magazine - September, 2007
Iraq in 2012: Four Scenarios
Volker Perthes
Open Democracy - September, 2007
Surge Has Failed - Iraqi Poll
BBC, ABC News and NHK - September, 2007
Iraq: Time for a Change
Daniel Serwer
US Institute of Peace - September, 2007
Planning for Defeat
George Packer
New Yorker - September, 2007
The Battle for Iraq is About Oil and Democracy, Not Religion!
Joshua Holland and Raed Jarrar
Alternet - September, 2007
The Surge in Iraq Has Failed
Jessica Matthews
Carnegie Endowment - September, 2007
Missed Opportunities: Cooperation and Confrontation in the US-Syrian Relationship
David W. Lesch
The Century Foundation - September, 2007
"The Israel Lobby" in Perspective
Mitchell Plitnick and Chris Toensing
MERIP - Middle East Report - July, 2007
Culture Knowledge and the Violence of Imperialism: Revisiting the Arab Mind
Frances S. Hasso
MIT Electronic Journal of Middle East Studies - May, 2007
Iran: Consequences of a War
Paul Rogers
Oxford Research Group - February, 2006