Topic: Saban Center for Middle East Policy

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How the Iraq war has changed America

A conflict that was supposed to be a quick in-and-out operation lasted nearly nine years – and has left a deep imprint on the policy of American intervention.
President Obama sees popularity boost in Israel

In a new poll in Israel, Mr. Obama earns a favorable rating of 54 percent from Israeli Jews – up an impressive 13 percent compared to last year. Still, he's not as popular as former US presidents Bill Clinton or George W. Bush.
Terrorism & Security
UN warns of civil war as Syrian Army deaths climb

Concerns are mounting that Syria's uprising could descend into civil war as clashes between Syrian Army soldiers and protesters intensify.
Abbas plea for Palestinian statehood leaves Mideast talks in limbo

Even as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas asked the UN to recognize Palestinian statehood, diplomatic leaders proposed a new timeline for Mideast peace talks. It's unclear what happens next.
Can Mideast Quartet entice Palestinians to drop plan for UN vote on statehood?

Seeing peril from a UN vote in September on Palestinian statehood, the Mideast Quartet is seeking a way to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table, which has sat empty for months.
As Gen. David Petraeus shifts to CIA, nature of war shifts with him

Gen. David Petraeus is on Capitol Hill Thursday for his confirmation hearing for the CIA post. The US is moving away from his troop-heavy approach to war, including, to a degree, in Afghanistan.
Obama's dilemma: Is Libya mission a success if Qaddafi stays?

President Obama wants Qaddafi out, but doesn't want to use military operations to do it. How that tension plays out could determine the success of the mission.
Egypt protests: US conservatives divided on how to view them

Egypt's street revolution represents a threat to the US and the capitalist system, some tea party icons say, while in the GOP establishment others see it as the spread of freedom to the Arab world.
Special Report: How the Egyptian revolt will recast the Middle East

Three scenarios for the way the uprising might end and what it all means for the US, Israel, and Iran.
Tunisia, Egypt, Arab world need bold US support for democracy, not mixed messages

The Tunisia uprising exposed the faulty assumption of US policy in the Middle East – that stability can be bought at the cost of freedom. Even as the domestic political climate pulls Obama away from foreign involvement, US support for democracy in the Arab world is more important than ever.
Troops withdraw, but US work in Iraq war unfinished and fragile

The last US combat troops leave Iraq Thursday, shifting the American role in the Iraq war from the Pentagon to the State Department, which faces a potentially unprecedented task.
Can Obama erase ‘Bush nostalgia’ in the Middle East?

Obama has reverted to Clinton-era policies in the Middle East. But Arab reformers are nostalgic for something more like Bush’s “freedom agenda,” which helped usher in a promising moment for Arab reform.
Fine print of Obama's Afghanistan speech: it's about Pakistan

In his speech, Obama was careful to include Pakistan's borderlands with Afghanistan in his most dire warnings. His new strategy for Afghanistan also means a ratcheting up of resources for – and pressures on – Pakistan.
Iraq attacks raise questions about US withdrawal

Violence reduced over the summer, but attacks surged in Baghdad and Ninewa Province and some US bases since American troops withdrew from the cities.
Iran's seat of theocratic power

The role of the supreme leader has changed, but Iran's top cleric, Ayatollah Khamenei, still holds sway. How the political system in Tehran works, and who will determine what comes next.
How Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, sees the world

Ayatollah Khamenei has preserved his view of the revolution in postelection clampdown, analysts say – but perhaps at great cost to the office he occupies.
Bush takes altered goals to Mideast

His trip includes Israel and the Palestinian territories.