Foreign Policy
Revisiting the Arab Peace Initiative
When the Arab Peace Initiative (API) was launched at the Arab League conference in Beirut back in March 2002 the Middle East was a very different place, although similarly beset by strife as it remains today.
Read the articleNow is the Time to Achieve Progress through the API
I have long concluded that the Arab Peace Initiative (API) offers the best framework for making genuine progress towards resolving the decades-long Arab-Israeli conflict.
Read the articleBrussels API Meeting
I was delighted, in my capacity as Vice-president of the Royal United Services Institute, to attend an important meeting concerning the Arab Peace Initiative on May 24th organized by the Royal United Services Institute…
Read the articleThe Deadly stalemate at the Middle East and how to avoid it
Those who follow the latest remarks by Israeli officials and ex-officials might think that they have lost any sense of accountability: they warn us and threaten us instead of taking action.
Read the articleOne Step Ahead: on the vaporizing chances for Peace in the Middle East
Back in the 1990’s, at the time of the Israel Jordan Peace Treaty, a common saying was that both sides were so enthusiastic to sign the treaty, so that all what was needed was to find a pen.
Read the articleObama, Netanyahu and Abu Mazen: between Solipsism and Dialogue
Netanyahu’s visit to Washington was a fascinating lesson on the emerging gap between the two poles that characterize the fading peace process between Israel and the Palestinians: the historical narrative attitude on the…
Read the articleConflict Management (Part-2)
Those who believe that real peace will prevail in the Middle East sometime in the near future are not only mistaken, but also naïve.
Read the articlePalestinian Unity
In recent years relations between the two main Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, have been nothing short of toxic.
Read the articleThe importance of local economic development under the Palestinian Authority (PA)
A long-standing bone of contention between Israelis and Palestinians is the relation between security and economy.
Read the articleThe possible influence of a Palestinian state on Egypt, Jordan and Syria
The lion's share of the regional and international actors involved in the Middle East conflict, agree that an independent Palestinian state is a must.
Read the articleThe Pros and Cons of the Shalit Deal: A SWOT Analysis
After 5.5 years in captivity, on 11th October Israel and Hamas had finally signed the agreement on the prisoners swap deal to exchange the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Read the articleIs it time to talk to Hamas?
Boycotting Hamas is not a sustainable option for the international community. There are currently several factors which could persuade Hamas to play by international norms and the European Union is well placed to…
Read the articleInternational Community and Hamas
The current approach of the international community towards Hamas of non-engagement is not sustainable. The EU has the capacity to complement the endeavours of the U.S.
Read the articleEmbracing Democracy
Many groups who the international community refused to communicate with embraced democracy and were pivotal in promoting reconciliation with former enemies.Examples range from the Provisional Irish Republican Army, the…
Read the articleThe Urgency of Restoring the Israel-Turkey Relationship
Israel-Turkey relations have steadily deteriorated since the 2009 war in Gaza and have remained at an impasse since the flotilla incident.
Read the articleTurkey and the West: allies or rivals?
The complex relationship between Turkey and Europe has been occupying statesmen, politicians and commentators for several years already.
Read the articleIran and the West: Diplomacy or war?
In the last few weeks, the international community has seen an escalation in the already tense relationship between Iran and the west, due to the former's continuous efforts to develop nuclear weapon.
Read the articleIran and the West: A positive "domino effect"
The continuous crisis between the US-led coalition and Iran exposes the ambiguous attitude of the international community towards Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
Read the articleThere will be no Middle East Peace deal without Tehran's Blessing
For there to be peace inside and along the borders of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has to negotiate one or more peace deals with Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian authority.
Read the articleGolan Heights for Peace with Syria
To foreign eyes, the never-ending conflicts in the Middle East are perceived as a Gordian knot waiting to be loosened by simply putting Israel and its foes in one room to talk until white smoke rises above the…
Read the articleThe Kissingerian Logic
Advocates of negotiations between Israel and Syria often employ Kissingerian logic that this will lead to isolating Iran.
Read the articleInternational community needs to reconcile different segments in Iraq
Despite the recent spate of high profiled bomb attacks in Iraq, the United States is set to withdraw all troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.
Read the articlePromoting Egypt's New Democracy
MADAM, Since Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down in February, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has been in control.
Read the articleIsrael/Cyprus, politics and more gas
The most recent estimates for the potential production of 3 and 9 trillion cubic feet of gas around Cyprus, adds to the previous discoveries made in 2010 of vast natural gas reservoirs off the northern coast of Israel.
Read the articleUS – Israel Relationship: facing a new era
A common diplomatic and political knowledge is that if one denies a certain piece of information altogether, then this piece of information is 100 percent accurate.
Read the articleBan Ki-moon in the Middle East: the UN is not in vain
The basic dilemma of the UN concerning its role as a mediator in conflict areas is whether international intervention in regional conflicts is positive or negative.
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