Washington Institute For Near East Policy

TO ADVANCE A BALANCED AND REALISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF AMERICAN INTERESTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

PROGRAM ON ARAB POLITICS: THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE'S PROGRAM ON ARAB POLITICS FOCUSES ON POLITICAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND SECURITY-RELATED DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ARAB WORLD, A GEOGRAPHIC AREA STRETCHING FROM NORTH AFRICA TO IRAQ, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE GULF STATES (WHICH ARE INCLUDED IN THE INSTITUTE'S PROGRAM ON GULF AND ENERGY).IN 2021, THE PROGRAM FOCUSED ON INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS AND HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVES IN SYRIA; IRANIAN-BACKED MILITIAS AND POLITICAL PARTIES' INFLUENCE IN IRAQ AND US DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS TO HELP IRAQ EXERT SOVEREIGNTY; THE ECONOMIC CRISIS IN LEBANON, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION'S PLAN TO PROVIDE LEBANON WITH ENERGY, AND HEZBOLLAH'S INCREASING DOMINANCE OF THAT STATE; POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY IN TUNISIA; THE ONGOING CIVIL WAR IN LIBYA; US-EGYPT RELATIONS AND EGYPT'S DISPUTE WITH ETHIOPIA ABOUT WATER SECURITY, AND; THE CHALLENGE FOR US POLICYMAKERS OF HOW TO MANAGE PROTEST, REFORM, AND DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT IN ARAB COUNTRIES. DAVID SCHENKER DIRECTED THE PROGRAM WITH THE SUPPORT OF 9 FULL-TIME SENIOR FELLOWS, CROSS-COLLABORATION WITH FELLOWS FROM OTHER PROGRAMS, VISITING FELLOWS, AND NON-RESIDENT ASSOCIATES. ALL TOLD, IN 2021, 18 INSTITUTE SCHOLARS AND 14 ASSOCIATES AND CONSULTANTS CONTRIBUTED TO THE WORK OF THE ARAB POLITICS PROGRAM. PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS APPEARED FREQUENTLY ON TELEVISION AND RADIO. THE INSTITUTE PUBLISHED MORE THAN 114 ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS BY PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS ON ITS WEBSITE AND MANY OF THE ARTICLES APPEARED IN OTHER ONLINE PUBLICATION SITES AND NEWS OUTLETS. COVID LIMITED PUBLIC EVENTS IN 2021, BUT PROGRAM SCHOLARS CONTINUED TO ROUTINELY ENGAGE VIA ZOOM AND IN PERSON (OUTSIDE OF THE INSTITUTE) WITH US GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE BRANCH OFFICIALS. THE PROGRAM HELD FREQUENT EVENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WEEKLY VIRTUAL SESSIONS CONVENED ON IRAQ, AND BI-MONTHLY ZOOM ROUNDTABLES ON LIBYAN ELECTIONS AND OTHER LIBYA-RELATED ISSUES. IN ADDITION, THE INSTITUTE ALSO HOSTED A DOZEN VIRTUAL POLICY FORUM PANELS, ATTENDED BY EXECUTIVE BRANCH PERSONNEL, NGO STAKEHOLDERS, AND THE WASHINGTON POLICYMAKING COMMUNITY.

THE KORET PROJECT ON ARAB-ISRAEL RELATIONS: THE KORET PROJECT ON ARAB-ISRAEL RELATIONS FOCUSES ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ISRAEL AND ARAB COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT. PROGRAM DIRECTOR, DAVID MAKOVSKY WORKS WITH AMBASSADOR DENNIS ROSS, DAVID POLLOCK, AND GHAITH AL-OMARI AND IN CROSS-COLLABORATION WITH FELLOWS FROM OTHER PROGRAMS, VISITING FELLOWS, AND NON-RESIDENT ASSOCIATES. THIS YEAR, THE INSTITUTE HOSTED FORMER BRIG. GEN. DROR SHALOM (IDF RES.) AND DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE IDF, MAJ. GEN. EYAL ZAMIR AS INTERNATIONAL MILITARY FELLOWS. PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS APPEARED FREQUENTLY ON TELEVISION AND RADIO. THE INSTITUTE PUBLISHED MORE THAN 47 ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS BY PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS ON ITS WEBSITE AND MANY OF THE ARTICLES ALSO APPEARED ON OTHER ONLINE PUBLICATION SITES AND NEWS OUTLETS. THE PROGRAM HELD 2 ONLINE STRATEGIC DIALOGUES, 7 ONLINE POLICY FORUMS, AND 6 IN-HOUSE ROUNDTABLES. THE PROGRAM ALSO PRODUCED A PODCAST SERIES AND MAINTAINS AN INTERACTIVE WEBSITE TRACKING JEWISH SETTLEMENTS IN THE WEST BANK.

JEANETTE AND ELI REINHARD PROGRAM ON COUNTERTERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE: THE JEANETTE AND ELI REINHARD PROGRAM ON COUNTERTERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE (CTI) FOCUSES ON PROVIDING POLICY-RELEVANT ANALYSIS OF KEY TERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE ISSUES AND TRENDS, ESPECIALLY AS THEY RELATE TO U.S. POLICY TOWARD THE MIDDLE EAST. THE RESEARCH AND PRODUCTION PLAN OF CTI IS FOCUSED ON FOUR KEY ISSUE AREAS: (1) GLOBAL JIHADIST MOVEMENT TERRORISM (AL QAEDA, ISLAMIC STATE); (2) TERRORISM IN THE ARAB-ISRAELI ARENA (HAMAS, PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD, JEWISH EXTREMISTS); (3) IRANIAN SPONSORSHIP OF TERRORISM (HEZBOLLAH, IRAN'S REVOLUTIONARY GUARD AND QODS FORCE); (4) COMBATING THE FINANCING OF TRANSNATIONAL THREATS (TERROR FINANCE, PROLIFERATION FINANCE, IRAN SANCTIONS, JCPOA); (5) COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM (COUNTER-RADICALIZATION). IN 2021, THERE WAS A FOCUS ON VARIOUS COUNTERTERRORISM POLICY REVIEWS OF THE NEW BIDEN ADMINISTRATION (PIVOTING TO ASIA AND GREAT POWER COMPETITION), THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11, THE AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL AND ONGOING ISSUES RELATED TO THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC. THE CTI PROGRAM IS LED BY DR. MATTHEW LEVITT, THE FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE PROGRAM WHO CAME TO THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FROM THE FBI WHERE HE HAD SERVED AS A COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST AND PLAYED LEADING ROLES IN THE INVESTIGATIONS OF THE MILLENNIAL BOMB PLOT AND SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS. THE PROGRAM ALSO INCLUDES AARON ZELIN, AND FELLOW KATHERINE BAUER AND WORKS IN CROSS-COLLABORATION WITH FELLOWS FROM OTHER PROGRAMS, VISITING FELLOWS, AND NON-RESIDENT ASSOCIATES. THE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS APPEARED FREQUENTLY ON TELEVISION AND RADIO. THE INSTITUTE PUBLISHED MORE THAN 28 ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS BY PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS ON ITS WEBSITE AND MANY OF THE ARTICLES APPEARED IN OTHER ONLINE PUBLICATION SITES AND NEWS OUTLETS. THE PROGRAM HELD 7 ONLINE POLICY FORUMS, ONE STRATEGY SESSION EVENT AND 57 ROUNDTABLES.