As domestic opposition and the broader Arab public turn against the Egyptian position and accuse president Hosni Mubarak of complicity in Israel's continued attacks against the Palestinians, Egypt and other moderate Arab governments are losing their ability to negotiate an outcome that protects their interests.
Barack Obama's election was celebrated throughout the Middle East. But enthusiasm could quickly turn to hostility if the new administration does not back up its rhetoric with concrete changes to U.S. Middle East policy on three key issues: Palestine, Iraq, and political reform.
Even though Iran is a major funder for Hamas, it does not seem to have direct control over the Palestinian group. The Iranian revolutionary leadership, including the present leaders, are virulently anti-Israel, and if the Obama administration is seeking a dialogue with Iran, it would be wise to not start with Israeli-Palestinian issues.
The Israeli attack on Gaza is a tragedy for Palestinians and a high-risk enterprise for Israel, but the ongoing conflict also has worrisome implications for Egypt, which shares an unhappy border with the embattled territory.
Russia must aim for modernization and use its foreign policy to achieve rapprochement with Europe, North America and the economically and politically developed world at large.
The continuing violence in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is reverberating across the entire region. Carnegie experts in the Middle East and DC explain the various regional perspectives on the conflict, its current impact on neighboring nations, and its possible outcome.
Arab regimes that have long been friendly to the United States are increasingly reluctant to follow Washington’s lead on any issue. They are not enemies of the United States, but they are not faithful allies, either. Rather, they follow the policies they believe best protect their interests, regardless of what the United States wants.
If the Obama administration wants to serve U.S. interests in the region and transform its image from that of an ally of dictators to that of a friend of the masses, then it has to avoid mimicking previous administrations and dispel one of the most common myths surrounding the Arab and Muslim conflict: that the Israeli–Palestinian conflict is too complicated and impossible to resolve.
Despite the deadlock in negotiations and the growing influence of Iran in the Middle East, moderate Arab states still believe in the viability of a just and comprehensive peace with Israel. They hope that the Obama administration will move swiftly to resume its role as an impartial mediator in and active advocate of negotiations toward a two-state solution.
The Obama administration’s first mission in the Middle East centers around effectively resolving the set of grave challenges created by the outgoing administration’s flawed policies. These include the Iraqi crisis and Iranian influence in Iraq. Most importantly, the U.S. has to take serious and effective steps to resolve the traditional issues; mainly the Palestinian–Israeli conflict.