The Brookings Institution published a study of American opinions on the Middle East, conducted by the University of Maryland’s Program on International Policy Attitudes and Anwar Sadat Chair Shibley Telhami. The study sought to gauge American first impressions and public opinion of the attacks on U.S. embassies in the Middle East, and whether attitudes on other issues have changed since the attacks. A poll conducted as part of the study found that a majority ...

The Center for National Policy hosted an event on Thursday (10/4) entitled “U.S.-Egyptian Relations: Where is the Bilateral Relationship Headed?” The discussion centered around the slow and initial tepid response of the new Egyptian leadership to the attack on the U.S. embassy in Cairo. The response caused some members of Congress to advocate for a cut in U.S. assistance. On the other hand, both Egyptian and U.S. officials have indicated ...

On Wednesday The Washington Institute hosted a conversation on recent political developments in Israel and Egypt which featured David Makovsky, the Ziegler distinguished fellow and director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process; and Eric Trager, the Next Generation Fellow and a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University of Pennsylvania. Makovsky and Trager recently returned from Israel and Egypt, respectively. For full event notes, continue reading below ...

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing on the topic of corruption within the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Fatah party. Rep. Steve Chabot chaired the hearing, with Reps. Gary Ackerman, Ted Deutch, Gerry Connolly, and Tom Marino also present. Testifying witnesses included Elliott Abrams, Jonathan Schanzer, and Jim Zanotti. For full event notes, continue reading below or click here.  Chabot began the hearing by stating that the purpose of ...

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies hosted a discussion about Egypt’s runoff election, the last-minute changes to the Constitution and the dissolution of parliament by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), and where the country is now headed. Speakers included Khairi Abaza, a scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), Steven Cook, author of The Struggle for Egypt: From Nasser to Tahrir Square, and Oren Kessler, a ...

On Friday, the Rethink Institute hosted an event titled “Understanding the Syrian Opposition: A Turkish, American, and Syrian Dialogue.” The discussion was focused on the current status of both the internal and foreign-based Syrian opposition movements. The talk was moderated by Fevzi Bilgin, Director of the Rethink Institute. The panelists were Hussein Sayyed, President of the Supreme Revolutionary Council, Andrew Tabler, a Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near ...

On Monday, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a discussion titled “Obama and the Middle East: The End of America's Moment”. The event featured Fawaz Gerges, professor, Middle Eastern Politics and International Relations, at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences, who introduced his book ‘Obama and the Middle East: The End Of America's Moment?’ In his book, Gerges dissects how President Obama’s Middle East strategy has ...

On Tuesday, the new America Foundation hosted a conference titled “The Civil Insurgents: The Arab Uprisings and Civil Society.” The discussion was focused on the role of civil society in the Arab Spring and in the future of the Arab states. The conference was moderated by Leila Hilal, co-director of the New America Foundation Middle East Task Force. The panelists were Abulnabi Hasan Alkery, President of the Bahrain Transparency Society, ...