Volume 4, No. 3 - September 2000 THE PLO AND IRAQ IN THE TWILIGHT OF SOVIET FOREIGN POLICY By Gregg Rickman Editor's Summary: The rethinking of Soviet politics and strategy initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 had an important effect on Moscow's Middle East policy and on its allies in that region. Regarding the PLO, the altered Soviet line encouraged it toward negotiations with Israel. In some ways, the decline of Soviet support also forced the PLO toward concessions. … [Read more...]
The Future of Palestinian Politics: Factions,Frictions and Functions
By September 7, 2020
Volume 4, No. 3 - September 2000 THE FUTURE OF PALESTINIAN POLITICS: FACTIONS, FRICTIONS, AND FUNCTIONS By Barry Rubin Editor's Summary: This article surveys Palestinian leaders, factions, goals, and debates. It suggests that Yasir Arafat's governing style is both pluralistic and autocratic, combining a wide latitude in decisionmaking with restrictions based on a need to maintain his political base and national unity. The Palestinians are capable of … [Read more...]
Mountains out of Molehills: Arms Transfers in Sino-Middle Eastern Relations
By September 6, 2020
Volume 4, No. 3 - September 2000 MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLEHILLS: ARMS TRANSFERS IN SINO-MIDDLE EASTERN RELATIONS By Yitzhak Shichor Editor's Summary: Beginning in the early 1980s, arms transfers in Sino-Middle Eastern relations are a relatively new phenomenon. Both China and Israel are occasionally blamed, primarily by the United States, for upsetting the military balance in East Asia and the Middle East respectively and for undermining U.S. security interests. However, these … [Read more...]
Iran and Weapons of Mass Destruction
By September 5, 2020
Volume 4, No. 3 - September 2000 IRAN AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION By W. Seth Carus Editor's Summary: This article surveys Iran's efforts to develop Weapons of Mass Destruction, its motives for doing so, and the threat this poses to other regional states. The article discusses how the United States and others have tried to prevent or delay the deployment of such systems, as well as possible actions for U.S. policy to reduce the potential problems arising from their … [Read more...]
The Struggle for Democracy in the Islamic Republic of Iran
By September 4, 2020
Volume 4, No. 3 - September 2000 THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY IN THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN By Ali Abootalebi Editor's Summary: Iran has developed a system which allows a larger degree of electoral democracy than would have seemed likely in the early years following the Islamist revolution. Popular demands for change were especially visible in the election of Muhammad Khatami as president in 1997 and the 2000 parliamentary elections. The author suggests that this … [Read more...]
Hizballah: New Course or Continued Warfare?
By September 3, 2020
Volume 4, No. 3 - September 2000 HIZBALLAH: NEW COURSE OR CONTINUED WARFARE By Eyal Zisser Editor's Summary: Lebanese Hizballah appears to have won a success in Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon. But now the organization also loses the political benefits of claiming patriotic leadership in that struggle. The group faces difficult choices over whether to try to continue the battle or to end it. Domestically, Hizballah's loss of its advantage make it more vulnerable to … [Read more...]
Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbors?: Israel and Lebanon after theWithdrawal
By September 2, 2020
Volume 4, No. 3 - September 2000 Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbors?: Israel and Lebanon after the Withdrawal By Laura Zittrain Eisenberg Editor's Summary: Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon and Lebanon's steps towards the reestablishment of governmental control there open a new era in Israeli-Lebanese relations. This article recounts the history of Israeli and Lebanese perceptions of one another and of the frontier itself, suggesting that current conditions allow … [Read more...]
Arab-Israeli Research Cooperation,1995-1999, An Analytical Study
By September 1, 2020
Volume 4, No. 3 - September 2000 ARAB-ISRAELI RESEARCH COOPERATION, 1995-1999: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY* By Paul Scham Editor's Summary: This study is based on a survey of 195 research cooperation projects conducted jointly by Israeli scholars with Arab counterparts from the Palestinian Authority and Jordan, reflecting a large number of disciplines. Difficulties in developing such research cooperation involve the widespread resistance in the Arab world to "normalization" with … [Read more...]
