The Latest - Arab Spring
What Obama Must Do in Syria After the Failed Annan Plan
A Joint Bulletin of the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) more...
From Tehran to Tahrir Square: Is Freedom Really Sweeping the Middle East?
At the start of the Arab Spring in early 2011, Western nations around the world held their breath and hoped that the chaotic uprisings on the streets of Egypt and neighbouring countries would herald democracy in the Middle East. It’s been a year since the movement began and much has changed – or has it? Real and robust democracy has a long way to go before becoming commonplace in the Middle East. What is really happening behind the scenes and away from the news cameras? And how can the West help this transition? more...
Towards a Post-Assad Syria
A Discussion Paper Prepared by the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) for the Syrian Working Group more...
The Assad Regime’s Continuing Mass Murder of Syrians
Long a sponsor of terrorism beyond its borders, the Syrian government is now waging an internal war against its own people. The United Nations reports that President Bashar al-Assad’s security forces have killed over 3,000 civilians and detained 30,000 more since the country’s pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. more...
EU Sanctions on Syria
The following memorandum provides information on the EU’s latest efforts to sanction Syria. Following Washington’s lead, 27 members of the European Union recently imposed sanctions on Syria, banning imports of Syrian crude oil and petroleum products in an effort to pressure Assad to step down or stop the killing of protestors. more...
Syria’s Energy Sector
With the death toll mounting, pro-democracy protests growing, and the regime of Bashar al-Assad responding with ever-increasing brutality, the United States and its allies are urgently seeking new ways to sanction and pressure the Syrian regime. more...
The Freedom Collection
FDD's Ammar Abdulhamid did a series of interviews with the George W. Bush Presidential Center in July 2011 on the Syrian Uprisings. As part of their Freedom Collection, Ammar explains the Syrian government's brutal tactics against the protesters and how he took inspiration from the Federalist Papers. more...
The Wave: Man, God, and the Ballot Box in the Middle East
The promise of democracy for Muslims offers something historically unparalleled. Where Islamist groups once dreamed of revolution, quietly developed paramilitary cells, and assassinated their secular opponents, mainstream Islamist groups today see elections as a means for society to maintain akhlaq; the mores that define good Muslims. more...
The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilization
Soon after the World Trade Center towers fell, leaving ashes floating over journalist Lee Smith’s Brooklyn neighborhood, he left for Cairo to find out “why the Arabs hate us.” more...
Accomplice to Evil: Iran and the War Against the West
Acknowledging the existence and actions of evil enemies means accepting that we are at war, and then designing and conducting a strategy to win. Accomplice to Evil takes a comprehensive look at the errors we have made in the past when dealing with a mounting enemy force, why we’ve refused to acknowledge the implications of a rising evil, and how we can defeat the forces that threaten us today. more...
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Chairman of FDD, Fmr. Director of the CIA
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Research Fellow, Levant
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