Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Infobox_Organization
name = The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
image_border = Winep_logo.jpg
caption = Insight and Analysis on U.S. Middle East Policy
membership =
headquarters = Washington, D.C.
formation = 1985
website = [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org www.washingtoninstitute.org]

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (TWI; known informally as WINEP) is a Washington, DC-based think tank which concerns itself with U.S.-Middle East policy. It was founded in 1985 by Martin Indyk, a research director for AIPAC who would later be appointed U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

According to its mission statement, it was "established to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East. Under the guidance of a distinguished and bipartisan Board of Advisors, the Institute seeks to bring scholarship to bear on the making of U.S. policy in this vital region of the world. Drawing on the research of its scholars and the experience of policy practitioners, the Institute promotes an American engagement in the Middle East committed to strengthening alliances, nurturing friendships, and promoting security, peace, prosperity, and democracy for the people of the region."

Its activities include annual conferences, a Presidential Study Group composed of a "bipartisan blue-ribbon commission charged with drafting a blueprint for the next administration's Middle East policy," closed-door policy forums, and various publications and research programs. [ [http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1568.html Washington Institute for Near East Policy] ]

WINEP is regarded by some as having a pro-Israel tilt, [ [http://mondediplo.com/2003/07/06beinin Le Monde opinion piece by Joel Beinin] ] [ [http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1823145,00.html?xid=rss-topstories Obama's Conservative Mideast Pick] , Massimo Calabresi, Time, 16 July 2008] and "funded by individuals deeply committed to advancing Israel's agenda". [ [http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1568.html Washington Institute for Near East Policy] ] It is described by the US foreign policy scholars John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt as ‘part of the core’ of the Israel lobby. [The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M Walt, Allen Lane (UK Edition), p113]

Discussing WINEP's establishment, Mearsheimer and Walt in "The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy" state:

Others have stated that WINEP has "bipartisan credentials" and its "Mission" page features prominent quotes from both Al Gore and neoconservative columnist Charles Krauthammer. However some have described the Institute as "serving as an important venue for policies advocated by leading Bush administration hawks and their supporters outside government." [ [http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1568.html Washington Institute for Near East Policy] ]

Since January 1993, [ [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC10.php?CID=11 Robert Satloff, Executive Director] (WINEP)] it is led by Executive Director Robert Satloff. Several current and former members of WINEP have served in senior positions in the administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Members of its Board of Advisors include Warren Christopher, Lawrence S. Eagleburger, Alexander Haig, Max Kampelman, Samuel W. Lewis, Edward Luttwak, Michael Mandelbaum, Robert McFarlane, Martin Peretz, Richard Perle, James Roche, Cheryl Halpern, George P. Shultz, R. James Woolsey, and Mortimer Zuckerman. [ [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC11.php?CID=133&newActiveSubNav=Board%20of%20Advisors&activeSubNavLink=templateC11.php%3FCID%3D133&newActiveNav=aboutUs WINEP: About Us] Paul Wolfowitz resigned from the board in 2001 upon entering government service, but his name remains on the Institute's website] Scholars include Soner Cagaptay, Andrew Exum, Mehdi Khalaji, Mohammad Yaghi, and many others, as well as two former IDF officers, Chuck Freilich and Ze'ev Schiff.

Notable Current and Former Scholars

* Patrick Clawson
* Martin Indyk
* Mehdi Khalaji
* Martin Kramer
* Joshua Muravchik
* Dennis Ross
* Robert Satloff
* Moshe Ya'alon

ee also

* Foreign policy interest group
* Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs
* Saban Center for Middle East Policy
* Center for Security Policy

Notes

External links

* [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateI01.php Washington Institute for Near East Policy] Homepage
* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2020/stories/20031010000906000.htm The myth of the "Jewish lobby"] in the "Frontline" (India's National Magazine) Volume 20 - Issue 20, September 27 - October 10, 2003.
* [http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1568 Profile of Washington Institute for Near East Policy] on Right Web
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,777100,00.html US thinktanks give lessons in foreign policy] , Brian Whitaker, Guardian Unlimited, August 19 2002
* [http://mondediplo.com/2003/07/06beinin US: the pro-Sharon thinktank] by Joel Beinin, Le Monde Diplomatique, July 2003
* [http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=438 Robert Satloff talks about Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust'’s Long Reach Into Arab Lands.video November 2006