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In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

08/07/08
How to Deal with Jerusalem  —Lt. Col. (Res.) Ron Shatzberg, Project Director, Economic Cooperation Foundation. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
08/07/08
How to Deal with Jerusalem  —
08/05/08
Why Did Maliki Call for a Timeline?  —by Christopher Kojm who teaches at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and is a former senior advisor to the Iraq Study Group. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

Already Divided

“Even the Arab minority in the city has shown its preference for living under Israeli rule, as many have moved to the Israeli side of the security barrier being built around Jerusalem. Their choice is reasonable, as Jerusalem offers the quality of life of a modern western city while only a few kilometers away the norm is a third world standard of living, chaos and religious intolerance. An undivided Jerusalem is the best guarantee of a better life for all Jerusalemites.”
—Nathan Diament, Director of Public Policy, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, July 23, 2008 versus
  • “Those who believe that Jerusalem should not be divided, and mean by that that the Arab neighborhoods should not be separated from the city, should be the first to insist that an active policy be adopted by the government and the municipality to improve the lot of local Arab residents. Barring that, Jerusalem will continue to remain a divided city.”
    —Moshe Arens, former Israeli defense and foreign minister (Likud), “A Story of Neglect,” Haaretz, July 28, 2008

    • Middle East Analysis

    Decisionmakers in Iran: Who’s Who

    August 13, 2007

    Supreme Leader: Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
    Responsibilities: In charge of all critical domestic and foreign policy decisions. Appoints leaders of judiciary, state media, and half of the Council of Guardians. Controls military and intelligence apparatus and is the only person empowered to declare war.
    Council of Guardians
    Chairman: Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati Massah
    Responsibilities: 12-member (6 clerics, 6 lawyers) highly influential body nominated by the Supreme Leader and the judiciary, whose nominees are approved by parliament. The council has veto power on all bills passed by parliament, as well as all candidates for parliament, and the presidency.
    Expediency Discernment Council
    Chairman: Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
    Responsibilities: Policy advisers to the Supreme Leader and mediators of Guardian Council-parliament legislative disputes. Includes heads of judiciary, legislative, and executive branches, clerics of the Guardian Council, and other members appointed by the Supreme Leader.
    President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
    Responsibilities: Sets economic policy, organizes the cabinet, selects government policies to be considered in parliament. In government matters such as military and intelligence policy, has only nominal power.
    Supreme National Security Council
    Secretary: Ali Ardashir Larijani
    Responsibilities: Body that determines and coordinates specific national security policies within the Supreme Leader’s general framework. It has the lead on the nuclear issue, but its decisions must be ratified by the Supreme Leader. The council is composed of legislative, judiciary, executive, military, and appointed leaders. The secretary is chosen by the president.
    Ambassador to Iraq: Hasan Kazemi Qomi
    Responsibilities: Assisting with reconstruction and representing the Islamic Republic’s interests in high-level meetings with both Iraqi and American diplomats. Ambassador Qomi is the first Iranian Ambassador to Iraq in 20 years, and his presence signals an expanded role for Iran in Iraq.