Epstein Secrets

East. The conservative Sunni Muslim kingdom is at odds with Iran's revolutionary Shi'ite leaders in struggles across the Arab world, including in Lebanon, Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen. Most of all, Riyadh sees Iran's open support for Syrian President Bashar al- Assad in fighting a rebellion backed by Gulf

banon, Israel's ability to establish deterrence along the frontier—as it has done with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon— will also be limited. Michael Eisenstadt explores how, over the years, Israel and Syria have avoided a larger conflict through "rules of the road." But those rules have not worked as well

tates and the Soviet Union, while the emergency resupply of Israeli forces during the war prompted an Arab oil embargo. The 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon led to an ill-fated U.S. intervention in Lebanon and helped catalyze the emergence of Hizballah, which has targeted both U.S. and Israeli interests

files/blank_quirks.htmltia> The Washington Institute Asset Test: How the United States Benefits from Its Alliance with Israel (Executive Summery) Michael Eisenstadt<http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/view/eisenstadt-michael> and David Pollock<http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/view/pollock-david>

re probably linked with the survivability of al Assad's regime. But his removal might well hasten the slide into chaos within Syria and in adjacent Lebanon, rather than slow it. Al Assad's departure could even ignite a disintegration of the Syrian power structure into various gangs and militias. After

quire a profound shock of some sort, be it remarkably tough sanctions, more-complete political isolation, or military action." His WINEP colleague, Michael Eisenstadt, chimed in. "If nuclear diplomacy with Tehran is to succeed, Washington must be prepared for the kind of brinkmanship it has not engaged in since t