Home pagePress CenterIn the Media Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, and Anthony Cordesman, the CSIS Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, were quoted by the Washington Times, "We Are Coming Home."
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Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, and Anthony Cordesman, the CSIS Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, were quoted by the Washington Times, "We Are Coming Home."
[...]Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the "most interesting part of the trip was the down time he scheduled with regional leaders."
"Relaxing at home, he's in constant motion as he clears brush and rides mountain bikes, but in the Gulf he settled into leisurely meals and falcon hunting as he sought to build relationships with rulers. His past inclination was to refer to them as "tyrants," but now he referred to them as "leaders," Mr. Alterman said.[...]
Mr. Alterman's CSIS colleague, Anthony Cordesman, said that while few believe that an Israeli-Palestinian peace is possible in 2008, the president took on the issue that does most to build Arab anger at the U.S., showed the U.S. would reach out to the Palestinians, and established a legacy for continuing negotiations by the next administration."
"He also showed how important the U.S. feels the region is in an area where personal contact at the highest levels is absolutely critical to good relations. He did not abandon 'democratization,' because he did focus focusing on good security and economic relations and made it clear that 'democratization' did not mean 'regime change,'" Mr. Cordesman said. Read the article
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