JHU SAIS Center Publishes New Issue of Transatlantic Magazine: The Middle East--Playing a New Tune Or Singing the Same Old Song

With the withdrawal of Israeli settlers from Gaza, the drafting of a new constitution in Iraq and the rising price of oil, Transatlantic: Europe, America & the World has released a special summer issue on the Middle East. The magazine is published by the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic have stressed that finding a lasting peace in the region will be a key goal of transatlantic relations in 2005. This special Middle East issue of Transatlantic includes the following articles:

Javier Solana, the European Union's High Representative for the Common and Foreign Security Policy, discusses the EU's role in Iraq and Afghanistan, the role of the "Quartet" in securing a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem, NATO's role and the EU's goal of spreading democracy to the region.

Dennis Ross, former Middle East peace negotiator for two presidents, gives his views on how peace can be achieved-he is blunt in his assessment that the United States needs to be more involved in the region.

Rockwell Anthony Schnabel, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to the EU in Brussels, comments on transatlantic business developments in the Middle East in this issue.

Fadel Lamen, a native of Libya and editor of Hi magazine distributed throughout the Middle East, points out the growing role of the uncensored media in the region.

Friedbert Pfluger, a member of the German Bundestag, describes how there is so much more to the Middle East than oil in his article entitled, "More Than A Gas Station."

John Andrews, West Coast editor of the Economist who started his journalism career in Beirut says, "Optimism is a Better Bet Than Pessimism" as he discusses the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon.

Hassan El-Ashhab, a Libyan journalist living in Washington, D.C., provides a broad overview of the Middle East from the Ottoman Empire until today.

Robert J. Guttman, editor-in-chief of Transatlantic, gives an analysis of American foreign policy from President Harry Truman to George W. Bush. Axel Krause, writing from Paris, comments on the future of European integration and enlargement after the Dutch and French voters said no to the proposed European constitution. Lionel Barber, U.S. managing editor of The Financial Times, talks about British Prime Minister Tony Blair being the pivotal figure in Europe as the British chair the EU presidency for the last half of 2005.

For information about subscribing to Transatlantic, call Robert J. Guttman, the editor-in-chief, at 202.587.3235 or e-mail [email protected].