The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Formation1985; 41 years ago (1985)
Type501(c)(3) organization
Tax ID no.52-1376034
HeadquartersWashington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates38°54′13″N 77°02′35″W / 38.9037°N 77.043°W / 38.9037; -77.043
Executive Director
Robert Satloff
Revenue$24.4 million (2023)
Expenses$17.8 million (2023)
Websitewww.washingtoninstitute.org Edit this at Wikidata

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), also known simply as The Washington Institute (TWI), is an American pro-Israel think tank based in Washington, D.C., focused on the foreign policy of the United States in the Near East.

WINEP was established in 1985 with the support of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the funding of many AIPAC donors, in order to provide higher quality research than AIPAC's own publications. John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt described WINEP as "part of the core" of the Israel lobby in the United States. M.J. Rosenberg, who worked at AIPAC during the time WINEP was founded, has described the think tank as an AIPAC-controlled "cutout" of the lobbying group.

Background

WINEP was founded in 1985 by Barbi Weinberg, a former president of the Jewish Federation in Los Angeles and the wife of former AIPAC president Larry Weinberg, along with Martin Indyk, an Australian-American academic and then-Deputy Director of Research for AIPAC. Indyk was the first executive director. WINEP was created "with the blessing of AIPAC" and funded by many AIPAC donors. Indyk said of the think tank, "The image that I would like to convey is that we are friendly to Israel but doing credible research on the Middle East in a realistic and balanced way." The Institute's research was designed to be more independent and of academic-quality than was being produced by AIPAC. At the time it was founded, the Institute's research focused on Arab–Israeli relations, political and security issues, and overall U.S. Middle East policy.

In the 1990s, prompted by the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Persian Gulf War, and changes in regional strategy, the Institute expanded its research agenda to "focus on Turkey and the rise of Islamic politics." It was during the Gulf War that the Institute gained public recognition as a source for commentary and analysis. By 1992, it had a staff of 12–15 in-house research fellows, in addition to visiting scholars and support staff. Under Indyk's leadership, the institute gained notability as a center for the study and discussion of Middle East policy, and attracted Arab intellectuals to its events. Indyk would go on to serve in several U.S. diplomatic posts including as U.S. ambassador to Israel, special envoy for Israeli–Palestinian negotiations, special assistant to the president and senior director for Near East and South Asian affairs at the National Security Council, and assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs. Indyk was also president and director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution.

In addition to ongoing research, WINEP has provided in-depth analysis at key inflection points in Middle East policy, such as during presidential election years. Beginning in 1988, the institute convened bipartisan Presidential Study Groups that have offered policy papers for incoming administrations of either party. The inaugural PSG document informed the policy of the George H. W. Bush administration toward the Middle East peace process. The institute has earned a reputation for solid scholarship, is committed to the peace process, and is a "staunch supporter of Israel" — a relationship with which it believes advances U.S. security interests. It has bipartisan support in the US, though it is closer ideologically to the Democratic Party and generally opposes neoconservative policy.

After the takeover of areas of Iraq by the Sunni militant group Daesh (ISIL) in 2014, The New York Times reported that Institute Lafer Fellow Michael Knights had alerted the U.S. National Security Council as early as 2012 to the rising level of insurgency among Iraq's Sunni minority. White House officials questioned his statistics and did not take action.

The institute has been a forum for the discussion of key issues in U.S. policy toward Saudi Arabia. In May 2016, it hosted the former Saudi intelligence chief, Prince Turki bin Faisal al Saud, alongside Israeli Defense Forces Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a rare joint public appearance. Two years later, Dr. Mohammad Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League, addressed the Institute and advocated a more moderate and tolerant Islam. Dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi participated in an Institute forum in November 2016 in which he stated that Saudi Arabia should be "rightfully nervous about the Trump presidency," according to The Economist.

Activities

The Washington Institute accesses the policy process from many angles: the written word, the spoken word, and personal contact. Institute experts research the region and brief officials in all branches of the U.S. government, both civilian and military. In addition to producing printed long-form monographs, the institute issues time-sensitive policy briefs which are distributed electronically by e-mail and social media. A 2014 Chicago Tribune editorial declared that Institute-sponsored polls bring to light trends in popular thinking across the Middle East.

While the institute frequently hosts off-the-record events with policymakers and scholars, its policy forums are public events featuring newsmakers and analysts that are attended by officials and journalists and are broadcast live on-line. The Institute also holds an annual policy conference that convenes policymakers, journalists, and diplomats in Washington, D.C., for in-depth discussion and debate on the key Middle East issues facing the United States.

Institute scholars are public intellectuals who share their analysis frequently in major print and broadcast outlets. All institute output is available through its website in both English and Arabic.

In addition to its permanent resident fellows—a group of experienced policymakers from government and academia—the institute also hosts visiting fellows from around the world. Visiting fellows include both young people beginning their foreign policy careers and veterans who want to take advantage of a year in Washington, D.C. to study the Middle East from an American vantage point. In cooperation with the Army, Navy, Air Force, and State Department, WINEP offers one-year fellowships that enable rising officers to immerse themselves in the geopolitics of the Middle East and the process of Washington policymaking. The Institute also supports a program for research assistants and interns that provides foreign policy experience for undergraduates and recent college graduates.

The Institute's Scholar-Statesman Award honors individuals "whose public service and professional achievements exemplify sound scholarship and a discerning knowledge of history." Recipients have included former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and former CIA directors Michael Hayden and George Tenet.

Reception

M.J. Rosenberg criticized the organization on Al Jazeera for having strong ties to the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC and for being founded by a former AIPAC employee.

In a December 2003 interview on Al Jazeera, Rashid Khalidi, a Palestinian-American professor and director of Columbia University's Middle East Institute, sharply criticized WINEP, stating that it is "the fiercest of the enemies of the Arabs and the Muslims", and describing it as the "most important Zionist propaganda tool in the United States." In response, Martin Kramer, the editor of the Middle East Quarterly and a visiting fellow at WINEP, defended the group, saying that it is "run by Americans, and accepts funds only from American sources," and that it was "outrageous" for Khalidi to denounce Arabs that visited WINEP as "blundering dupes."

John Mearsheimer, a University of Chicago political science professor, and Stephen Walt, academic dean at Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, describe the Institute as "part of the core" of the pro-Israeli lobby in the United States. Discussing the group in their 2007 book, The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, Mearsheimer and Walt wrote:

Although WINEP plays down its links to Israel and claims that it provides a "balanced and realistic" perspective on Middle East issues, this is not the case. In fact, WINEP is funded and run by individuals who are deeply committed to advancing Israel's agenda ... Many of its personnel are genuine scholars or experienced former officials, but they are hardly neutral observers on most Middle East issues and there is little diversity of views within WINEP's ranks.

In a 2014 study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania's Lauder Institute, of all think tanks worldwide, WINEP was ranked 42nd on both "Best Transdisciplinary Research Program at a Think Tank" and "Think Tanks with Outstanding Policy-Oriented Public Programs".

In a 2025 report, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft criticized WINEP for accepting dark money, and noted that the Institute "does not publicly disclose any information about its donors but publicly advertises that those who give the organization $25,000 or more 'are afforded unique opportunities to access our work, receiving invitations to intimate regional events, private dinners, and special visits to key policy venues in Washington.'"

Notable current and former scholars

Several current and former members of WINEP have served in senior positions in the administrations of presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

Board of Advisors

As of October 2024, the Washington Institute's advisory board included:

Previous board members

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Mission & History". washingtoninstitute.org. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Washington Institute For Near East Policy - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. May 9, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Pro-Israeli Group Offers Maps for Palestinian State". The New York Times. January 22, 2011. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017. It speaks to the paralysis in the Middle East peace process that the most noteworthy development of the past week came when a mild-mannered analyst at a pro-Israel think tank unfurled three color-coded maps. The analyst, David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
  4. ↑ Keskin, Tugrul (2018). Middle East Studies after September 11: Neo-Orientalism, American Hegemony and Academia. Studies in Critical Social Sciences. Brill. p. 9. ISBN 978-90-04-35990-1. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2022. written by Martin Kramer in 2003 and published by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a pro-Israeli think tank

    Breger, Marshall (2002). Mittleman, Alan; Licht, Robert; Sarna, Jonathan D (eds.). Jews and the American Public Square: Debating Religion and Republic. G - Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-7425-2124-7. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2022. founded in 1985 as a pro-Israel but not specifically Jewish think tank.

    "Israel Captures 2 Palestinians Suspected in Deadly Ax Attack". The New York Times. May 8, 2022. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022. Ehud Yaari, an Israel-based analyst for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a pro-Israel think tank.

    Weiss, T.G.; Crahan, M.E.; Goering, J.; Goering, J.M.; Robinson, M. (2004). Wars on Terrorism and Iraq: Human Rights, Unilateralism, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-70062-7. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2022. as the then newly founded Washington Institute for Near East Policy. This organization, a pro-Israel think tank, was itself a spin-off of AIPAC

    Marrar, K. (2008). The Arab Lobby and US Foreign Policy: The Two-State Solution. Routledge Research in American Politics and Governance. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-135-97071-0. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2022. Dennis Ross, from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), a pro-Israel think tank closely aligned with AIPAC

    Lockman, Zachary (2005). "Critique from the Right: The Neo-conservative Assault on Middle East Studies". CR: The New Centennial Review. 5 (1). Michigan State University Press: 81–82. doi:10.1353/ncr.2005.0034. ISSN 1539-6630. JSTOR 41949468. S2CID 145071422. By contrast, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy ( WINEP), founded in 1985, quickly achieved a much higher profile and much greater influence. Describing itself as "a public educational foundation dedicated to scholarly research and informed debate on U.S. interests in the Middle East,"9 WINEP emerged as the leading pro-Israel think tank in Washington. Its founding director, Martin Indyk, had previously worked at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), founded in 1959 and by the 1970s by far the most well-funded, visible, and effective pro-Israel lobbying organization. Indyk and his colleagues at WINEP worked hard to strengthen Israel's standing in Washington as the key U.S. ally in the Middle East and to ensure that U.S. policy in the region coincided with the policies and strategies of the Israeli government

    "The Israeli Lobby". Journal of Palestine Studies. 35 (3). University of California Press on behalf of the Institute for Palestine Studies: 92. April 1, 2006. doi:10.1525/jps.2006.35.3.83. During the Clinton administration, Middle Eastern policy was largely shaped by officials with close ties to Israel or to prominent pro-Israel organizations; among them, Martin Indyk, the former deputy director of research at AIPAC and co-founder of the pro-Israel Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP)

    Mearsheimer, John J.; Walt, Stephen M. (2009). "The Blind Man and the Elephant in the Room: Robert Lieberman and the Israel Lobby". Perspectives on Politics. 7 (2). [American Political Science Association, Cambridge University Press]: 262. doi:10.1017/S1537592709090781. JSTOR 40406929. S2CID 7758818. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022. Similarly, when Martin Indyk - formerly deputy director of research at AIPAC and co-founder of the pro-Israel Washington Institute of Near East Policy - is appointed one of Bill Clinton's key Middle East advisors, it strains credulity to exclude him from the "loose coalition" that "actively works" to promote the "special relationship."

    Rynhold, Jonathan (2010). "Is the Pro-Israel Lobby a Block on Reaching a Comprehensive Peace Settlement in the Middle East?". Israel Studies Forum. 25 (1). Berghahn Books: 31. ISSN 1557-2455. JSTOR 41805052. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022. For example, Martin Indyk who had worked for AIPAC and was the head of Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank with close connections to Israel, played an important role in formulating US policy toward the Middle East in the 1990s

  5. ↑ Thomas G. Mitchell (May 8, 2013). Israel/Palestine and the Politics of a Two-State Solution. McFarland. pp. 164–. ISBN 978-0-7864-7597-1. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2020. In 1985 AIPAC's deputy director of Foreign Policy Research, Martin Indyk, a former Australian intelligence official, set up the Washington Institute for Near East Policy as a think tank designed to provide policy output that would influence the executive branch and the media. Indyk created WINEP with AIPAC's blessing and with funding from many AIPAC donors. It was designed to provide more academic-quality and independent research than AIPAC put out. WINEP concentrates on the internal affairs of Middle Eastern countries except for Israel and on the foreign and defense policies of these countries. It also provides Israel-friendly prescriptions for the peace process. WINEP has become a serious player in Washington and a supplier of foreign policy officials for both parties.
  6. ↑ John J Mearsheimer; Stephen M Walt (June 26, 2008). The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 175–176. ISBN 978-0-14-192066-5. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2020. Although WINEP plays down its links to Israel and claims that it provides a 'balanced and realistic' perspective on Middle East issues, this is not the case. In fact, WINEP is funded and run by individuals who are deeply committed to advancing Israel's agenda … Many of its personnel are genuine scholars or experienced former officials, but they are hardly neutral observers on most Middle East issues and there is little diversity of views within WINEP's ranks... This situation highlights that the lobby is not a centralized, hierarchical organization with a defined membership... It has a core consisting of organizations whose declared purpose is to encourage the U.S. government and the American public to provide material aid to Israel and to support its government's policies, as well as influential individuals for whom these goals are also a top priority... a lobbyist for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a research fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), or the leadership of organizations like the Anti-Defamation League and Christians United for Israel are part of the core.
  7. ↑ Rosenberg, M.J. (June 12, 2010). "Does PBS Know That "The Washington Institute" Was Founded By AIPAC?". HuffPost. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Rosenberg, M.J. (August 27, 2011). "Who funds Muslim-baiting in the US?". Al-Jazeera. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  9. ↑ Staff, C. I. E. (October 17, 2022). "Barbi Weinberg, 1929-". CIE. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Martin Indyk". The Washington Institute. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Martin S. Indyk". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Thomas G. Mitchell (2013). Israel/Palestine and the Politics of a Two-State Solution. McFarland. p. 164.
  13. ↑ Ottaway, David B. (March 24, 1989). "Mideast Institute's Experts and Ideas Ascendant". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
  14. ↑ Diane Stone (1996). Capturing the Political Imagination: Think Tanks and the Policy Process. Frank Cass. p. 275. ISBN 9780714647166. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2018. Dedicated to providing research on the Middle East that is timely, of high quality and policy-relevant, the Washington Institute provides information and analysis on US interests in the Middle East. ... As a source of commentary and analysis, it became well known during the Gulf War.
  15. ↑ Itamar Rabinovich (July 2009). The Brink of Peace: The Israeli-Syrian Negotiations. Princeton University Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-1400822652. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Martin Indyk". The Brookings Institution. Archived from the original on August 15, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  17. ↑ Quandt, William B. (2001). Peace Process: American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli Conflict Since 1967. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Inst. Press. p. 293. ISBN 0-520-22374-8.
  18. ↑ Alexander Murinson (2010). Turkey's Entente with Israel and Azerbaijan: State identity and security in the Middle East and Caucasus. Routledge. pp. 71–72. ISBN 9781135182434. Ideologically WINEP is closer to the Democratic Party. Generally, it opposes the 'neoconservative' agenda in Washington. ... The Washington Institute has acquired a reputation as the leading institute among think tanks with a regional focus. Specifically, it made major contributions to the search for a resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. ... It is the most influential think tank in Washington with a bipartisan agenda. ... Due to its privileged position within both Republican and Democratic White House administrations over the last three decades, the Washington Institute was able to go beyond influence; the American government on some occasions adopted WINEP's policy prescriptions.
  19. ↑ Fred S. Lafer was the third president of WINEP. (Fred Lafer, longtime Jewish leader, dies Archived 2015-03-24 at the Wayback Machine, May 1, 2013. Accessed 23 January 2015.)
  20. ↑ "Michael Knights - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy". washingtoninstitute.org. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  21. ↑ Baker, Peter (June 22, 2014). "Relief Over U.S. Exit from Iraq Fades as Reality Overtakes Hope". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 30, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  22. ↑ Cortellessa, Eric (May 6, 2016). "In rare joint appearance, Saudi prince, ex-Netanyahu adviser spar over peace". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  23. ↑ Satloff, Robert (May 3, 2018). "Islam and Countering Radical Ideology". National Cable Satellite Corporation. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  24. ↑ "How free expression is suppressed in Saudi Arabia". The Economist. July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Publications". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. self-published.[permanent dead link]
  26. ↑ Ignatius, David (August 5, 2014). "Defang Hamas and give Gazans a fresh start". Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Israeli-Palestinian Conflict". C-SPAN. August 7, 2014. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Event Broadcasts". WINEP. self-published. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Annual Conference". WINEP. self-published. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  30. ↑ "U.S. Blames Israelis, Palestinians for Failed Mideast Talks". NBC News. May 9, 2014. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  31. ↑ "News Transcript". U.S. Dept. of Defense. Defense.Gov. May 9, 2012. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Press Room". WINEP. self-published. Archived from the original on September 28, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  33. ↑ "The Washington Institute for Near East Policy - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy". www.washingtoninstitute.org. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  34. ↑ "معهد واشنطن - معهد واشنطن لسياسة الشرق الأدنى". www.washingtoninstitute.org. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Experts". WINEP. self-published. Archived from the original on August 23, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Employment". WINEP. self-published. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  37. ↑ "Scholar-Statesman Award Dinner - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy". www.washingtoninstitute.org. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  38. ↑ "Scholar Statesman Dinner". WINEP. self-published. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  39. ↑ Pollak, Suzanne (December 10, 2012). "Ross, Abrams and Jeffrey see strike by '14 if Iran does not comply". JTA. JTA. Archived from the original on March 24, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  40. ↑ "الواقع من الخيال في مشاريع الكونغرس الأميركي – From Washington". aljazeera.net. Archived from the original on June 20, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Columbia's Radical Caravan" by Martin Kramer, New York Sun, January 6, 2004.
  42. 1 2 Mearsheimer, John J.; Walt, Stephen M. (2007). The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy. Macmillan. pp. 175–6. ISBN 978-0-374-17772-0.
  43. ↑ "The 2014 Global Go To Think Tank Index". University of Pennsylvania. February 4, 2015. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  44. ↑ Freeman, Ben; Cleveland-Stout, Nick (January 3, 2025). "Big Ideas and Big Money: Think Tank Funding in America". Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
  45. ↑ Ismael, Tareq Y.; Ismael, Jacqueline S. (1994). The Gulf War and the new world order: international relations of the Middle East. University Press of Florida. p. 333. ISBN 978-0-8130-1264-3. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  46. ↑ "The myth of the 'Jewish lobby'". Frontline. Vol. 20, no. 20. October 10, 2003. Archived from the original on June 29, 2006.
  47. ↑ Landler, Mark (November 10, 2011). "Obama's Influential Mideast Envoy to Resign". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  48. ↑ "Board of Advisors". Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  49. ↑ "Board of Advisors | The Washington Institute". www.washingtoninstitute.org. Retrieved October 21, 2024.

Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Washington Institute for Near East Policy at Wikimedia Commons