US MIDDLE EAST PROJECT INC
641 LEXINGTON AVE SUITE 1500, NEW YORK, NY 10022 www.usmep.us

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION IS TO ENGAGE IN NON PARTISAN ANALYSIS OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS, AND TO PRESENT POLICYMAKERS IN THE UNITED STATES, IN THE REGION AND IN THE LARGER INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WITH BALANCED POLICY ANALYSIS AND POLICY OPTIONS TO PREVENT CONFLICT AND PROMOTE STABILITY, DEMOCRACY, MODERNIZATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE REGION.

CRITICAL ANALYSES OF U.S./MIDDLE EAST POLICY TOWARDS CONFLICT DE-ESCALATION AND RESOLUTION IN THE REGION THE U.S./MIDDLE EAST PROJECT (USMEP) ARRANGED NUMEROUS IN-PERSON BRIEFINGS AND BRAIN-STORMING SESSIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR ITS BOARD MEMBERS AND SENIOR ADVISORS AS WELL AS OTHER RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS INCLUDING BY LEADING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND MIDDLE EAST EXPERTS FROM VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS IN THE U.S. AND BEYOND. WITH THE ADVENT OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS IN MARCH 2020 AND SUBSEQUENT TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AND LOCKDOWNS, ALL MEETINGS WERE HELD VIRTUALLY. THE PURPOSE OF THESE GATHERINGS WAS TO REVIEW U.S.- MIDDLE EAST POLICY AND THAT OF OTHER ACTORS AND OPTIONS FOR MITIGATING OR ADVANCING RESOLUTIONS OF CRISES AND CONFLICTS IN EACH OF THE MAJOR AREAS OF INTEREST IN THE REGION, NOTABLY WORKING TO RESOLVE THE ISRAELI/PALESTINIAN CONFLICT, AS WELL AS IRAN, IRAQ, SYRIA, THE GULF AND EGYPT. SOME OF THOSE MEETINGS ARE LISTED BELOW: ON OCTOBER 21, 2019, THE USMEP ORGANIZED A LUNCH HOSTED AT A PRIVATE RESIDENCE IN LONDON, UK FOR A BRIEFING BY OUR USMEP SENIOR ADVISOR, FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, CHUCK HAGEL. ATTENDEES INCLUDED: KARIM ABDEL-MOTAAL, FOUNDER, KAM PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT OMAR AL-NAHAR, AMBASSADOR FOR THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN IN LONDON SETH ANZISKA, USMEP VISITING FELLOW; MOHAMED S. FARSI-POLONSKY LECTURER IN JEWISH-MUSLIM RELATIONS AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON SAWSAN ASFARI, USMEP BOARD MEMBER; CO-FOUNDER AND TRUSTEE, ASFARI FOUNDATION; EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GALILEE FOUNDATION GALIP DALAY, NONRESIDENT FELLOW AT THE BROOKINGS DOHA CENTER; RESEARCH DIRECTOR AT AL SHARQ FORUM; SENIOR ASSOCIATE FELLOW AT THE AL JAZEERA CENTER FOR STUDIES ELLI GERANMAYEH, SENIOR POLICY FELLOW AND DEPUTY HEAD OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAM AT THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS CHUCK HAGEL, USMEP SENIOR ADVISOR; FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE; FORMER U.S. SENATOR FOR NEBRASKA MARK LANDLER, LONDON BUREAU CHIEF OF THE NEW YORK TIMES DANIEL LEVY, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S./MIDDLE EAST PROJECT JONATHAN POWELL, CEO AND FOUNDER OF INTER MEDIATE; FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO TONY BLAIR; FORMER CHIEF BRITISH GOVERNMENT NEGOTIATOR ON NORTHERN IRELAND BRIEFING AND POLICY DISCUSSION FOR BOARD MEMBERS AND SENIOR ADVISORS HELD ON OCTOBER 29-30, 2019 IN LONDON, UK: PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED: HANAN ASHRAWI, FORMER MEMBER, P.L.O. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SHLOMO BEN-AMI, VICE PRESIDENT AND CO-FOUNDER, TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR PEACE LAKHDAR BRAHIMI, FORMER ALGERIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND AMBASSADOR SIR KIM DARROCH, FORMER UK AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES JAMES DOBBINS, SENIOR FELLOW AND DISTINGUISHED CHAIR IN DIPLOMACY AND SECURITY, RAND CORPORATION; LARA FRIEDMAN, PRESIDENT, FOUNDATION FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE EFRAIM HALEVY, CHAIRMAN, ISRAEL NATIONAL CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY MUSTAFA HAMARNEH, PRESIDENT, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL OF JORDAN NADIA HIJAB, CO-FOUNDER, BOARD PRESIDENT, AL-SHABAKA DAREEN KHALIFA, SENIOR ANALYST, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP DANIEL C. KURTZER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL AND EGYPT DANIEL LEVY, PRESIDENT, U.S. /MIDDLE EAST PROJECT ANNE PATTERSON, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA THOMAS R. PICKERING, VICE CHAIRMAN, HILLS & COMPANY JONATHAN POWELL, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR YEZID SAYIGH, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE MICHAEL SFARD, ISRAELI ATTORNEY, LEGAL COUNSEL TO THE YESH DIN ORGANIZATION KHALIL SHIKAKI, DIRECTOR, PALESTINIAN CENTER FOR POLICY AND SURVEY RESEARCH HENRY SIEGMAN, PRESIDENT EMERITUS, U.S. /MIDDLE EAST PROJECT ON JANUARY 13, 2020, THE USMEP HELD A VIRTUAL MEETING WITH BOARD MEMBERS AND SENIOR ADVISORS ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS WITH IRAN. THE MEETING WAS CHAIRED BY AMBASSADOR THOMAS PICKERING ON MARCH 6, 2020, THE USMEP HOSTED A RECEPTION, PRIVATE DISCUSSION AND Q&A IN LONDON, U.K., WITH AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR, KIM GHATTAS, UPON THE PUBLICATION OF HER NEW BOOK, "BLACK WAVE: SAUDI ARABIA, IRAN AND THE RIVALRY THAT UNRAVELLED THE MIDDLE EAST." BRIEFING AND POLICY DISCUSSION FOR BOARD MEMBERS AND SENIOR ADVISORS HELD VIRTUALLY ON JUNE 15-16, 2020 IN LIGHT OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS WHICH DID NOT ALLOW FOR IN-PERSON MEETINGS FOR MUCH OF 2020: PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOARD AND SENIOR ADVISORS THE AGENDA UNFOLDED OVER TWO DAYS WITH THE FIRST DAY DEDICATED TO THE ISRAEL/PALESTINE FILE AND THE SECOND DAY TO REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS.

POLICY NOTES AND PUBLICATIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, THE U.S./MIDDLE EAST PROJECT'S LEADERSHIP, VISITING FELLOWS AND SENIOR ADVISORS, PRODUCED A NUMBER OF PRIVATE POLICY NOTES AS WELL AS PUBLICLY PUBLISHED OPINION PIECES, ARTICLES AND BOOKS. A SELECTION IS LISTED BELOW: SHLOMO BEN-AMI, USMEP SENIOR ADVISOR, AUTHORED AN OPINION PIECE ENTITLED, "DEMOCRACIES ARE BETTER AT MANAGING CRISES," IN PROJECT SYNDICATE. JAMES DOBBINS, USMEP SENIOR ADVISOR, CO-AUTHORED THESE TWO PIECES, THE FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE HILL "WASHINGTON INDECISION COMPOUNDED THE KURDS' DILEMMA." LARA FRIEDMAN, A NON-RESIDENT FELLOW AT THE USMEP AND PRESIDENT OF THE FOUNDATION FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE, PUBLISHED THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE IN THE TIMES OF ISRAEL, "OPPOSING ANNEXATION IS NOT ENOUGH." DAN KURTZER, USMEP SENIOR ADVISOR, CO-AUTHORED A PIECE WITH FORMER ISRAELI MINISTER YOSSI BEILIN, "THREE BILATERAL AGREEMENTS THAT WOULD IMPROVE ISRAEL'S RELATIONSHIP WITH AMERICA." DANIEL LEVY, PRESIDENT OF THE USMEP, AUTHORED TWO BRIEFING PAPERS. THE FIRST BRIEFING MEMO WAS ENTITLED, "ISRAELI ANNEXATION IN THE WEST BANK: THE STATE OF PLAY, DYNAMICS AND RESPONSES", AND THE SECOND BRIEFING MEMO, "ISRAEL'S NEW GOVERNING COALITION: WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT TO EXPECT?" HENRY SIEGMAN, PRESIDENT EMERITUS OF THE USMEP, AUTHORED A PIECE ENTITLED, "NEVER AGAIN, YET AGAIN AND AGAIN" ON LOBELOG.COM

WORKSHOP CONVENING ON NOVEMBER 11-13, 2019, THE USMEP HELD A WORKSHOP IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, "MOVING BEYOND EXISTING PARADIGMS ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE," BUILDING ON A PREVIOUS ROUND OF WORKSHOPS CONVENED BY THE USMEP AT STOKE PARK IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE IN 2018. THE MEETING WAS HELD IN COORDINATION WITH THE SWEDISH FOLKE BERNADOTTE ACADEMY (FBA) OVER THE COURSE OF THREE DAYS. THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE WORKSHOP DEVELOPED THE OUTLINES OF A "VALUES CHARTER" THAT COULD GUIDE THE WORK OF THE GROUP GOING FORWARD. THIS WOULD SPELL OUT A COMMON APPROACH SHARED BY THE GROUP TO BE TAKEN TO THINKING OF NEW PARADIGMS VIS--VIS THE CONFLICT. THE GROUP AGREED ON THE NEED TO DRAFT A PREAMBLE THAT WOULD STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN DIGNITY OF ALL THOSE LIVING ON THE LAND. SUCH A PREAMBLE WOULD ALSO TALK ABOUT HEALING THE LAND AND HAVE A LANGUAGE THAT TALKS ABOUT WHAT WE CAN BUILD TOGETHER RATHER THAN FIGHT AGAINST. THE MEETING EXPLORED A NUMBER OF KEY ISSUES INCLUDING THE CURRENT GEOPOLITICAL REALITIES SURROUNDING THE CONFLICT. THEY ALSO ADDRESSED HOW THE TECHNO-INFORMATIONAL WORLD OF HYPER-CONNECTIVITY, HUMAN-MACHINE INTEGRATION, CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS PROLIFERATION AND AUTONOMOUS MACHINES HAVE LED TO NEW FORMS OF WARFARE, BEHAVIOR MANIPULATION AND THE HIJACKING OF INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP MENTAL MODELS THROUGH COGNITIVE CAMPAIGNS. SECONDLY, THE GROUP AGREED TO APPLY COMPLEXITY THEORY TO THEIR FUTURE WORK AND THAT A PROGRAM FOR INTELLECTUALLY ENGAGING ON THIS MATERIAL WOULD BE DEVELOPED. THIRDLY, TIME WAS DEVOTED TO HOW ANY OUTCOMES FROM THIS GROUP COULD BE DISSEMINATED. FINALLY, THE GROUP AGREED TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING SEPARATE ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN TRACKS OF DIALOGUE ON THE IDEAS BEING DEVELOPED AND WERE OPEN TO THE OVERALL EFFORT GENERATING A NUMBER OF PROJECTS. BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THE STOCKHOLM MEETING THERE WERE CONSULTATIONS HELD IN THE REGION AND AMONGST THE INTERNATIONAL THIRD-PARTY PARTICIPANTS. AS PART OF THIS WORK AND IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE MEETING HELD IN SWEDEN, THE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S./MIDDLE EAST PROJECT, DANIEL LEVY, UNDERTOOK SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE REGION (NAMELY TO ISRAEL/PALESTINE AND THE GULF) AS WELL AS TO VARIOUS EUROPEAN CAPITALS TO RECRUIT POTENTIAL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP WITH STRONG EXPERTISE IN THE FIELD OF RECONCILIATION AND TOLERANCE AS WELL AS TO BRIEF AND CONSULT RELEVANT GOVERNMENTS AGENCIES AND STAKEHOLDERS.

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