2026-05-01 12:55:AM <br/> Tags: #AmericanJewry #Lobby #ThinkTank #KeyOrganizations #organization #NeoConservatism ![[image-278.png|680|628x127]] *Photo source*[^1] # Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, also known as the Washington Institute or WINEP, is an American pro-Israel think tank founded in 1985 in Washington D.C. - WINEP is a central organ of American [[Neoconservatism]] and of research, discussion, and policy drafting on matters related to the Middle East and American projection of power in the Middle East. - WINEP is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit.[^3] - In the world of D.C. think tanks, nonprofits, research institutes, etc., WIPEP is considered an elite and highly distinguished organization. - WINEP functions as a revolving door between public and private life with many of its researchers, board members, leadership etc., having served at the State Department, Pentagon, or White House. Officials transferring out of government can find comfortable positions at WINEP. #### Founding - WINEP was founded in 1985 by [[Martin Indyk]], Barbi Weinberg, and Michael Stein as an outgrowth of the [[AIPAC|American Israel Public Affairs Committee]].[^2][^4] - WINEP's principle founder, Barbi Weinberg was the wife of [[Larry Weinberg]], [[AIPAC]]'s president from 1978-1982. - [[Martin Indyk]] was AIPAC's deputy director of research. - Almost immediately after its inception, WINEP became an establishment institution in D.C. - When [[George H.W Bush]] was elected president in 1988, WINEP supplied considerable personnel to the administration.[^11] - Since WINEP's founding, every administration has had numerous WINEP officials at serving at varying levels, including many high ranking cabinet members. #### Activities - In December 2015, WINEP hosted a dinner to honor Israeli politician, defense minister, and former prime minister [[Ehud Barak]] with the "Scholar-Statesman Award."[^8] - The dinner's honorary co-chairs included Susan and [[Roger Hertog|Roger]] Hertog, [[Lynn Schusterman]], [[Merryl Tisch|Merryl]] and [[James Tisch|James]] Tisch, and [[Mortimer Zuckerman]]. - Past speakers at WINEP events include: - [[Ephraim Halevy]] - Former director of [[Mossad]]. - Halevy spoke at a WINEP conference in May 2003 urging action against Bashar al Assad's Syria stating "There are many measures short of war that can be employed to draw the fangs of the young, arrogant, and inexperienced president of Syria."[^9] - [[Yitzhak Rabin]] - Former Israeli Prime Minister.[^11] - [[Stuart Eizenstat]] - Ambassador to the EU and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury under [[Bill Clinton]].[^19] - [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] - Prime Minister of Israel - Upon WINEP's 30th anniversary in 2015, Netanyahu congratulated the organization stating "Over the last 30 years, the Institute has provided decision makers with scholarly analysis of the Middle East."[^20 - After his opening sentence lauding WINEP, Netanyahu directs the rest of his remarks to Iran, its growing threat, and his opposition to the [[Iran Nuclear Deal]] which was in the early phases of negotiation at the time of his speech. - [[Amos Yadlin]] - Israeli diplomat, general, and director of [[Aman]], Israel's military intelligence.[^21][^22] #### Positions - From the [[First Gulf War]] WINEP was strongly oriented in favor of ousting Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq. - After Saddam was ousted during the 2003 [[Iraq War]], WINEP endorsed the ongoing practice of 'nation-building' in the torn country.[^23][^25] - WINEP executive director Robert Satloff explained American support for Israel after 9/11, as quoted in *The Israel Lobby*, "given the democratic values we share and the common enemies we face...No country has suffered more from the same sort of terrorism that hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon than Israel"[^9] - In March 2016, WINEP released an article by David Makovsky titled "U.S. Military Aid to Israel: Debating an Increase." - The article was released amid ongoing negotiations between the Israeli and American governments on a new ten year memorandum of understanding (MOU), the function by which the United States delivers annual military aid to Israel. - The article briefly explains the history of U.S.-Israel military aid before making "The Case for a Substantial Increase" in U.S. aid to Israel. - Makovsky repeatedly invokes Iran to make the case for increased aid, In doing so, Makovsky aligns firmly with the priorities of the Israeli government instead of the American government. - In March 2026 shortly after the [[2026 Iran War]] was launched, WINEP released an article by its managing director Michael Singh titled "Assessing U.S. Progress in the Iran War."[^15] - The article subtly expresses absolute support for the war and its intentions while on the surface striking an analytical pragmatic tone. *Soon after Trump took office in 2025, Singh released a [long article](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/policy-steps-prevent-nuclear-iran) claiming Iran was weeks from nuclear "breakout time" and urging the administration to "prepare for military strikes should diplomacy fail." I mention this to highlight WINEP's support for war against Iran.* - In the article Singh offers a series of "Next Steps" for the [[Donald Trump|Trump]] Administration including: - Shoring up domestic political support for the war by "increasing the pace and transparency of policy briefings by policy professionals." *This manner of writing, used by many polished organizations like WINEP, is almost a separate language from the English known outside Washington. Singh is, in banal, agreeable, and diplomatic fashion, suggesting the government maximize propaganda on the citizenry to make the public support a deeply unpopular war.* - Prioritizing speed - Singh states "The minimal condition for victory must be eliminating Iran’s ability to pose a serious conventional or nuclear threat to the United States, Israel, or the broader region." *Destroying Iranian conventional capabilities serves one purpose: weaken the state until it is defenseless and can be collapsed without threat of retaliation. This position being the "minimal" win condition signals clear alignment with Israeli interest.* - Pressure the regime if it survives - Singh suggests, if the Iranian regime remains in power, to continue "a strategy of pressure similar to the one that weakened Iran prior to this conflict." - Singh defines a maximum pressure campaign to consist of sanctions, additional military strikes, and "assisting the Iranian people to bring about political change." #### Funding and Donors - WINEP reported $21.5 million in revenue in 2024.[^3] - 82% of WINEP's revenue came from contributions in 2024. - WINEP donors, according to a 2015 report by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), include:[^26] - [[Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation]] - [[Seth Klarman]]'s family foundation - [[Fairbrook Foundation]] - Various [[Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)|Jewish Federations]] - According to a report by the *Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy*, WINEP's "Trustees" (i.e., major donors) in 2000 included:[^24] - [[Kenneth Abramowitz]] - [[Norman Braman]] - [[Charles Bronfman]] - David Steiner - Steiner is highlighted in the [[David Steiner Leaked AIPAC Phone Call (1992)]] - [[Andrew Tisch]] - [[Edgar Bronfman Sr.]] - Albert Abramson - "Principle force in the creation of the [[United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM)]]."[^27] - [[Morton Mandel]] - [[Roger Hertog]] - [[Michael Steinhardt]] - [[Max Fisher]] - Frank Lautenberg - Jewish Zionist Democrat senator from New Jersey. - Lautenberg was held leadership roles in the [[Jewish Agency]] and [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]].[^28] - [[Lynn Schusterman]] #### Notable Figures - Michael Stein - Co-founder - Beyond WINEP Stein is describes as "involved" in [[AIPAC]] and the [[ADL]].[^4] - Barbi Weinberg - Co-founder - [[Martin Indyk]] - Co-founder - [[Robert Satloff]] - Executive director since 1993.[^5] - [[Dennis Ross]] - WINEP's [[Bill Davidson]] Distinguished Fellow and longtime prominent WINEP figure[^13] - Condoleezza Rice - Board of Advisors[^6] - [[Eliot A. Cohen]] - Board of Advisors[^6] - [[James Woolsey]] - Board of Advisors[^6] - [[Mortimer Zuckerman]] - Board of Advisors[^6] - [[Joe Lieberman]] - Board of Advisors (in memoriam)[^6] - [[Henry Kissinger]] -Board of Advisors (in memoriam)[^6] - [[Max Kampelman]] - Board of Advisors (in memoriam)[^6] - [[Roger Hertog]] - Board member emeritus[^7] - [[Merryl Tisch]] - Board member[^7] - [[Martin Kramer]] - WINEP fellow[^10] - [[Richard Perle]] - Former board member[^9] - [[Daniel Pipes]] - "WINEP Middle East expert" circa 1993[^11] - [[Joshua Muravchik]] - Former WINEP fellow in residence[^12] - [[Paul Wolfowitz]] - Noted connection to WINEP in *The Israel Lobby*[^9] - [[Stuart Eizenstat]] - Former board member and member of WINEP's "Strategic Study Group" during the presidency of [[George H.W Bush]][^11] - The Strategic Study Group was formed to shape U.S. foreign policy in the Persian Gulf/Middle East in the wake of the [[First Gulf War]]. - [[Charles Krauthammer]] - Member of WINEP's 1988 presidential study group and the 1992 strategic study group.[^11] - [[Martin Peretz]] - WINEP board member[^11][^6] - David Makovsky - WINEP Zeigler Distinguished Fellow and director of WINEP's Project on Arab-Israel Relations.[^14] - Makovsky is president of the board for the National Library of Israel's United States branch. - Makovsky is a "lifetime member of the [[Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)]]." - Makovsky has been a writer/correspondent for multiple Israeli newspapers including the *Jerusalem Post*, and *Haaretz*. - Michael Singh - WINEP managing director - Water P. Stern - Former WINEP vice president[^16] - Stern was chairman emeritus of the [[Hudson Institute]] and a member of the [[Jewish Policy Center (JPC)]]'s board of trustees.[^17] - Stern was formerly a senior executive vice president of the investment bank [[Drexel Burnham Lambert]]. - Stern was a member of the [[Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)]]. - [[Max Fisher]] - Former board member[^18] - Bernard White - Former board member [^18] - White was a "former [[AIPAC]] treasurer and former treasurer of the [[Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)]]." - White is described as an officer of the pro-Israel Washington PAC, which was founded by former [[AIPAC]] executive director [[Morris Amitay]] in 1981. #### Recommended Reading - The Israel Lobby - John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt #### References [^1]: “Washington Institute for Near East Policy,” *Militarist Monitor*, last edited June 30, 2015, https://militarist-monitor.org/profile/washington_institute_for_near_east_policy/. [^2]: “The Washington Institute for Near East Policy,” *Wikipedia*, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Institute_for_Near_East_Policy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Institute_for_Near_East_Policy). [^3]: ProPublica, “The Washington Institute for Near East Policy,” *ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer*, [https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521376034](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521376034). [^4]: “Michael Stein, Washington Institute Founder, Dies at 88,” *The Forward*, November 8, 2013, [https://forward.com/fast-forward/187281/michael-stein-washington-institute-founder-dies-at/](https://forward.com/fast-forward/187281/michael-stein-washington-institute-founder-dies-at/). [^5]: _The Washington Institute for Near East Policy_, “About,” [https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/about](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/about). [^6]: _The Washington Institute for Near East Policy_, “Board of Advisors,” [https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/about/board-advisors](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/about/board-advisors). [^7]: “Board of Directors,” _The Washington Institute for Near East Policy_, [https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/about/board-directors](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/about/board-directors). [^8]: _The Washington Institute for Near East Policy_, “Institute Honors Israeli Leader Ehud Barak with Scholar-Statesman Award,” December 9, 2015, [https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/about/press-room/press-release/institute-honors-israeli-leader-ehud-barak-scholar-statesman-award](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/about/press-room/press-release/institute-honors-israeli-leader-ehud-barak-scholar-statesman-award). [^9]: Mearsheimer, John J., and Stephen M. Walt. _The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy_. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007, 61, 130, 131, 272. [^10]: _The Washington Institute for Near East Policy_, “Martin Kramer,” [https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/martin-kramer](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/martin-kramer). [^11]: Joel Beinin, “Money, Media and Policy Consensus,” _Middle East Report_ (Middle East Research and Information Project), January 28, 1993, [https://www.merip.org/1993/01/money-media-and-policy-consensus/](https://www.merip.org/1993/01/money-media-and-policy-consensus/). [^12]: The Institute of World Politics, “Joshua Muravchik,” [https://www.iwp.edu/faculty/joshua-muravchik/](https://www.iwp.edu/faculty/joshua-muravchik/). [^13]: _The Washington Institute for Near East Policy_, “Dennis Ross,” [https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/dennis-ross](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/dennis-ross). [^14]: _The Washington Institute for Near East Policy_, “David Makovsky,” [https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/david-makovsky](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/david-makovsky). [^15]: Michael Singh, “Assessing U.S. Progress in the Iran War,” _The Washington Institute for Near East Policy_, March 6, 2026, [https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/assessing-us-progress-iran-war](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/assessing-us-progress-iran-war). [^16]: “Walter P. Stern,” Hudson Institute, [https://www.hudson.org/experts/642-walter-p-stern](https://www.hudson.org/experts/642-walter-p-stern). [^17]: “Jewish Policy Center,” SourceWatch, [https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Jewish_Policy_Center](https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Jewish_Policy_Center). [^18]: Mark H. Milstein, “Washington Institute for Near East Policy: An AIPAC ‘Image Problem,’” _Washington Report on Middle East Affairs_, July 1991, [https://www.wrmea.org/1991-july/washington-institute-for-near-east-policy-an-aipac-image-problem.html](https://www.wrmea.org/1991-july/washington-institute-for-near-east-policy-an-aipac-image-problem.html). [^19]: Morgan Viña, Stuart Eizenstat, and Dennis Ross, “The Netanyahu Visit, U.S.-Israel Ties, and the War on Hamas,” _The Washington Institute for Near East Policy_, July 23, 2024, [https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/netanyahu-visit-us-israel-ties-and-war-hamas](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/netanyahu-visit-us-israel-ties-and-war-hamas). [^20]: Benjamin Netanyahu, “PM Netanyahu’s Remarks to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy on Its 30th Anniversary,” YouTube video, posted by “IsraelPM,” May 2, 2015, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IamowT4_vQY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IamowT4_vQY). [^21]: “2011: Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin on Israeli Security; Fourth Zeev Schiff Memorial Lecture, Part 2,” YouTube video, posted by “WashingtonInstitute,” May 17. 2011, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAfTNzHg6FQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAfTNzHg6FQ). [^22]: _The Washington Institute for Near East Policy_, “Amos Yadlin,” [https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/amos-yadlin](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/amos-yadlin). [^23]: David Petraeus, “Lessons of the Iraq War and Its Aftermath,” _The Washington Institute for Near East Policy_, April 9, 2004, [https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/lessons-iraq-war-and-its-aftermath](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/lessons-iraq-war-and-its-aftermath). [^24]: “Washington Institute for Near East Policy (AIPAC) Year 2000 Trustees,” _Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy_, [https://www.irmep.org/Policy_Briefs/winep.htm](https://www.irmep.org/Policy_Briefs/winep.htm). [^25]: “Washington Institute for Near East Policy,” _InfluenceWatch_, [https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/washington-institute-for-near-east-policy/](https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/washington-institute-for-near-east-policy/). [^26]: _International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network_, "The Business of Backlash: The Attack on the Palestinian Movement and Other Movements for Justice", March 2015, [https://www.ijan.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IJAN-Business-of-Backlash-full-report-web.pdf](https://www.ijan.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IJAN-Business-of-Backlash-full-report-web.pdf). [^27]: Douglas Martin, “Albert Abramson, 94, Dies; Holocaust Museum Backer,” _The New York Times_, March 13, 2012, [https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA282790116&sid=sitemap&v=2.1&it=r&sw=w&p=EAIM&userGroupName=anon%7E88036bbb&aty=open-web-entry](https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA282790116&sid=sitemap&v=2.1&it=r&sw=w&p=EAIM&userGroupName=anon%7E88036bbb&aty=open-web-entry). [^28]: “Frank Lautenberg,” Wikipedia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lautenberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lautenberg).