Biography

David Weinberg is a Non-Resident Scholar and Visiting Scholar Affiliate at the Center for Middle East Development for the academic year of 2012-2013.  He previously served at CMED as a Visiting Middle East Specialist the previous year and recently received his Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his work was recognized for excellence in U.S. diplomatic history by the George C. Marshall Foundation.

David has been participating in CMED events on an occasional basis since 2006.  He is now working on turning his dissertation into a book for wider publication that documents the history of American governmental efforts to intervene in internal Israeli politics and internal Palestinian politics over the years.

He previously worked in the policy community, including as a professional staff member for Mideast issues at the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he advised the late chairman of the Committee, Representative Tom Lantos (D, CA).  He also provided research support on the Mideast and East Asia as an intern with the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Publications

"America Can't Win." The Majalla: The Leading Political Affairs Magazine in the Arab World. 10 July 2013.

"Meet the New Boss: Will Rouhani's Engagement with the U.S. be a Rerun of Khatami's?" The Majalla: The Leading Political Affairs Magazine in the Arab World, 19 June 2013.

"Going AWOL? The US is Scaling Down its Commitments in the Middle East at the Same Time as Some Want it to Double Down," The Majalla: The Leading Political Affairs Magazine in the Arab World, 22 May 2013.

"Struggling to Understand: Americans now have more knowledge about the Boston attacks but few answers," The Majalla: The Leading Political Affairs Magazine in the Arab World, 25 April 2013.

"Obama's Defining Moments in Israel: Five Key Takeaways from Obama's Trip to Israel," The Majalla: The Leading Political Affairs Magazine in the Arab World, 26 March 2013 (reprinted March 28th in Asharq Al-Awsat).

"Plus ça Change: Though Mubarak is Gone, the Relationship between Washington and Cairo is Mostly Unchanged," The Majalla: The Leading Political Affairs Magazine in the Arab World, 8 March 2013.

“Israel and the United States of America,” in Israel and the World Powers, Colin Shindler, ed. (London: I.B. Tauris, forthcoming).

"After sitting on the sidelines, now it's too late for Obama to influence Israel," Letter to the Editor, Boston Globe, 5 January 2013.

“December 5: Logic of E1 – The Clinton Parameters never endorsed specific territorial arrangements over others, and explicitly insisted on contiguity,” Letters to the Editor, The Jerusalem Post, 4 December 2012.

“Abbas Needs an Exit Ramp from the UN,” co-authored with Steven L. Spiegel and Danielle Spiegel-Feld, Huffington Post, 27 November 2012 (reprinted from the Los Angeles Jewish Journal).

“The Next Challenge: Delineating an American Strategy toward the Palestinian Bid at the UNGA,” co-authored with Steven L. Spiegel and Danielle Spiegel-Feld, Israel Policy Forum Working Paper Series, 26 November 2012.

“Obama has made Israel stronger than ever,” Los Angeles Jewish Journal, 30 October 2012.

“What Netanyahu’s meddling in U.S. election means for Obama, Romney, and diplomacy,” Christian Science Monitor, 27 September 2012.

“When U.S. doesn’t meddle in Israeli politics, it strengthens the right,” Interview with Israeli journalist Shmuel Rosner, Los Angeles Jewish Journal, 9 December 2011.

“American Intervention in Israeli Politics: Past Experience, Future Prospects,” Strategic Assessment, Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, Vol. 14, No. 3 (October 2011): pp. 91-103.

“Create a West Bank Security Force,” Advice to President Obama: MIT Center for International Studies, January 2009.

“Iraqi Resettlement: Why Congress will Act,” in University of Denver’s Human Rights and Human Welfare, November 2007 (and reprinted in The Yale Politic, February 2008).

“America the Generous or America the Stingy?” Daily Star (Lebanon), 14 September 2007.

“Reopen the U.S. Embassy in Tehran,” Ha’aretz, 23 August 2007.