History

Founded in 1985, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C., focused on the foreign policy of the United States as it pertains to the countries in the Near East. According to their mission statement they seek “to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.” They are the largest research institute devoted exclusively to the study of the Middle East.

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, and Barack Obama. Some current prominent board members as of December 2018 are Henry Kissinger, Joseph Lieberman, Condoleezza Rice, and George Shultz.

Funded by / Ownership

The Washington Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization that is funded through donations.

Analysis / Bias

In review, The Washington Institute provides news and analysis of Middle East relations through research. There is minimal use of loaded language in headlines and articles such as this: Why Has Netanyahu Reversed Course on Early Elections? This story also lacks any kind of sourcing that supports the opinions presented. Overall, this article present a pro-Netanyahu bias through this quote: “In sum, Netanyahu has outmaneuvered his rivals by going straight to the public.” When reviewing the broad content on this website there is a clear pro-Israeli bias in story selection and wording.

The Washington Institute has faced criticism from others, such as Al Jazeera in the article: Who funds Muslim-baiting in the US? In which they claim that the Washington Institute has strong ties to the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC and for being founded by a former AIPAC employee. In their book, The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, John Mearsheimer, a University of Chicago political science professor, and Stephen Walt, academic dean at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, describe it as “part of the core” of the pro-Israeli lobby in the United States.

An analysis of the Washington Insitute’s campaign donations show they donated 83% to Republicans in the last three elections.

A factual search reveals they have not failed a fact check, however they do not source information for verification.

Overall, we rate Washington Institute Right-Center Biased based on story selection that favors the right leaning government of Israel and Mixed for factual reporting due to a lack of sourced information. (D. Van Zandt 12/14/2018)

Source: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org