This was one of the most significant studies of U.S. Policy Options in the Middle East undertaken at a critical time by leading organizations in Washington. It was a rare joint project between The Atlantic Council and The Middle East Institute. The distinguished high-level members listed below met with critical persons in Washington and from the region for a year. Mark Bruzonsky, the youngest member and the only independent journalist, was personally invited to be on the prestigious panel by the then President of the Middle East Institute, Ambassador L. Dean Brown. There is a significant backstory to that invitation and how this singular dissent from the report’s conclusions came about. The 48-page report was published in 1988 and widely distributed with considerable media and governmental attention.