Alastair Crooke is director of the Conflicts Forum. He was adviser on Middle East issues to Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, from 1997 to 2003, staff member of Senator George Mitchell's fact-finding committee that inquired into the causes of the second intifada (2000-2001) and adviser to the International Quartet. He has 20 years experience working with Islamist movements, particularly Hamas and Hezbollah.