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Category Archives: Middle East
May 21, 2013
ESSAY
Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, and the Middle East in Flames
Two stories tell us that things in the Middle East may have just taken a dark and dangerous turn. First, Hezbollah fighters played a vital role in Butcher Assad’s assault on rebel-held Qusayr, a strategically positioned town in Syria. Dozens … Continue reading
May 20, 2013
ESSAY
Middle East Mess: When Dems and GOPers Agree, Be Afraid
Have the Bush-era neocons and Obama liberals made all the same mistakes in the Middle East? David P. Goldman argues convincingly in Tablet that the past five years of Middle East policy have been marked not by a Democratic departure … Continue reading
May 19, 2013
ESSAY
Israel’s Other Enemy: The Blue Social Model
Public employee unions have a new international villain to add to their growing list: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Bibi’s government is embarking on a fight to break the monopolizing power of Israel’s formidable port unions, the “gatekeepers for Israel’s … Continue reading
May 17, 2013
ESSAY
Useful Reminder: Saudis and Muslim Brotherhood Do Not Get Along
There is a lot of bad blood between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Saudi form of Islam, and those tensions are likely to become more visible as the Brotherhood continues to gain influence in the Arab world. “The Brotherhood has … Continue reading
ESSAY
Horror Stories from the Place Formerly Known as Syria
Militiamen murder women and children and extinguish entire family lines. A rebel commander executes a dozen men on video. Another eats the heart of an enemy. ”These are the images of Syrian conflict,” Reuters reports, “the first war in which the … Continue reading
ESSAY
How Not to Deal with the Russians
Secretary Kerry’s announcement of a peace conference on Syria only ten days ago has been met with a series of remarkable provocations from the Russians: First, they refused to halt the sale of a sophisticated anti-aircraft weapons system to Assad, … Continue reading
May 15, 2013
ESSAY
Russia Kicks More Dirt in Kerry’s Face
The story of the amateur-seeming American spy caught by Russian agents in Moscow continues to bewilder the media today. Why, for example, was the American “spy,” identified as Ryan C. Fogle, outfitted with a map, compass, two ill-fitting wigs, dark sunglasses, … Continue reading
May 14, 2013
ESSAY
Guess Who’s Leading the UN Disarmament Conference
Following its ballyhooed success as host of the 2010 International Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been selected to chair this month’s UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament. The 65-member forum, previously chaired by such arms control … Continue reading
ESSAY
IEA Predicts More Trouble for OPEC
It’s only Tuesday, yet it’s already shaping into a rough week for OPEC. Yesterday we heard that the American shale boom was hurting the petrochemicals industries of OPEC’s Middle Eastern members. Today a new International Energy Agency report suggests that the US … Continue reading
May 13, 2013
ESSAY
Middle East Cyber Attackers Hit US Energy Companies
The Department of Homeland Security is raising an alarm over a wave of cyber attacks from the Middle East that has targeted the processing systems of US energy companies. The NYT reports: “We are concerned by these intrusions, and we … Continue reading
ESSAY
Cameron Bullish on Syria, Russia
David Cameron is in Washington this week, and Syria is among the things he is most keen to talk about with President Obama. Cameron, who spoke at length with Vladimir Putin about the Syrian crisis this weekend in Sochi, walked … Continue reading
ESSAY
Iran’s Reformists Get Their Candidate?
Iran’s looming elections in June got a bit more interesting over the weekend. First, a criminal complaint was opened against President Ahmadinejad by Iran’s Guardian Council, a committee of powerful clerics who interpret Iran’s constitution and supervise the elections. The … Continue reading
May 11, 2013
ESSAY
Is Russia Kicking Dirt in John Kerry’s Face?
Here’s an early sign of how successful the Obama administration’s plan to get Russia on board vis-à-vis Syria: Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, told the press today that Moscow will send air defense missiles to Syria after all. Moscow plans … Continue reading
ESSAY
NYT: Uh Oh, Benghazi Might Actually Be A Scandal
With the New York Times now running a front page story on what might be deliberately false statements made by the White House about the Benghazi emails, the scandal has entered a new stage. Benghazi isn’t about a few … Continue reading
May 10, 2013
ESSAY
Are Israel and Turkey Trying to Scuttle US-Russia Plan on Syria?
The dust is still settling after a hectic week in the Middle East, but it’s worth taking a look at an interesting chain of events. First, John Kerry traveled to Moscow and agreed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to hold … Continue reading
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