The Israeli/Palestinian conflict, long entrenched in the Executive and Legislative branches of the American government, is finally working its way deep into the Judicial as well. This week the Supreme Court ruled, 8-1, that the lower courts could make a decision on the issue of placing Israel as the country of birth in the passports […]
The following is a guest post by Leila Hanafi. The profound unrest the world witnessed throughout the Middle East and North Africa over the past year has prompted some Arab governments to introduce a series of dynamic and responsive measures via reforms. At the very heart of the unrest, echoed from the Maghreb to the […]
While Turkish foreign policy makers have been emphasizing concepts such as ‘soft power’ and ‘zero-problems policy’ after the ascent of the AKP government in 2002, the Arab Spring effectively heralded an era in which Turkey is retaining its soft power advantages, while simultaneously pursuing a more Realist (as in IR theory) outlook, similar to its […]
This article originally appeared on the Fikra Forum (March 22, 2012) —————————– In recent months, as uncertainty over Assad’s future continues, Turkey’s position with regard to its potential military or humanitarian intervention has been heavily debated. While Turkish leaders have condemned the Syrian government’s brutal suppression of dissent since February 2011 and warned several times […]
“The public sees no reason to get involved in foreign adventures. So you have to whip them up. And to whip them up you have to frighten them.” – Noam Chomsky So here we go again. Nine years after the invasion of Iraq, the mainstream press marches in step to the melodies of our Pied […]
The following was taken from Jspace.com. The article was written by Jspace Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Rob Lattin, who also blogs about Israeli and Middle Eastern foreign policy for Foreign Policy Blogs. While US and Israeli leaders were talking tough on Iran at last week’s AIPAC Policy Conference, reports and rumors began swirling that Iran may very well […]
Guest Contribution by Sheherezade Faramarzi Ms. Sheherezade Faramarzi is a Middle East-based journalist and analyst who has covered the region since 1978. The following piece was originally published in Al-Ahram Weekly Online. With Permission from Al-Ahram Weekly Online. “The end of Al-Assad’s regime will end Iran’s regional influence, so one can expect Tehran to play a full hand […]
Al-Qaeda, the terrorist group that seeks to establish the return of the Islamic Caliphate over the Muslim world is believed to have grown way beyond “containment security parameters,” posing a very real threat to Yemen’s national hegemony within in its own territories. As Yemenis rose against President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the wake of Egyptian […]
The following was taken from Jspace.com, which is providing exclusive coverage of the 2012 AIPAC Policy Conference. The article was written by Jspace Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Rob Lattin, who also blogs about Israeli and Middle Eastern foreign policy for Foreign Policy Blogs. While Cairo and Damascus are burning, things in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan seem […]
The San Diego Gay and Lesbian News is reporting that human rights NGOs based in Iraq have received alarming reports that the country is facing another bloody wave of targeted attacks on men, women and children who are believed to be gay or lesbian. In the past month, some 40 Iraqis accused of homosexual preference […]
The following was taken from Jspace.com, which is providing exclusive coverage of the 2012 AIPAC Policy Conference. The article was written by Jspace Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Rob Lattin, who also blogs about Israeli and Middle Eastern foreign policy for Foreign Policy Blogs. Cyber warfare is becoming an increasingly important problem, as Israel very well knows. […]
Anyone casually following the news of Israel recently would assume that the question is not if, but when, Israel will attack Iran. No Israeli leader seems to be able to speak publicly without mentioning the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and Israel’s need to prevent it from moving forward. President Obama just gave an exclusive interview […]
Right after U.S. forces went into Afghanistan in 2001 — in those heady “Paris 1944” days of liberating Kabul and most of the country — one of my best friends put to me an urgent request. Knowing I was en route to Kabul he asked me to please bring him a “Karzai hat” upon my […]
A full-page ad in today’s Washington Post featuring former top U.S. military and intelligence officials urging President Obama to resist the pressure for a war of choice with Iran. The ad, sponsored by National Iranian-American Council (NIAC), comes on the same day that President Obama is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at […]
The following session was held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Friday February 24. http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/02/24/battle-for-power-in-iran/9ojx Mehrzad Boroujerdi is Associate Professor of Political Science at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs where he also serves as the Founding Director of the Middle Eastern Studies Program and Founding Co-Director of the Religion, […]