As 2010 starts, the same two stories that dominated the headlines in 2009 are in the news already. The post-election protests and the ongoing game of nuclear brinkmanship are still continuing. Here is an AFP video that highlights the major events that took place in Iran in 2009, giving us an insight as to what […]
Regardless of you’re political views on Israel, the settlers, the two-state solution, and any other highly politicized issue, there rarely is there such a blatant example of the difference in values and tactics between Israel and its enemies. The IDF has been accused of certain questionable tactics (ie. Goldstone report) but the military still attempts […]
The New York Times reported on January 1 that the U.S. has dismissed the criminal charges against Blackwater for opening fire on Iraqi civilians in 2007. Many Iraqi citizens were angered by the news, with one of the men injured during the gunfight saying that the U.S. is letting criminals go free. The Federal judge […]
Israelis and Palestinians alike generally exhale a sigh of relief as news reports, often citing undisclosed official sources, indicate Israel and Hamas are finalizing a prisoner swap and Fatah and Hamas are prepared to agreed to a reconciliation deal. Foreign officials, particularly Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, regularly insert themselves into the drama and use both situations to […]
The FPA Israel blog person of the year was abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. You can vote on the Ha’aretz Web site for your top choices on the person of the decade. Selections include: Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu PA President Mahmoud Abbas Jordanian King Abdullah II Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad The Obama Team Former President […]
An immediate reflection of this detachment is seen in the absence of a clerical figure leading today’s masses in the streets of Iran and the shrinkage of Mr. Moussavi and Mr. Karrubi into nothing more than symbolic figures with no significant impact on the movement’s direction.
Hi. My name is Derek Catsam. I am the Senior Blogger for the Foreign Policy Association’s Africa Blog. We are undergoing immense growth and transition at the FPA Blogs. One of these is to consolidate our many fine blogs (which make up the largest network of foreign affairs blogs anywhere) into coherent, managable categories. This blog will be combined […]
Lebanon has undergone some significant changes in the past six months. The pro-Western March 14 coalition narrowly triumphed in the surprisingly peaceful June parliamentary elections; after some intense political wrangling, a cabinet was formed that was acceptable to most; and recently Lebanon’s Prime Minister has been on the move garnering support for his country and […]
The Israeli government, settlers, the IDF, Palestinians, the Palestinians Authority, and terrorists all have diferent narratives and motivations on the events of the past few days that left one Israeli killed and six Palestinians dead. This situation brings to light some challenges and problems with the status quo of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Fact: An Israeli […]
In an op-ed in todays New York Times, Alan Kuperman, director of the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Program at the University of Texas at Austin, outlines the reasons that negotiations with Iran to thwart its nuclear program have not and will not work. Instead, he calls for precision, aerial strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. And instead of […]
A new poll indicates a majority of Israelis would pay almost anything for the return of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, an issue currently stalled on whether certain terrorists held in Israeli prisons would be deported outside Israel and the territories. The poll, conducted jointly by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement […]
The United States’ role in the peace process has always drawn significant attention. Some critics allege the United States cannot serve as a proper mediator due to U.S. officials’ unrelenting support for Israel. Others say the U.S. government, and particularly the Obama Administration, has been imposing an unfair and one-sided expectations on Israel, such as […]
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will unequivocally attempt to prevent the launching of a third intifada, a prospect bolstered by recent polls that showed a stark improvement in his popularity among Palestinians. Abbas, speaking in a 60-minute interview with the Wall Street Journal, promised that no intifada would erupt under his watch, saying he prevented […]
I haven’t read Dan Fleshler’s new book Transforming America’s Israel Lobby, but I have read a review (think belated Hanukkah gift…anyone?). And the book sounds interesting, particularly because it seems to serve as a moderate counter-part to previous so-called exposes on the Israel lobby, such as the highly controversial book The Israel Lobby by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt. […]
Prisoner swap negotiations continued today with Israeli ministers reportedly finalizing deliberations and additional details on Hamas’ demands emerging. Notably, some reports indicate that Hamas no longer seeks the release of former Fatah official and beloved Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti who is currently held in Israeli prisons. If true, this development has far-ranging impact. Most notably, Barghouti would […]