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Newest Publications
Hassan Rowhani: A Honey Trap for Iran and the World?
Other Middle East
Two Years of the Arab Spring: Reflections about Democracy in the Arab World
Two years after the outburst of what was naively called the “Arab Spring” by romantics and wishful thinkers who thought the Arab world was about to witness a new era of liberty and democracy, one can only be disappointed by the realities on the ground: Read More »
The Dangers of Accepting Iran as a Nuclear Threshold State
If this situation continues, it will become far harder in the future for any state to stop Iran’s determination to acquire nuclear weapons. Read More »
A Second Afghanistan in Mali?
In March 2012 Mali collapsed into chaos after soldiers toppled the president, with Tuareg rebels taking control of two-thirds of the country. Read More »
Michael Widlanski on the Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations by Lee Smith
Jewish Political Studies Review 23:1-2 (Spring 2011) What is the key to understanding the Middle East? Sometimes a perceptive outsider can grasp the political culture of a state or a region better than a native observer or an academic. Lee ... Read More »
Heading for War between the Two Sudans?
Since South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July 2011, there have been numerous clashes along their common border. Read More »
The Risk of Talking to Terrorists
But these are unlikely to be the conditions for talks with the Taliban, which will heavily influence their chances of success. Read More »
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: The Victory of the Islamist Justice and Development Party in Morocco
The Justice and Development Party (Hizb Al-Adala Wa At-tanmia), which is identified with the Muslim Brotherhood, has won the elections in Morocco held on 26 November 2011. The party won 107 of the 395 parliamentary seats. The party said in ... Read More »
Tunisia: The Blossoming of a Pluralistic Society?
Nine months after the popular revolution that put an end to the authoritarian regime of Zine El Abdine Ben Ali, Tunisians voted for the first time in what appear to be free and fair elections, and the voter turnout was ... Read More »
The Lessons of South Sudan
In short, the Palestinian issue has little in common with this new historical trend. Read More »
Where Is Tunisia Heading?
Iran has maintained a presence in the Tunisian arena for years. In 1987, documents found in the possession of an official of the Iranian Embassy arrested in Europe testified to the ties that Iran maintains with Tunisian fundamentalists. That same year, a Tunisian named Lutfi, who had been recruited by Iran and underwent training there prior to joining a local network in Tunisia, unveiled to French police precise information regarding Iran’s subversive activity in Tunisia. Read More »
Iran’s Nuclear Aspirations Threaten the World
The Islamic Republic has already proved it only uses talks with the West as a delaying tactic as it relentlessly pursues nuclear arms. Only severe sanctions backed by military threat will have any impact. Read More »
The Arab World’s Political Dilemma: Between Islamic “Resistance” and the Western State System
What type of political system does the Arab world want to have? Normal statehood, or a belligerent “resistance” in which the state is only a platform to provide infrastructure and services to the “resistance.” This is an inter-Arab decision, and neither Israel nor the international community can make this decision for the Arabs. There are currently three active “resistances” in the Arab world: the Iraqi “resistance,” Hizballah, and the Palestinian “resistance.” Read More »
Can Diplomacy Still Prevent Iran from Going Nuclear?
The decision of the International Atomic Energy Agency on September 24, 2005, to declare Iran in non-compliance with respect to its obligations as a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a major diplomatic development, opening the door to consideration of Iran’s nuclear weapons program by the UN Security Council. Read More »
The EU Constitutional Crisis, the Middle East, and Israel
The rejection of the proposed European Union constitution in France and the Netherlands has weakened Europe’s overall status and may influence Europe’s role in the Middle East. While past EU policies have been heavily biased against Israel, as it enters a period of disarray, EU policies may become less threatening to Israel.
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Indonesia And Israel: A Relationship In Waiting
Indonesia has faced much the same obstructions in developing its nascent relationship with Israel as have all the other Muslim-majority nations of Asia. While not inherently antithetical to Israel, Indonesia clearly places a higher value on avoiding trouble with radical Islamist elements at home than it does on normalizing relations with far-away Israel. Read More »