A new security structure for the Persian Gulf ?
written by: Dieter Farwick
Aug 03, 2010

- Book review written by Dieter Farwick, Global Editor WSN -

In his new book, " Building Security in the Persian ...more

Losing the Scent in South Lebanon
written by: Jonathan Spyer
Jul 29, 2010

Last week, the IDF released evidence of Hizbullah stockpiling of weaponry in populated civilian areas of southern Lebanon. The IDF material showed an aerial map of the Shi'ite town of El Khiam. The map showed details of a developed military infrastructure woven into the fabric of the town's civilian ...more

Why Israel Shouldn't Attack Iranian Nuclear Installations--Unless It Has to Do So
written by: Barry Rubin
Jul 28, 2010

An Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear installations for the purpose of trying to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons at all would be a mistake. Instead, Israel should plan--and indeed is planning--for a multi-layer campaign of airstrikes, missile defenses, and other measures in the event of Iran ...more

PA President Abbas: "Hamas is part of the Palestinian people."
written by: Manuela Paraipan
Jul 26, 2010

As proximity talks are about to end between the Palestinians and Israel, Mahmoud Abbas comments in Bucharest on the current convoluted situation

On July 13, I caught up with President Mahmoud Abbas in a villa in Bucharest where he was staying at the invitation of ...more

Interview with Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq
written by: Corneliu Pivariu
Jul 13, 2010

Question (Q): How do you evaluate the meeting you had with Ph.D. Iyyad Allawi? Are there any common standpoints which would allow further consultations between your State of Law Coalition and Allawi’s Iraqi ...more

Containing Iran Requires Getting Smart, Tough, and Serious
written by: Barry Rubin
Jul 12, 2010

Note: This is an updated and revised version of my article in the July-August issue of Foreign Affairs.

It should be too obvious to have to say so but unfortunately some people don't get it: dealing with a nuclear-armed Iran is an extraordinarily important task in which the lives ...more

Iran moves radar to Syria: US official
Jul 07, 2010

Iran has moved radar to Syria that could provide early-warning against a possible surprise Israeli air attack against Tehran's nuclear sites, a US defense official said on Friday.

The radar transfer was first reported in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday and prompted the State Department ...more

Sadrists: Unstable opportunists or pragmatic power brokers?
written by: Daniel Graeber
Jul 05, 2010

Iraq is still without a government more than three months after Iraqi voters gave the secular Iraqiya slate of Iyad Allawi a narrow victory over the State of Law coalition of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Many observers -- and several of the Iraqi leaders themselves -- believe there ...more

Gaza Flotilla: What Message Does the West Send to the Arab and Muslim World?
written by: Ruba Zinati
Jun 30, 2010

Looking at the political scene for both the Palestinians and the Israelis, one would find it very much similar and at the same time very much different. The similarity between them lies in the fact that both, the government of Hamas and that of the coalition government of ...more

An 11th-hour opportunity
written by: Mahmoud Abbas
Jun 16, 2010

RAMALLAH - Negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis have resumed after a year and a half of a stalemate that began after Israel launched its devastating military assault against the Gaza Strip in December 2008.

The resumption of negotiations came as a result of concerted and persistent ...more

What Motivates Israeli Policy and Actions
written by: Barry Rubin
Jun 15, 2010

I use the opportunity of being interviewed to discuss current developments.

Vice-President Joe Biden has visited Cairo. Do you think his summit with President Husni Mubarak could be useful for solving the Gaza crisis? Is Egypt a strong voice inside Palestinian world?

...more

Interviewing Hamas in Lebanon
written by: Manuela Paraipan
Jun 07, 2010

Ousama Hamdan used to be the go-between between Hamas and Iran, but for years has been the Hamas leader in Lebanon. He talks about problems with the peace process in the Middle East, and the challenges of political partnerships

Introduction

At the ...more

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev visited Syria and Turkey
written by: Corneliu Pivariu
Jun 01, 2010

President Medvedev's visits to Damascus and Ankara (10-13 May) are part of Russia's political plan of regaining the strategic positions that it lost after the fall of communism and the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Syria has always ...more

Obama Administration Embraces Russia As "Helpful"; Moscow Stabs U.S. in Back
written by: Barry Rubin
May 27, 2010

If America's Middle East position collapses in the forest will anyone hear it? The answer is either: apparently no, or just barely. As I've predicted Russia is coming back into the region and it is going to play a very bad role. Moscow is linking up with the emerging Islamist alliance of Iran, Syria, Hamas, and Hizballah.

Ahmadinejad Unveils His Grand Strategy: A Nuclear Defensive Umbrella for Aggression
written by: Barry Rubin
May 26, 2010

Whatever you think of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad he is not a stupid man. And he's also not acting like an intimidated one. During the latest UN meeting on nuclear issues, when the new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)director-general urged Iran to "clarify" its activities, the ...more

Political Shi' ism: from engaging the state to replacing it
written by: Fouad Gehad Marei
May 18, 2010

"The essence behind the survival of nations is [social] justice and [citizen's] dignity [...] we will start a new chapter in Lebanese history by pursuing the rights of those who are suffering dispossession¹."

(a) The birth of Political ...more

Omar Karami: "Arabs and Muslims feel the U.S. administration is not an honest power broker"
written by: Manuela Paraipan
May 10, 2010

- Interview with Omar Karami, a former Prime Minister of Lebanon, conducted by Manuela Paraipan, WSN Editor Broader Middle East -

Egypt at the Doorsteps of a Major Transition
written by: Patrick Khamadi
Apr 29, 2010

Introduction

As President Hosni Mubarak 81, ponders over his ebbing leadership role, many Egyptians, and indeed regional and international observers are closely watching events in this geopolitically important nation.

Although Mubarak is once quoted as saying that ...more

Listen to the Two Best Arab Journalists Warning What A Nuclear-Armed Iran Means
written by: Barry Rubin
Apr 28, 2010

The two Arab journalists I most respect have written of the fear in Arabic-speaking countries about Iran's having nuclear weapons. They explain persuasively why a U.S. containment policy of reassuring Arab states and Israel against direct nuclear attack is totally inadequate.
Listen to what ...more

Would a Palestinian State Solve America's Middle-East Problems?
written by: Daniel Zucker
Apr 22, 2010

Given the current view espoused in much of the media that the Palestinian-Israeli squabble is the root of all or much of America's poor image in the Arab world, we might want to examine whether creating a Palestinian state-in whichever form of borders-would indeed solve the problems that ...more

The Quartet "plays" to an almost empty room
written by: Corneliu Pivariu
Apr 09, 2010

On 19 March 2010, the Quartet on the Middle East (the United Nations, Russia, the USA, and the EU) had a new reunion in Moscow. Ever since its establishment in 2002, by the initiative of the Spanish prime minister at the time, Aznar, as a result of the escalating conflict in the Middle East - the ...more

Syria - the modern sphinx in Middle East's power struggle
written by: Manuela Paraipan
Mar 28, 2010

Damascus seen from Damascus is different than Damascus seen from either Bucharest or Beirut. The first viewpoint offers nuances that are otherwise ignored.

An isolated, almost pariah-like country to the West, Syria is trying to improve its position: if it ...more

Turkey and its foreign policy in the time of Gul - Erdogan - Davutoglu
written by: Corneliu Pivariu
Mar 17, 2010

"In 2023, when the country will celebrate 100 years since the creation of the modern Turkish state, I see Turkey as a full EU member, after having fulfilled all the membership requests, living in peace with its neighbors, integrated with the ...more

When It Comes to Analyzing the Middle East, We Live in an Age of Idiocy
written by: Barry Rubin
Mar 04, 2010

After more than 30 years of watching people write dumb things about the Middle East, I believe that in the last month I've seen more nonsense than at any previous time. The problem arises from ignorance, lack of understanding of the region by those presented as experts; plus arrogance, treating the ...more

Needed Preliminary Steps on the Road to Middle East Peace
written by: Daniel Zucker
Feb 18, 2010

Last month President Barack H. Obama, in his first State of the Union address, admitted that his Middle East policy as pertains to the Israel-Palestine conflict has been a failure. Iran's continued rejection of all western diplomatic offers demonstrates graphically that ...more

Afghanistan & Pakistan: A new and comprehensive NATO Double-Track Decision is needed
written by: Dr. Hubertus Hoffmann
Jan 22, 2010

"We cannot solve the problems we have created with the same thinking that created them." (Albert Einstein)

"A war is not won if the defeated enemy has not been turned into a friend." (Eric ...more

U.S. steps up arms sales to Persian Gulf allies
written by: Joby Warrick
Feb 03, 2010

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- The Obama administration is quietly working with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf allies to speed up arms ...more

Japan's Peacebuilding Policy toward Afghanistan: The Need for a Civilian Surge to Improve Security
written by: Yuji Uesugi
Feb 01, 2010

On 1^st December 2009, US President Barack Obama announced his new strategy toward Afghanistan. Overall, it was a reasonable strategy that reflected the US position in the struggle, with its situation analysis and objectives based on an earlier version announced in February 2009. Obama ...more