Latest Articles about Middle East
Parsing China’s Policy Toward Iran
On November 8th, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a report that said Iran appeared to be carrying out research activities “relevant to the development of a nuclear weapon” [1]. The report caused a temporary reemergence of the Iranian nuclear issue to the fore... MORE
The Turn to Armed Rebellion in Syria: The Rise of the Free Syrian Army
Tensions in the Levant remain at a fever pitch as the uprising against the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad presses ahead into its ninth month in the face of a relentless government crackdown and a rising body count Occurring on the back of the... MORE
Jihadists and Saudi Arabia in the Shadow of the Arab Spring
In the 1980s the Saudi Arabia-United States alliance supported the mujahedeen in Afghanistan in their battle against the Soviet Union. Hostility has since grown between al-Qaeda, which formed later and the Saudi regime. Hostilities started after the 1991 Gulf War when the Islamic opposition became... MORE
The Impossible Dream: Tehran Rethinks its Commitment to an Iranian-Built Aircraft Carrier
In late September, the Iranian navy announced it would build an aircraft carrier with the capacity to engage in defensive military operations in the Persian Gulf (Press TV September 28; Fars News, September 28), The statement came as the Iranian navy also announced the near... MORE
Hezbollah Risks Regional Credibility by Its Support for the Syrian Regime
In Syria, like no other country in the Middle East, the mass protest movement widely known as “the Arab Spring” could change the entire regional order if it resulted in toppling the regime. This possibility appears even clearer in the context of Syrian-Lebanese relations. For... MORE
A Comparative Look at the Islamists of the Egyptian and Tunisian Revolutions
The October 23 elections in Tunisia and the November 28 elections in Egypt are perhaps the first indicators of the health of politics and society after the Arab revolutions that exploded in early 2011. The elections were expected to be the beginning of a victory... MORE
BRIEFS
SAUDI SHAYKH A’ID AL-QARNI URGES ARABS TO MANUFACTURE NUCLEAR WEAPONS Dr. A’id al-Qarni, a popular Saudi religious scholar known for his provocative observations on Islamic society and a series of best-selling books that present Islamic solutions to life’s problems in the “self-help” format common in... MORE
Jordan’s Abu Sayyaf: The Key Islamist Actor in Ma’an
One of the significant yet underreported impacts of the Arab Spring on the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was the visible participation of jihadis protesting in the streets of Amman and other major Jordanian cities such as Ma’an, Salt, Irbid and Zarqa. Inspired by the power... MORE
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ISRAEL TO ASSIST KENYA IN BATTLE AGAINST AL-SHABAAB Kenyan reports say Israeli personnel will help secure potential targets in Kenya from terrorist attacks. The Israeli security experts are expected to start work in the next few weeks. According to Israeli ambassador Gil Haskel: “Israel is... MORE
Al-Qaeda and Algiers Struggle to Cope with the Implications of the Arab Spring
Al-Qaeda’s media arm released a video from Dr. Ayman al-Zawhiri in October that focused mainly on American “defeats,” but also offered the al-Qaeda leader’s views on Algeria. Al-Zawahiri called upon the people of Algeria to rise up against their government, which he claimed was guilty,... MORE