Posted on Mon, April 30, 2012 at 21:32 pm CEST
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Libya: Assessing Berber Prospects

One reason the term “Arab Spring” is a misnomer is because of the participation of non-Arabs, including Kurds in Iraq and Syria as well as Berbers in Morocco and Libya… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Berbers • Libya • Maghreb • Religion 
Posted on Mon, April 23, 2012 at 20:17 pm CEST
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Egypt’s Elections: Titanic of Western Interests, Meet Iceberg of Islamist Revolutionary Zeal

Egypt will hold its presidential election May 23-24 with a possible run-off on June 16-17. It is impossible at this point to predict what’s going to happen but I can make a good guess… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Egypt • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood 
Posted on Sat, April 7, 2012 at 18:46 pm CEST
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After the Arab Spring, Salafists are Moving Closer to Changing the Face of the Maghreb

Now the initial euphoria about the Arab revolts has subsided, it’s clear the ‘Arab Spring’ will not bring a liberal, secular, Western (or Islamic) model of democracy to the Arab world… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Arab World • Crethi Plethi • Democracy • Islamism • Maghreb • Mauritania • Religion • Salafism 
Posted on Sat, March 31, 2012 at 13:45 pm CEST
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The Syrian Uprising: Syria’s Struggling Civil Society

Authoritarian regimes have traditionally been disinclined to accept any political or social opposition and have been hostile to the development of an independent civil society that could form a counterweight to state power… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Arab World • Culture • Democracy • Syria • Syrian Revolution • Turkey 
Posted on Fri, March 9, 2012 at 20:16 pm CET
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Free Markets Can Transform the Middle East

As the high hopes for a brave new Middle East fade rapidly, Western policymakers must recognize that promoting market economics and its inevitable cultural changes are far more critical to the region’s well-being than encouraging free elections or resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Economy • Egypt • The Middle East 
Posted on Fri, March 2, 2012 at 00:45 am CET
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Let Us Compare Al-Assad to Israel

Tariq Alhomayed wrote a column about the Arab hypocrisy in dealing with the ongoing slaughter in Syria by dictator Bashar al-Assad… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Arab World • Crethi Plethi • Human Rights • Israel • Politics • Syrian Revolution 
Posted on Mon, February 27, 2012 at 16:01 pm CET
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Debate in the Mainstream Arabic-Speaking Universe: Only One Flavor Available

Westerners tend to believe that the debate in the Arabic-speaking universe is sort of like debate in the West… Continue reading

Topics: Afghanistan • Anti-Americanism • Anti-Zionism • Arab Spring • Arab World • Russian Federation • Syrian Revolution • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Tue, February 21, 2012 at 22:52 pm CET
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Bashar’s ‘Iron Fist’

The iron fist against “terrorist gangs” as promised by Bashar Assad got off to a fairly impressive start two weeks ago… Continue reading

Topics: Al-Qaeda • Arab Spring • Religion • Security and Defense • Syrian Revolution 
Posted on Tue, February 21, 2012 at 21:21 pm CET
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The Two Faces of Al Jazeera

One of the principal beneficiaries of the Arab uprisings has been Al Jazeera television… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Israelism • Anti-Semitism • Arab Spring • Islamism • Qatar • The Media 
Posted on Sat, February 18, 2012 at 16:33 pm CET
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From Asharq Al-Awsat: Libya’s new Intelligence Chief, Salem al-Hassi

Asharq Al-Awsat conducted a lengthy telephone interview with Al-Hassi from Tripoli… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Libya • Politics • Security and Defense 
Posted on Fri, February 17, 2012 at 21:14 pm CET
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Demography is Destiny in Syria

Among the second wave of Arab Spring uprisings that followed Tunisia, Syria was the most spectacular “out of the blue” that suddenly arose in the face of the media and analytic community… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Economy • History • Syria • Syrian Revolution 
Posted on Thu, February 16, 2012 at 00:36 am CET
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Good-Bye, Middle East! Quietly, Liberals and Minorities are Fleeing

I wonder how much higher are the number of visa applications from Egypt, Tunisia, and Turkey to North America, Europe, and Australia… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Arab World • Democracy • Human Rights • Islamism • Salafism • The Middle East 
Posted on Tue, February 14, 2012 at 20:35 pm CET
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What to Do About Syria

There is a strong case that can be made for doing nothing about the Syrian civil war, but a stronger case can be made for doing something… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • China • Russian Federation • Security and Defense • Syria • Syrian Revolution • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Mon, February 6, 2012 at 15:07 pm CET
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Iran and the uprisings in the Arab world: Islamic Awakening and Youths

An international conference titled Islamic Awakening and Youths convened in Tehran last week… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Zionism • Arab Spring • Global Islam • Iran 
Posted on Mon, February 6, 2012 at 14:29 pm CET
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Egypt: When the Moderates are Radicals You’re in Trouble

The Middle East is so strange in Western terms, so different, and having its own unique history and institutions that unless you are really aware of those differences please pick something else to be an expert on… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Egypt • Islamic Fundamentalism 
Posted on Sun, January 29, 2012 at 20:59 pm CET
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Why Syria’s Regime is Surviving a Revolution

Despite what is now the longest-running revolution in Middle Eastern history, the Syrian regime will probably be in power on December 31, 2012… Continue reading

Topics: Alawis • Arab League • Arab Spring • Russian Federation • Syrian Revolution 
Posted on Wed, January 25, 2012 at 19:19 pm CET
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Obama’s State of the Union Speech: My Response Discovers Some Curious Insights and Strange Formulations

In his State of the Union message, President Barack Obama began by wrapping himself in the flag, patriotism, and love of the armed forces while trying to highlight his foreign policy achievements… Continue reading

Topics: Afghanistan • Al-Qaeda • Arab Spring • Diplomacy • Iraq • Politics • Security and Defense • U.S. Middle East Policy • United States of America • War on Terrorism 
Posted on Wed, January 25, 2012 at 16:51 pm CET
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America and the Arab Spring

A year ago this week, on January 25, 2011, the ground began to crumble under then-Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak’s feet… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Bahrain • Democracy • Egyptian Revolution • Human Rights • Iraq • Islamic Fundamentalism • Islamism • Israel • Jordan • Libya War • Muslim Brotherhood • Salafism • Syria • U.S. Middle East Policy • Yemen 
Posted on Fri, January 20, 2012 at 00:57 am CET
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Who’s Winning in the Middle East? Everyone Outside the West Knows It’s The Islamists

And the Americans brought them to power… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Israelism • Arab Spring • Democracy • Islamic Countries • Islamic Fundamentalism • Islamism • Israeli–Palestinian Conflict • Religion • Security and Defense • The Middle East 
Posted on Wed, January 18, 2012 at 19:53 pm CET
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The Middle East in 2012: The Year of Living Dangerously

The region-wide upheaval known as “the Arab Spring” would make it seem that terrorism, especially Islamist terrorism, is pretty much as dead as are its thousands of victims… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Islamic Countries • Islamic Fundamentalism • Islamic Terrorism • Islamism • The Middle East 
Posted on Sat, January 14, 2012 at 13:25 pm CET
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The Visit of a Hamas leader to Tunisia, the Arab Spring, and crass pro-Palestinian apologism

When Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ leader in the Gaza Strip, visited Tunisia, he was met with an ecstatic welcome from both the Tunisian public and authorities alike… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Israelism • Arab Spring • Hamas • Islamism • Jew-Hatred • Rob Harris • Tunisia 
Posted on Wed, January 4, 2012 at 21:47 pm CET
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Sunni versus Shia: The Middle East’s New Strategic Conflict

Conflicts between Sunni and Shia Muslims are not at all new, but… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Egyptian Revolution • Iran • Iraq • Islamism • Jasmine Revolution • Lebanon • Libya War • Politics • Religion • Security and Defense • Shia Islam • Sunni Islam • Syrian Revolution • The Middle East 
Posted on Fri, December 30, 2011 at 00:17 am CET
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After the “Arab Spring”: Will Freedom Take Hold in the Arab World?

At the end of 2011 is anyone in the Arabic-speaking world better off as a result of the upheavals of the Arab Spring… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Bahrain • Barry Rubin • Democracy • Egypt • Human Rights • Libya • The Middle East • Tunisia • Yemen 
Posted on Tue, December 27, 2011 at 18:41 pm CET
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Tunisia: There’s Still Hope for Democracy Because The Majority Doesn’t Want Islamism

Is Tunisia, the Arab world’s historically most moderate country in social and intellectual terms, headed for Islamism… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Islamism • Jasmine Revolution • Tunisia 
Posted on Sun, December 25, 2011 at 22:53 pm CET
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Turkey’s 2012 Re-Adjustment to Post-“Zero Problems” in the Aftermath of the Arab Awakenings

Turkey’s emergence in the 21st century as a Middle Eastern power has been in the making for the last decade… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Diplomacy • Politics • The Middle East • Turkey