Posted on Sat, December 3, 2011 at 18:13 pm CET
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Overviewing Shi’a-Sunni Conflicts

As we approach the end of the first year of what has been called the Arab Spring… Continue reading

Topics: Alawis • Arab Spring • Bahrain • Culture • Iraq • Lebanon • Religion • Saudi Arabia • Security and Defense • Shia Islam • Sunni Islam • Syria • Yemen 
Posted on Sat, December 3, 2011 at 16:59 pm CET
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Iranian terrorist cell exposed in Bahrain

A terrorist cell was recently exposed in Bahrain, which according to the Bahraini and… Continue reading

Topics: Bahrain • Counter-terrorism • GCC • Iran • Islamic Terrorism • Saudi Arabia • Security and Defense • Shia Islam • Sunni Islam 
Posted on Fri, December 2, 2011 at 00:04 am CET
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Turkey Falls Out with Russia: Another Sign of a Foreign Policy in Crisis

Wherever one looks, Turkey’s “zero problems with neighbors” policy is fading… Continue reading

Topics: Diplomacy • Energy • Neo-Ottomanism • Politics • Russian Federation • Security and Defense • Turkey 
Posted on Thu, December 1, 2011 at 22:52 pm CET
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Hope and Change in Egypt; Naiveté and Wishful Thinking in the West

There are three arguments supporting this policy that are worth discussing in large part because… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Egypt • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood • Politics 
Posted on Thu, December 1, 2011 at 01:13 am CET
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Turkey and Syria: from Friendship to War?

The inability of the Baath regime in Damascus to bring the situation in the country under control has compelled Turkey to… Continue reading

Topics: Alawis • Diplomacy • Economy • Kurdish People • Politics • Security and Defense • Syria • Turkey 
Posted on Thu, December 1, 2011 at 00:11 am CET
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Egyptian Election Outcome is Worse Than Expected

Since last February I have predicted that the Muslim Brotherhood would win elections in Egypt… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Egypt • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood • Politics • Salafism 
Posted on Wed, November 30, 2011 at 00:25 am CET
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Who Killed The Next One Hundred People Like Rafiq Tagi? You Did

Can a single moderate whether secularist or someone who wants to interpret Islam in a more liberal way feel safe… Continue reading

Topics: Azerbaijan • Human Rights • Iran • Islamism • Religion • The Middle East 
Posted on Tue, November 29, 2011 at 01:36 am CET
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Radical Chic Catastrophes: When Romanticism Trumps Reason

The radical is always the more glamorous… Continue reading

Topics: Communism • Islamic Fundamentalism • Islamofascism • Multiculturalism • Nazi Germany • The Middle East 
Posted on Mon, November 28, 2011 at 22:48 pm CET
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Is Morocco Immune to Upheaval?

The uprisings that swept across the Middle East and North Africa during 2011 have largely bypassed Morocco… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Islamism • Morocco 
Posted on Mon, November 28, 2011 at 16:38 pm CET
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Iran: Possible scenarios of war against Iran: a look from Tehran

For years the West has tried various tactics against Iran… Continue reading

Topics: Iran • Security and Defense 
Posted on Mon, November 28, 2011 at 03:21 am CET
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WikiLeaks: Syria Denies Supplying Ballistic Missiles to Hizballah

Syrian Vice FM Miqdad flatly denying any Syrian role in the supply of weapons to Hizballah… Continue reading

Topics: Diplomacy • Hezbollah • Lebanon • Security and Defense • Syria • U.S. Middle East Policy • WikiLeaks 
Posted on Mon, November 28, 2011 at 03:20 am CET
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WikiLeaks: Syria’s Proxy War in Iraq

The Islamists in Seidnaya responsible for the riots were part of a cadre of inmates sent to Iraq sometime after 2003 to fight with the insurgency… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Americanism • Iraq • Security and Defense • Syria • WikiLeaks 
Posted on Mon, November 28, 2011 at 03:19 am CET
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WikiLeaks: Syria Defends “Peaceful Objectives” against Israeli “Threats”

Syrian FM Muallim separately briefed Arab and European ambassadors on… Continue reading

Topics: Israel • Security and Defense • Syria • WikiLeaks 
Posted on Mon, November 28, 2011 at 02:22 am CET
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Egyptian Moderates Throw Themselves to the Wolves

On the eve of the Egyptian election, I’m really disgusted with the collapse of the moderate forces… Continue reading

Topics: Egypt • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood • Politics 
Posted on Mon, November 28, 2011 at 00:55 am CET
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Countdown to Conflict: Military Build-Up around Syria

The armies of Syria’s seven neighbors were already scrambling into position on standby on its borders for acts of… Continue reading

Topics: Hezbollah • Israel Defense Forces • Jordan • Russian Federation • Security and Defense • Syria • Turkey • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Sun, November 27, 2011 at 21:18 pm CET
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The Coming Oil-Shale Revolution?

To preface, when it comes to global petroleum supplies, a distinction is drawn between… Continue reading

Topics: Energy • Iraq • Islamism • OPEC • Saudi Arabia • United States of America • Wahhabism 
Posted on Sun, November 27, 2011 at 01:52 am CET
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WikiLeaks: Outreach to Egyptian Democracy and Human Rights Activists

The US embassy in Cairo continues to actively support and promote democracy and human rights… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Egypt • Human Rights • WikiLeaks 
Posted on Sat, November 26, 2011 at 22:53 pm CET
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WikiLeaks: frustration over the bread crisis, rising food prices and corruption leads to social unrest in Egypt

Rising global food prices are hitting Egypt’s poor hard and are the major contributor to… Continue reading

Topics: Economy • Egypt • WikiLeaks 
Posted on Fri, November 25, 2011 at 20:42 pm CET
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What Do Totalitarians Do When They Gain Power Democratically?

These politicians know precisely what they want to do… Continue reading

Topics: Egypt • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood • Politics • Religion • The Middle East 
Posted on Tue, November 22, 2011 at 01:10 am CET
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WikiLeaks: Syria Wanted to Buy UAV Components from German Firm

Clinton requested the US embassy in Berlin to inform the government of Germany about… Continue reading

Topics: Germany • Security and Defense • Syria 
Posted on Mon, November 21, 2011 at 18:18 pm CET
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Jordan’s King Abdullah meets with Abbas discussing Syria and Israel-Palestinian issue in a rare West Bank visit

Jordan’s King Abdullah II arrived in Ramallah at very short notice for his first visit in more than a decade… Continue reading

Topics: Diplomacy • Jordan • Palestinian Authority • Qatar • Saudi Arabia • Syria • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Mon, November 21, 2011 at 13:00 pm CET
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Europe and the Palestinians: What’s the Difference Between Ordinary Insanity and Middle East Policy Insanity?

What is the definition of Middle East policy insanity?… Continue reading

Topics: Economy • Europe • Israeli–Palestinian Conflict • Palestinian Authority • Politics 
Posted on Sun, November 20, 2011 at 19:33 pm CET
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Iran’s NPT withdrawal threats resume following IAEA report

Iran once again threatens to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) following… Continue reading

Topics: International Atomic Energy Agency • Iran • Politics • United Nations 
Posted on Sun, November 20, 2011 at 16:57 pm CET
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Brothers in Arms: The Muslim Brotherhood Takes Over the (Sunni) Arab World

On November 28, Egyptians will vote for a parliament which will also write the country’s new constitution… Continue reading

Topics: Egypt • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood • Religion • Sunni Islam • Syria • Tunisia • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Sun, November 20, 2011 at 15:38 pm CET
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Aliaa ElMahdy is not afraid of being a woman despite harassment in Egypt

Aliaa Magda ElMahdy, a blogger and female activist, sparked controversy and attracted both criticism and admiration in Egypt after… Continue reading

Topics: Crethi Plethi • Culture • Democracy • Egypt • Global Islam • Human Rights • Religion • Salafism • Sharia Law