The Middle East

Posted on Fri, March 18, 2011 at 20:24 pm CET

Bahrain Demolishes Statue at Pearl Roundabout, Site of Anti-Government Protest

Security forces in Bahrain on Friday demolished the Pearl Monument, a landmark that had been the site of massive recent anti-government protests… Continue reading

Posted on Fri, March 18, 2011 at 18:24 pm CET

Yemen Declares ‘State of Emergency’ after Protest Massacre

President Saleh announces state of emergency after dozens are killed in a crackdown on anti-government protests. Witnesses… Continue reading

Posted on Thu, March 17, 2011 at 21:52 pm CET

Egyptian Politics Get Dangerously Messy

The issue now is a March 19 referendum on the constitutional changes proposed by a small army-appointed panel. The panel was… Continue reading

Posted on Thu, March 17, 2011 at 20:29 pm CET

U.S. Sec State Hillary Clinton Says Leaving Post At End of 2012

In a CNN interview, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she will not serve in a second- term administration of President Barack Obama… Continue reading

Posted on Thu, March 17, 2011 at 19:06 pm CET

Hamas’ Violent Crackdown on Youth Protest

Hamas police, dressed in civilian clothes, broke into Al-Katiba yard in Gaza city and attacked protesters who had gathered there… Continue reading

Posted on Tue, March 15, 2011 at 18:54 pm CET

What Should U.S. Policy be Toward the Current Middle East Situation?

People ask me what the United States should be doing toward the upheavals in the Middle East. Here’s a short, quick list of themes… Continue reading

Posted on Sun, March 13, 2011 at 02:30 am CET

U.S. Middle East Policy and Those Little Ideas That Get Millions of People Killed

I listened again to President Barack Obama’s main speech on Egypt back during the revolution and two phrases caught my ear… Continue reading

Posted on Sun, March 13, 2011 at 01:57 am CET

Turkey Remains an “Angry Nation” but could still serve as a Democratic Inspiration

Turkey remains an “Angry nation”, tormented by the many ghosts of its history, some of which still lurk in the shadows. Its political system… Continue reading

Posted on Sat, March 12, 2011 at 19:31 pm CET

Arab Political Upheavals: Obsession with Israel Blinded Westerners to the Real Middle East

As we consider the lessons of the dramatic upheavals in Arabic-speaking countries one of the main ones is this: the overriding obsession with… Continue reading

Posted on Sat, March 12, 2011 at 01:50 am CET

U.S. Head of Intelligence James Clapper Should Be Fired

If the Obama Administration would listen more to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates it might salvage its foreign policy… Continue reading

Posted on Sat, March 12, 2011 at 01:17 am CET

Squaring the Circle: The PKK Return to Violence and Turkey’s Intractable Kurdish Problem

On February 28, 2011, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced that it was abrogating its unilateral ceasefire first declared on… Continue reading

Posted on Fri, March 11, 2011 at 19:36 pm CET

Amr Moussa: Meet Egypt’s Next President?

It’s now official. The Egyptian presidential election will pit Amr Moussa against Muhammad ElBaradei. It’s hard to see a… Continue reading

Posted on Fri, March 11, 2011 at 00:28 am CET

Why Does the Media Report the Opposite of What’s True in the Middle East?

Here’s one of a thousand examples of how Middle East reality is being misrepresented. I’m told by people that the deputy head of… Continue reading

Posted on Thu, March 10, 2011 at 01:49 am CET

Ending Turkey’s nightmare

The arrest of prominent journalists in Turkey on March 3, among them a recipient of the International Press Institute’s “World Press Freedom Hero” award… Continue reading

Posted on Wed, March 9, 2011 at 20:40 pm CET

Egypt and the Middle East: Romanticism Meets Reality

The projected million-women march turned out just 400 and they were harassed and in some cases attacked. Meanwhile, thousands of Muslims and Christians… Continue reading

Posted on Wed, March 9, 2011 at 18:27 pm CET

Egypt: Women Suffer Assault and Derision at Tahrir March

The romanticism of the Egyptian Revolution meets the reality of Islam dominated society. Read this report by Ali Abdel Mohsen about the Million Women March… Continue reading

Posted on Wed, March 9, 2011 at 17:30 pm CET

Gaddafi: The Libyan People ‘will take up Arms against Western Powers’ if Attacked

The Libyan people will take up arms against Western powers if they seek to enforce a no-fly zone in their country’s airspace… Continue reading

Posted on Wed, March 9, 2011 at 01:31 am CET

WikiLeaks: Saudis fear ‘Shia triangle’ of Iran, Iraq and Pakistan

America is often portrayed as the big dog in Pakistan’s yard: a swaggering power that makes rules, barks orders and throws its weight around… Continue reading

Posted on Tue, March 8, 2011 at 01:19 am CET

Why U.S. Policy is so Bad: An Analysis of the Current Policymaking Process

The problem is that the people most qualified to be heard and who have the better understanding of the situation are being ignored… Continue reading

Posted on Mon, March 7, 2011 at 20:27 pm CET

Arab Liberals Worry About an Islamist Egypt; Western Observers Claim There’s No Threat

while Western observers ridicule the fear of an Islamist Egypt, a lot of Arab writers are very worried. In fact, here are three articles that display such concerns… Continue reading

Posted on Mon, March 7, 2011 at 00:45 am CET

Iranian Warships Ignored Israel’s Radio Contact

The two Iranian warships ignored Israel’s radio contact calling on them to introduce themselves, Navy Commander Habibollah Sayyari said… Continue reading

Posted on Mon, March 7, 2011 at 00:07 am CET

Iran to Ban Keeping Pet Dogs, Considered a “Blind Imitation” of Western Culture

Keeping pet dogs, considered to be unclean (Najes) in Shi’ite law, is viewed as an expression of the corrupting influence of the West… Continue reading