Posted on Wed, April 13, 2011 at 17:15 pm CEST
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Reading Ahmadinejad in Riga

There’s nothing like having to explain a complex subject to people to improve one’s own understanding of the issues… Continue reading

Topics: Arab-Israeli Conflict • Communism • Egypt • Europe • Iran • Islamism • Latvia • Russian Federation • The Middle East • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Tue, April 12, 2011 at 17:13 pm CEST
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The Fading Masquerade: Ergenekon and the Politics of Justice in Turkey

On the afternoon of March 30, 2011, Zekeriya Öz, the chief prosecutor in the controversial Ergenekon investigation, was abruptly… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Ergenekon • Islamism • The Media • Turkey 
Posted on Tue, April 12, 2011 at 02:03 am CEST
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Egypt Goes Full Circle: Back to Imprisoning Bloggers

The group that began the Egyptian revolution had just two important priorities before setting to overthrow the Mubarak regime… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Egyptian Revolution • Human Rights 
Posted on Mon, April 11, 2011 at 21:28 pm CEST
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Iran: Exiled Reformist Cleric Calls for Public Debate on Nuclear Issue

Reformist cleric Hojjat-ol-Eslam Hassan Yousefi Eshkevari, currently in exile in Germany, published an extraordinary article last week… Continue reading

Topics: Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center • Iran 
Posted on Mon, April 11, 2011 at 19:26 pm CEST
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Riots in Syria as Product of Western Plot: Iranian Media on Syria Developments

This past week, most of Iran’s conservative media have continued to provide highly limited coverage of the riots in… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Americanism • Anti-Israelism • Arab Spring • Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center • Iran • Syrian Revolution 
Posted on Mon, April 11, 2011 at 18:54 pm CEST
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What Country in the World Has the Most Journalists Imprisoned?

What country in the world has the most journalists imprisoned? The answer might surprise you. According to a recent study… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Ergenekon • Human Rights • Neo-Ottomanism • The Media • Turkey 
Posted on Sun, April 10, 2011 at 20:57 pm CEST
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Grand Mufti Claims Egypt’s Islam Is Moderate, But For How Long?

Well, without getting into things like official clerics endorsing suicide bombings, here’s what they don’t tell you… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Egypt • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood 
Posted on Sat, April 9, 2011 at 13:20 pm CEST
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How And Why Most Middle East Regimes Will Survive the Current Turmoil

In discussing recent developments in the Middle East the framework seems to be: this is the era of uprisings so now every Arab regime… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Libya War • Saudi Arabia • Shia Islam • Sunni Islam • Wahhabism 
Posted on Fri, April 8, 2011 at 22:01 pm CEST
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WikiLeaks: King of Bahrain Discusses Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel/Palestine

Bahrain’s King Hamad, despite some continuing worries about Saudi Arabia, expressed optimism about Bahrain and the region in a… Continue reading

Topics: Bahrain • Israeli–Palestinian Conflict • Jordan • Saudi Arabia • WikiLeaks 
Posted on Wed, April 6, 2011 at 00:53 am CEST
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Turkey’s Opposition Turns Social Democratic: Will the Turks Follow?

While the Turkish Justice and Development Party’s (AKP’s) record on democracy and foreign policy is less than perfectly in… Continue reading

Topics: Europe • Islamism • Turkey 
Posted on Mon, April 4, 2011 at 19:09 pm CEST
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Why Contemporary Media Is So Bad

A reader asks me: But why is media reporting so bad (obviously with many honorable exceptions). I first wrote on this topic… Continue reading

Topics: Media Bias • Miscellaneous • Multiculturalism • The Media • United States of America 
Posted on Sun, April 3, 2011 at 11:12 am CEST
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Arab Spring: Male-on-Female Atrocity in Gaza

Last month, at least eight Muslim Palestinian female journalists were physically beaten with clubs, iron chairs, and fists, stabbed, and tortured… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Gaza and Westbank • Hamas • Human Rights • Islamism • The Media 
Posted on Sat, April 2, 2011 at 19:33 pm CEST
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Syrian Revolution Takes Off – Where is American Support?

As of today, one can say that the revolution in Syria must be taken seriously. Not only were the demonstrations large but also they… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Democracy • Syrian Revolution • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Thu, March 31, 2011 at 21:03 pm CEST
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Mass Media Now Admits It Was Also Wrong About Post-Mubarak Egypt’s Foreign Policy

Now that the New York Times tells us that the Muslim Brotherhood is really strong, organized, widely supported by the army, and capable of taking… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Egyptian Revolution • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Wed, March 30, 2011 at 19:19 pm CEST
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They Have a Name for Bombing Libya

After the West shamefully ignored the brutal crushing of the democracy uprisings in Iran we now have the bizarre… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Europe • Libya War • NATO • Satire • The Middle East • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Wed, March 30, 2011 at 18:59 pm CEST
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Who Really Made Egypt’s Revolution? The Story The Media Missed

The world’s eyes have been focused on Egypt’s dramatic revolution. Yet incredibly, the media, government intelligence agencies, and… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Egyptian Revolution • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood 
Posted on Mon, March 28, 2011 at 16:12 pm CEST
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Muslim Brotherhood Proves It Is Radical and Aggressive

In his New York Times op-ed back in February, Muslim Brotherhood agent — disguised as sophisticated academic — Tariq Ramadan wrote… Continue reading

Topics: Egyptian Revolution • Islamism • Muslim Brotherhood 
Posted on Sun, March 27, 2011 at 14:50 pm CEST
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Turkey: Less Democracy But An Alternative

For several years I’ve been telling you that under its current Islamist regime, Turkey has become less and less of a democratic state… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Human Rights • Islamism • Turkey 
Posted on Sun, March 27, 2011 at 13:45 pm CEST
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Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu: “We Need to Hinder the Despotic Ambitions of AKP”

In this exclusive interview for Turkish Policy Quarterly, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu outlines his views and his Party’s position on the pressing foreign policy choices Turkey faces… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Americanism • Arab Spring • Arab-Israeli Conflict • Cyprus • Islamism • NATO • The Middle East • Turkey 
Posted on Sun, March 27, 2011 at 01:12 am CET
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Turkey’s Regional Leadership in the Middle East: Principle or Realpolitik?

In stark contrast to its support for the protest movements in Egypt and Tunisia, Turkey has abstained from taking a principled, democratic stand… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Egyptian Revolution • Islamism • Jasmine Revolution • Libya War • The Middle East • Turkey 
Posted on Sat, March 26, 2011 at 20:37 pm CET
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Why Moderate Arabs Are Horrified at Obama Administration Policy

I’ve seen a lot in media expressing the views of the Gulf Arab states and officials’ statements… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Iran • Saudi Arabia • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Fri, March 25, 2011 at 22:06 pm CET
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Arab revolts and Turkey’s new ‘old Kemalists’

The Arab revolts of 2011 awakened interest in the Turkish model, exemplifying an Islamist-rooted party building a liberal democracy… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Armenia • Democracy • Islamism • The Middle East • Turkey 
Posted on Fri, March 25, 2011 at 01:39 am CET
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The Arab Uprisings: Protest Spreads in Syria

Tensions boiled in a volatile Syrian community Thursday as thousands turned up for the funerals of people killed in unrest… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Syria 
Posted on Wed, March 23, 2011 at 20:42 pm CET
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Hillary’s Friends Echo Our Analysis: No Excuse for Not Knowing U.S. Foreign Policy Is At the Iceberg

Every analyst loves the day when policymakers and national leaders start echoing precisely what he’s been writing for… Continue reading

Topics: The Middle East • U.S. Middle East Policy • United States of America 
Posted on Tue, March 22, 2011 at 18:51 pm CET
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WikiLeaks: Who will succeed Saleh in Yemen?

After 27 years in power, President Saleh’s recent announcement that he would not seek another term… Continue reading

Topics: WikiLeaks • Yemen