The Latest - Arab Spring
Catastrophic Consensus: A Dissent From Spengler and Mead
Spengler (aka David Goldman) is one of my close friends and a long-time guru. William Russell Mead is just a guru, but I’m an avid fan. So when I find myself disagreeing... more...
Collision Course
President Obama is on a collision course with his allies on Syria. As Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, France, and Britain call for more aggressive steps to topple Bashar al-Assad... more...
Al Nusrah Front’s Emir to be Added to US Terrorism List
The US State Department will add Sheikh Abu Muhammad al Julani, the emir of al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists in a decision to be announced... more...
The Battle for Control of Al-Azhar
In the wake of the crisis between radical Islamists and Copts during the Coptic Easter, another major religious crisis has been unfolding in Egypt. Al-Azhar, one of the world’s most respected... more...
Israel’s Strategic Clarity in Syria
It was perhaps fitting that the multiple Israeli strikes in Damascus last week followed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s address from Tehran. Nasrallah had warned last Tuesday... more...
The Unbearable Lightness of Syria Policy
“Arming the rebels — that’s an option. You look at and rethink all options. It doesn’t mean you do or you will. . . . It doesn’t mean that the president has decided on anything.” more...
Has Assad Already Lost Control of Syria’s Chemical Weapons?
While the debate continues on the administration’s apparent slip of tongue that is causing some much confusion about President Obama’s Syria policy or rather, lack thereof... more...
Copts and the Future of Egypt
The celebration of the Coptic Easter this week sheds light on a significant political problem awaiting Egypt. While Coptic Christians are in the midst of celebrating a major holiday... more...
America’s Inexcusable Inaction
Twenty-five years ago last month, the small, northern Iraqi town of Halabja became irrevocably associated with places like Auschwitz, Srebrenica and other sites of human depravity. more...
The Fight for the Judiciary in Egypt
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood government is attempting to put over three thousand judges into retirement, in an attempt to curtail the power of the judiciary. This is not the first time the Brotherhood... more...
Assad Reading the Signs
On Monday, the pro-Assad regime Lebanese newspaper As-Safir reported that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad hosted a large delegation of loyalist Lebanese parties in Damascus. more...
The Syrian Conundrum
President Obama warned the Assad regime not to use chemical weapons against the rebels. To do so, he said, would be to cross a “red line.” So now that it’s been crossed the consequences are . . . unclear. more...
WMD Deterrence in Syria
There is one more lesson to draw from Israeli revelations about Syria’s alleged use of sarin gas against insurgents, which Max Boot commented on yesterday. more...
Protracted Syria War Not in US Interests
Thirty years ago today, at Iran’s behest and supported by Hafez al-Assad’s regime, Hezbollah attacked the US embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people. The embassy bombing, which took place... more...
Israel Still Stable Amidst the Chaos
Israeli policymakers, much like diplomats, have never been fond of drastic change in their neighborhood. “Better the devil you know…” could be Israel’s foreign policy motto. more...
Al Qaeda in Iraq, Al Nusrah Front Emerge as Rebranded Single Entity
The emir of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), Abu Bakr al Baghdadi (also known as Abu Dua), has announced a new brand for his organization's efforts: the "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant." The new name replaces... more...
Challenges Ahead for Lebanon’s Next Prime Minister
On March 22, the Hezbollah-dominated government of Lebanon collapsed after its Prime Minister, Najib Miqati, resigned. Following consultations with members of parliament, President Michel Suleiman tasked MP Tammam Salam with forming a new government. more...
Holy Wars
In much of what we now call the Muslim world, Muslims are fighting Muslims. The conflicts fall into two broad categories: those in which militants battle militants, and those in which militants battle moderates. The outcomes of these conflicts matter. more...
Why is Ansar al-Sharia Tunisia’s Leader Threatening the Government?
Yesterday, Ansar al-Sharia Tunisia’s fugitive leader Abu Iyad al-Tunisi (Saif-Allah Benahssine) issued a bellicose statement threatening the overthrow of Tunisia’s government if it interfered with AST. more...
War of Words Escalates in Tunisia
In an interview published by Le Monde on March 26, Tunisian prime minister Ali Larayedh reiterated his criticisms of the Salafi jihadists who have grown stronger throughout his country. Ali Larayedh accused Ansar... more...
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