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The Wave: Man, God, and the Ballot Box in the Middle East
The promise of democracy for Muslims offers something historically unparalleled. Where Islamist groups once dreamed of revolution, quietly developed paramilitary cells, and assassinated their secular opponents, mainstream Islamist groups today see elections as a means for society to maintain akhlaq; the mores that define good Muslims.
Learn MoreAnalysis & Commentary - Emanuele Ottolenghi
Clumsy Assassins
When, last October, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the FBI and DEA had thwarted a plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the United States by planting a bomb in a Washington, DC restaurant... more...
Of Masterstrokes and Apoplectic Strokes
Netanyahu has strengthened his hand significantly but not for the reasons spouted by the left more...
Nukes and a Fatwa
In the same week that Iranian nuclear negotiators in Istanbul mentioned an alleged fatwa issued by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banning nuclear weapons to offer reassurances about Iran’s peaceful nuclear intentions. more...
Beinart’s Argument Was Already Debunked
As a further thought to Michael Rubin’s response to Joe Klein’s defense of Peter Beinart, it is not true that nobody has yet replied to Peter Beinart’s demographic argument. First of all, the argument is not Peter Beinart’s. more...
March on Syria
The Assad dynasty is not content with slaughtering its own people in great numbers. It is also destroying Syria's rich archaeological past. Writing last month in the US Weekly Standard, Victoria Coates described the devastation in detail. more...
Gary Sick, Discredited but Honored
The so-called "October Surprise" plot that briefly enthralled the American public twenty years ago is one of the most influential political conspiracy theories in U.S. history. more...
The Khamenei Fatwa Is a Ruse
Speaking to reporters about Iran’s nuclear program before the weekend talks in Istanbul, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “We’re looking for concrete results,” and continued, “They assert that their program is purely peaceful. more...
Iran’s Armenian Connection
On March 20, Armenian defense minister Seyran Ohanyan visited Washington, D.C. Talks focused on U.S. defense assistance to the small republic, and regional issues were also discussed. more...
Can Iranians Compromise in Istanbul?
There is no reason to be optimistic about the talks, despite the initial mood expressed by Brussels and Washington. Iran refused to rejoin talks for 14 months and played an elaborate game of brinkmanship over the location of the talks until the last minute. more...
Iran Regime Change Only Hope
As the drumbeat of war mounts in the Middle East, people wonder if an Iran-Israel war is inevitable. Iran's rhetoric about wiping Israel off the map continues unabated - as does its quest for nuclear weapons. more...
Re: Beinart’s Slippery Slope on Boycotts
The “artists” explain their call to target Habima on the grounds that Habima performed in the Territories and that “By inviting Habima, Shakespeare’s Globe is undermining the conscientious Israeli actors and playwrights who have refused to break international law.” more...
Iran is Not Iraq, and Past Mistakes Should Not Cloud Our Judgment
As prospects of an Israeli attack against Iran's nuclear program mount, the concerns of many are understandable - an Iranian response, some argue, would be devastating, and the potential for faulty intelligence - as in Iraq - is high. more...
Iran’s March for ‘Martyrs’ in Jerusalem
Every year since 1976, on March 30, Israeli Arabs commemorate clashes with Israeli police over Israel’s land policy that left six dead. It is an emotional day for the Arab community, but, over the years, it has largely been a peaceful domestic affair for Israel and its Arab minority. more...
Europe’s Money Problems
When Eastern Europe emerged from the dark oppressive cloud of history in 1989, Western proponents of liberal democracy could be excused for their elation. Their cause had won a bitter ideological struggle with Communism. more...
A Power Struggle in Iran
Every time trouble has erupted in Iran against the regime—1999, 2003, and, most recently, 2009—university students have been at the forefront of protests. This is partly why Iran’s current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad... more...
For America, It’s All About Timing. Can Israel Afford It?
Beyond the speech atmospherics of the Aipac conference where, in rapid succession, Israel's president Shimon Peres, US President Barack Obama, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta all spoke at length about Iran... more...
Only Crippling Sanctions Will Stop Iran
Imagine two men planning for years to escape from a high-security mental institution that is surrounded by 100 walls. On the night of their escape, they reach the 99th wall, and one asks the other, “Are you tired yet?” more...
Damascus Dialogue Disaster
Watching Syrians get slaughtered by their own rulers and hearing the outraged statements from European leaders about Syrian atrocities one would think that Syria had it coming. more...
Where’s the Moral Urgency About Syria?
On March 28, 2011, when President Barack Obama addressed the nation to explain U.S. forces’ involvement in operations over Libyan skies, he made a compelling moral argument. more...
Can We Talk Our Way Out? Unlikely
The visit of IAEA inspectors to Tehran this week is the second of its kind. For years, Iran has refused to give them access to a number of suspected nuclear sites or to allow them to interview key personnel working on its nuclear programme. more...