GLORIA Center

Middle East Media Sampler for February 21, 2012

Daniel Goldstein — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:12:57 +0000

A deceitful ploy by a columnist and a prince – ten years on In early February, 2002, Thomas Friedman wrote a column, Dear Arab League, pretending to be a letter to the Arab League from then-President Bush. The key lines are: You need to face up to something: Ehud Barak gave us an Israeli peace [...]

The Hamas Split and the Palestinian Political Mess

Barry Rubin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:22:32 +0000

There’s a serious split in Hamas reflecting the growing civil war among Islamists along Sunni-Shia lines. Each side is radical but the fact that they’re fighting among themselves weakens both of them. The issues involved are tactical, not strategic. Indeed, what is ironic is that Khaled Mashal, who historically has been described as the radical, [...]

Manufacturing Heresy: How the Mildest Muslim Liberalism is Turned into a Capital Punishment Offense

Barry Rubin — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:12:58 +0000

Please also read my article The Hamas Split and the Palestinian Political Mess “A merchant in Baghdad…sent his servant to market….The servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplace…I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me….Lend me your horse, and…I will go to Samarra and [...]

Middle East Media Sampler for February 19, 2012

Daniel Goldstein — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 07:34:25 +0000

1) The progressive Islamists In one of his final dispatches, the late Anthony Shadid profiled a Said Ferjani, a Tunisian Islamist in Islamists’ Ideas on Democracy and Faith Face Test in Tunisia. Most of the article profile Ferjani, but in the middle, Shadid writes about the interactions of exiled Islamists in the 1990′s: But no [...]

Report from Behind the Lines in Syria: An Interview with Dr. Jonathan Spyer

Barry Rubin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:16:50 +0000

Dr. Jonathan Spyer, GLORIA Center senior fellow, has just returned from Syria where he met with oppositionists, members of the Free Syrian Army, and local inhabitants. Here’s his first interview on his experiences and observations. Barry Rubin: Dr. Spyer, please tell us about your visit to Syria, what you saw and your impressions. Jonathan [...]

What is Russia Doing in the Middle East?

Barry Rubin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:11:59 +0000

The transition to democracy and capitalism has not been kind to Russia. It sank from superpower to sideshow internationally. The country is hurting and stagnant; it has no sense of purpose or goals; and Russia is in the hands of a ruthless dictator who knows how to use nationalism and demagoguery to ensure his power. [...]

Middle East Media Sampler for February 17, 2012

Daniel Goldstein — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 07:19:51 +0000

1) Revenge or MO? After the wife of an Indian diplomat was injured by a bomb, Ethan Bronner of the New York Times reported in Israel say Iran is behind the bombs: The wife of an Israeli defense envoy to New Delhi was hurt along with several other people when her car was destroyed by [...]

Middle East Media Sampler for February 16, 2012

Daniel Goldstein — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:15:58 +0000

1) Now the Washington Post is against daylight Last week Richard Cohen of the Washington Post wrote America’s red lines in the sand on Iran. Now the editors write about The U.S.-Israeli trust gap on Iran. For now, several top Israeli officials are skeptical. That is where Mr. Panetta and Mr. Obama should be making [...]

What to Do About Syria

Barry Rubin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:53:38 +0000

There is a strong case that can be made for doing nothing about the Syrian civil war, but a stronger case can be made for doing something relatively low-cost and ineffective, indeed, precisely what the Syrian opposition is requesting. Forget about major military intervention, which would be dangerous, costly, and above the level of available [...]

Middle East Media Sampler for February 15, 2012

Daniel Goldstein — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:18:56 +0000

1) New NYT Jerusalem Bureau chief Ethan Bronner in an e-mail to Politico explains why he's leaving his post as the New York Times bureau chief in Israel: My son, who is 22, not 21, left the Israeli army a year ago. And I have not been reassigned. I asked to return. It has been [...]