Michael J. Totten

Humour: A Potent Weapon Against Assad?

Humour: A Potent Weapon Against Assad?

MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: There isn’t a lot to laugh about in Syria at the moment but try telling that to the Syrians themselves.

 David Roberts

Syria: The Argument Against intervention

Syria: The Argument Against intervention

DAVID ROBERTS: Working out exactly what must be done is fiendishly difficult; anyone who says they have a solution is grossly underestimating the complexities.

 Richard Silverstein

Preventing Iran from Closing the Straits – Something Not Necessarily So Simple…

Preventing Iran from Closing the Straits – Something Not Necessarily So Simple…

RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: The NYT today departs from its usual cheer leading of the U.S. military, acknowledging Iran could close the Straits of Hormuz.

 David Roberts

Tension Between the United States and Iran Escalates: Is Conflict Now Inevitable?

Tension Between the United States and Iran Escalates: Is Conflict Now Inevitable?

DAVID ROBERTS: It appears that both the United States and Iran’s domestic political requirements have spun the region into a dangerous spiral.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

Libya Hosts Book ‘Un-Banning Ceremony’

Libya Hosts Book ‘Un-Banning Ceremony’

M. LYNX-QUALEY: Who knows – it could set the template for a wave of such events. Libya’s ‘Book Un-Banning Ceremony’ is worth celebrating.

 James Mullan

News Analysis: Hezbollah ‘Telco War’ on the Brink?

News Analysis: Hezbollah ‘Telco War’ on the Brink?

NEWS ANALYSIS: Hezbollah’s plan to install a private telecommunications network in Lebanon is facing stiff opposition from residents in its path.

 James M. Dorsey

Somali Jihadists Skewed Focus on Women Sports

Somali Jihadists Skewed Focus on Women Sports

JAMES M. DORSEY: While Al Qaeda is attempting to portray a gentler face, distributing aid to famine victims, Al Shabab, are ensuring strict adherence to a ban on women’s sports.

 James M. Dorsey

Arab Spring First Casualty in New Power Struggle

Arab Spring First Casualty in New Power Struggle

JAMES M. DORSEY: The people power movement has the most to lose and could find itself in the grinder as the United States, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iran jockey for power.

 David Roberts

Big Claims By ‘WSJ’ on Iran & Bahrain. But Proof?

Big Claims By ‘WSJ’ on Iran & Bahrain. But Proof?

DAVID ROBERTS: The Wall Street Journal has published a very curious piece indeed on the relationship between Iran and Bahrain. It’s long on allegation but very short on proof.

 Chris Keeler

Is Syria Set to Become ‘the new Libya’?

Is Syria Set to Become ‘the new Libya’?

CHRIS KEELER: Non-violent protest appears to be nearing its end in Syria and there are signs that groups are organising an armed resistance against the regime.

 Michael J. Totten

The Struggle for Egypt’s Soul Has Only Begun

The Struggle for Egypt’s Soul Has Only Begun

MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: I’ve spent a lot of time with the key players in Egypt’s developing democracy. It’s very clear that the real battle for the country’s – and the region’s – future has just begun.

 Ramzy Baroud

The Shifting, Complex Narratives that are Syria

The Shifting, Complex Narratives that are Syria

RAMZY BAROUD: There is no simple linear reading of the events that have overwhelmed Syria in recent months. The country is deeply embroiled in so many vital, strategic regional issues.

 Naseem Tarawnah

Jordan: Where Wounds Get Deeper and Deeper

Jordan: Where Wounds Get Deeper and Deeper

NASEEM TARAWNAH: The recent protests in Jordan appear to have attracted attention only because of the number of journalists who were attacked. It offers, however, more evidence of a deeply divided nation.

 James M. Dorsey

Arab League Exhibits Its Impotence (Again)

Arab League Exhibits Its Impotence (Again)

JAMES M. DORSEY: The AL’s newly appointed secretary general, denounced the Obama administration for declaring the Syrian leader had lost legitimacy.

 Juan Cole

Assad Plays the ‘Palestinian Card’ – Again

Assad Plays the ‘Palestinian Card’ – Again

PAUL NOTAR, INFORMED COMMENT: He’s always been a skilful player of ‘the Palestinian Card’ but as the region changes his hold on that particular narrative is no longer exclusive.

 Michael J. Totten

Assad Woes: ‘The Times, They Are a Changin’

Assad Woes: ‘The Times, They Are a Changin’

MICHAEL TOTTEN: Walid Jumblatt, Lebanon’s so-called political weathervane, is on the move again. Bad weather on the horizon for Bashar al-Assad, then?

 Tabsir

‘Live Long and Prosper’: My Message to Region

‘Live Long and Prosper’: My Message to Region

LEONAR NIMOY, TABSIR: There is a viable plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It’s the ‘two-state’ solution and its application is, how should I put it, simply logical.

 Mondoweiss

An Inconvenient Truth: Ehud Barak Off Message

An Inconvenient Truth: Ehud Barak Off Message

MONDOWEISS: If Iran ever acquired nuclear weapons would it launch an attack on Israel? “Not on us and not on any neighbor.” The speaker? Ehud Barak…

 Omar al-Issawi

People of the Book: Damning the Exodus of Christians

People of the Book: Damning the Exodus of Christians

OMAR AL ISSAWI: The latest round of sectarian strife in Egypt is not about sectarian confrontation. It is about ignorance.

 Michael J. Totten

No Big Sleep for the MidEast’s Remaining Thugs

No Big Sleep for the MidEast’s Remaining Thugs

MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: Now that the Arab revolt is slamming hard into Bashar al-Assad’s Baath Party in Syria, no dictator will be able to sleep without consuming copious amounts of pills.