Levant

From Damascus to Baghdad, from Amman to Jerusalem, a region rich in history – and in conflict

 Lucy Emmerson

Syria: Growing Pressure on Assad to Stand Down Falling on Deaf Ears

Syria: Growing Pressure on Assad to Stand Down Falling on Deaf Ears

LUCY EMMERSON: There are still more who believe that a regime which has killed in excess of 2,200 peaceful protesters in the past 6 months cannot stand

 Chris Keeler

Why Israelis Are Spooked by Arab Democracy

Why Israelis Are Spooked by Arab Democracy

CHRIS KEELER: Events have combined around the region to leave Israel feeling very isolated indeed. But many commentators there simply refuse to understand the reasons why they’re in this position.

 Juan Cole

Democracy: More Valued by Arabs than Americans?

Democracy: More Valued by Arabs than Americans?

JUAN COLE: Al Qaeda’s vision for the Arab World has been comprehensively rejected. It appears that Arabs – in particular, young Arabs – are prepared to put their lives on the line, not for a Caliphate, but for parliamentary democracy.

 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.

 Ramzy Baroud

‘Crabgrass in the Lawn’. The Darling of the Israeli Lobby

‘Crabgrass in the Lawn’.  The Darling of the Israeli Lobby

RAMZY BAROUD: It seems that there is nothing that Ileana Ros-Lehtinen will not do or say to support Israeli interests.

 Naseem Tarawnah

Pop Patriotism: The Picture that Tells a Story

Pop Patriotism: The Picture that Tells a Story

NASEEM TARAWNAH: There’s a certain inevitability about how ‘pop patriotism’ is played out in Jordan. It was clearly on show during yesterday’s international football game in Amman.

 mai abdul rahman

Palestinians Chart Own Path to Self Determination

Palestinians Chart Own Path to Self Determination

MAI ABDUL RAHMAN: The consistent failure of American intervention to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli issue has led Palestinians to take matters into their own hands. This strategy is paying off.

 Mondoweiss

UN Report on Gaza Flotilla is ‘…a shocker’

UN Report on Gaza Flotilla is ‘…a shocker’

PHILIP WEISS, MONDOWEISS: You can almost hear the whoops of delight in Tel Aviv as the UN Report into last year’s Gaza flotilla puts most of the blame for the bloodshed on the protestors.

 Common Ground News Service

Palestine’s ‘Al Jazeera’ Launched: Timely Indeed

Palestine’s ‘Al Jazeera’ Launched: Timely Indeed

NIDA TUMA, CGNEWS: With the attention of all the major news organisations fixed on the ‘Arab Spring’ revolutions, Palestine has dropped down the news agenda. Ma’an TV is set to address this issue.

 M.-Lynx-Qualey

Leading Syrian Writers and Artists Under Attack

Leading Syrian Writers and Artists Under Attack

M. LYNX QUALEY: Whether it’s novelists, songwriters or cartoonists artists of all shades and description are subject to vicious and sustained attack

 David Roberts

‘Arab Spring’ Map: Not to be Taken too Seriously

‘Arab Spring’ Map: Not to be Taken too Seriously

DAVID ROBERTS: The author clearly has, how should we put it?, an incomplete knowledge of the region but it’s an amusing take on recent regional events.

 The Ajnabi

Flash Mobs: The Changing Tactics of Syria’s Protesters

Flash Mobs: The Changing Tactics of Syria’s Protesters

THE AJNABI: With the sustained and brutal crackdown on opposition protests continuing, Syrian activists have had to adopt new tactics.

 Ramzy Baroud

Israel’s ‘Nice Little War’: Gaza, Egypt in Range of Fire

Israel’s ‘Nice Little War’: Gaza, Egypt in Range of Fire

RAMZY BAROUD: Why is Israel bent on discrediting Egypt, exploiting the most sensitive period of its modern history, and destabilizing the border area?

 James M. Dorsey

Damage limitation: China and Russia’s Options

Damage limitation: China and Russia’s Options

JAMES M. DORSEY: China and Russia could quietly establish relations with Syrian protesters if and when Mr. Assad is forced to relinquish power.

 cupofcardamom

‘Roll Up for Assad’s Magical Mystery Buses’

‘Roll Up for Assad’s Magical Mystery Buses’

CUPOFCARDAMOM: Buses are a common, unremarkable sight in virtually every city in the world but in Damascus recently they’ve become a signal of fear and impending violence.

 Mondoweiss

Forget the Books, Just Send Us Punchbags

Forget the Books, Just Send Us Punchbags

JEHAN ALFARRA, MONDOWEISS: Anger and hopelessness are the predominant emotions in Gaza. We need a means to release the emotions and I have a plan.

 Steve Royston

Jerusalem – The Biography: A Compelling Story

Jerusalem – The Biography: A Compelling Story

STEVE ROYSTON: It’s a city that is sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews but it appears to have attracted its fair share of ‘complicated characters’ in its rich past.

 Ramzy Baroud

Gazans Respond Generously to Somali Disaster

Gazans Respond Generously to Somali Disaster

RAMZY BAROUD: There has been much criticism of the paltry response by the Muslim world to the famine in Somalia. Gazans show the way forward.

 Juan Cole

Aqaba: To Boldly Go Where No King Has Gone Before

Aqaba: To Boldly Go Where No King Has Gone Before

JUAN COLE: Klingons and Romulans wandering through the souk in Aqaba? Could be sooner than you think if King Abdullah’s ambitious plans come to fruition.

 Common Ground News Service

Semites Unite! You’ve Nothing to Lose but Conflict

Semites Unite! You’ve Nothing to Lose but Conflict

ROI BEN-YEHUDA, AZIZ ABU SARAH, CGNEWS: Are you pro-solution or pro-conflict? Pro-solution Palestinians and Israelis launch a new movement.