‘Palestine? Not a Priority’: Internal Fissures Evident in Israel
JONATHAN COOK: As the physical threat against their security has waned so Israelis have been free to examine other areas of their society.
‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ in Obama’s Terror Speech
JUAN COLE: Some praise is due but Obama remains wedded to the idea that extra-judicial assassination is an effective counter-terror tool.
‘We Can Blow Things Up’: America’s Power in the Middle East
RAMZY BAROUD: America’s current role as impotent looker-on is unprecedented in recent Middle Eastern history. This situation won’t continue indefinitely
Algerian Revolt: Surge in Soccer-Related Violence A Signal
JAMES M. DORSEY: Violent protest attending soccer matches has proven to be a reliable indicator of an imminent popular revolt in the Arab World. Algeria’s next then.
The Great Benghazi Forgery: So Who’s Really Behind It?
JUAN COLE: There was a sustained attempt prior to the last U.S election to portray Barack Obama first as a latter day Jimmy Carter then as a Richard Nixon figure. Who did this?
Beinart v Dershowitz On Israel, Hawking and Zionism
MONDOWEISS: The heat surrounding Stephen Hawkin’s withdrawal from a conference in Israel added heat to a debate between two prominent commentators last week
Unsustainable: The Bell Tolls For Subsidies in Saudi Arabia
CROSSROADS ARABIA: The Herbert Stein Law runs: “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” The tautology is starting to surface in Saudi Arabia.
In China Or Israel: ‘Something There Is That Doesn’t Love a Wall’
RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: Benjamin Netanyahu waxed enthusiastic about the inspiration that the Great Wall of China has provided for him.
‘Safe to Speak’ For Journalists in the Middle East? Not Yet.
MICH CAFE: I’ve personally known several journalists who have been assassinated. It’s still a very dangerous occupation in the Middle East.
Thriving: The ‘Hate All Muslims Industry’ Is ‘In Full Flow’
RAMZY BAROUD: The anti-Muslim brigade who take to the media at every possible opportunity received another boost with the Boston bombing.
‘Sauce, Goose, Gander’: Political vs Family Ties in Public Debate
PHILIP WEISS, CGNEWS: Josh Landis’s marriage to a Syrian Alawite was judged fair game in a discussion on his views on the political situation. Why only him?
The History of Palestine: ‘We Must Seize Our Narrative’
RAMZY BAROUD: Palestine’s history has traditionally been told through the prism of an accepted Israeli or Western narrative. It’s time for Palestinians to tell their own story.
A Starbucks, A Golf Course and a Pub: The ‘Guantanamo Zoo’
RAMZY BAROUD: Barack Obama promised to close Guantanamo Bay but still it remains open. And what a bizarre place it has become.
Obama Telephones Putin: Regional Implications of Boston
JUAN COLE: It’s clear that reverberations from the Boston bombings will spread to Chechnya and beyond. How will it impact the U.S view of Syria?
‘The Tripoli I Know’: Shisha, Ice Cream and Friends
AISHA HABLI, CGNEWS: It has a reputation as a place of conflict, where feuds and sectarian scores are settled. That’s not my experience
GCC and Korea: When Silence is not Golden
It is disturbing that the crisis in North Korea is moving forward with very little comment from the Arab world.
FRANCIS MATTHEW: It is disturbing that the crisis in North Korea is moving forward with very little comment from the Arab world.
Egypt Division = Ongoing Despair in Gaza
RAMZY BAROUD: It seemed unthinkable a Muslim Brotherhood government could impose worse conditions on Gaza than Mubarak.
From Arab Awakening to ‘Political Stupor’
The Arab world is suffering from a lack of secular inspiration. There are plenty of leaders who find their political language in religion, but no secular leader or thinker is inspiring the crowds all over the Middle East as happened a generation ago.
FRANCIS MATTHEW: The Arab world is suffering from a lack of secular inspiration: No secular leader or thinker is inspiring the crowds.
Margaret Thatcher, 1925 – 2013: A Life in Quotes
Margaret Thatcher’s memorable words — from her 1979 victory, to her remarks at the end of the Falkland war, to her fight against European integration.
Turkey’s Dilemma: Fence-Sitting Not A Viable Option
'Confused’ may be an appropriate term to describe Turkey’s current foreign policy in the Middle East and Israel in particular. The source of that confusion - aside from the appalling violence in Syria and earlier in Libya – is Turkey’s own mistakes.
RAMZY BAROUD: Turkey’s attempt to re-position itself as a fulcrum between East and West has come unstuck…
