The Dreaded “Y” Word
I have a feeling this will be the article that receives all sorts of comments and accusations, but I feel it is an important topic to discuss when talking about the relationship between American Jews and the conflict in Israel-Palestine. Americans we have certain words that have an aura of negativity and so much negative … Read more
Turkish Elections and a Regional Approach to Syria
The area in the north-west of Syria seems to be becoming a violent hotspot in the ongoing protests against the regime of President Bashar Assad. Last weekend, a significant number of Syria soldiers were killed (initially reported as 20, then increased to 120), resulting in an intense, ongoing military operation in and around the town … Read more
Sectarian Strife After Assad?
The Syrian government has been accused of purposefully stroking sectarian tensions in an effort to increase the risk of overthrowing the regime. It is true that Syria is a sectarian society with around 66% Sunni, 15% Alawite (which is considered an offshoot of Shi’ism), 10% Christian and a mix of others, including traditional Shi’ites. The … Read more
What Will Happen in Syria and How This Impacts Israel…
The situation in Syria has produced strange Israeli analysis. I have heard professors at Hebrew University say how the revolution will have little to no impact on Syria, but the news cycles are in constant speculation. What will the removal Assad mean for Israel? I have written about this in passing but will offer some … Read more
Moving Towards Civil War in Syria
I have been recently ruminating over the possibility that the continued protests in Syria mixed with the unabated violence of the governmental forces could possibly lead to country down the path to civil war. Reports of weapons entering Syria from Turkey and the accusations of armed opposition forces killing 120 Syrian soldiers over the weekend … Read more
A Bad Weekend to Live in Syria
If you were thinking about spending a holiday in Syria, you might want to reconsider your plans (and perhaps read the news now and again). A quick glimpse at a newspaper would give you the frightening statistic of over 1,200 Syrian demonstrators killed by the regime and another 10,000 being held in prison, the story … Read more
Obama Still Does Not Understand the Middle East Part II
As I mentioned in the first installment of this blog piece, given Obama’s Middle East speech it is more than evident by more than just timing he does not understand the Arab World. His inability to go past generic US slogans of freedom, human rights, and economic opportunity shows his sticking to the status quo … Read more
Israel found to have stripped 140,000 West Bank Palestinians of Residency Rights
Now I know most readers of this blog are rather news informed so this title seems a reiteration of the obvious news stories. Instead I will to discuss the various ways Israel has been keeping this practice in regards to East Jerusalem. Now the article I referenced at the top can be found here and refers … Read more
Syrian Emergency Law
Since this issue has been in the news a lot and I study Syrian politics in detail I figured I would put my two cents in regarding the issue of the Emergency Law in Syria. The Emergency Law of 1963 was instituted after the Neo-Baath takeover of Syria led by Jedid and Assad overthrowing the … Read more
Lebanon’s Nostradamus Predicts Apocalypse: 2010
Last year, NFAM gave a pretty bleak resume of the situation in Lebanon – one that looked destined to slowly slide towards another war with Israel. Concerns about Hamas and Fatah, about Hezbollah and Syria, and about Israel and America led Lebanese psychic Michel Hayek to predict that 2010 would see attacks on Lebanon. Fortunately, … Read more
