Is There a Link Between the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and the Arab Spring?
Abe Greenwald certainly thinks so. As Matt Duss points out, Greenwald’s piece in Commentary is just another effort to create a false conclusion about the war. From Greenwald: It was the Freedom Agenda of the George W. Bush administration—delineated and formulated as a conscious alternative to jihadism—that showed the way. Indeed, the costly American nation-building in … Read more
The GCC and Buying Stability
Mathew Reed has a piece up on Middle East Progress looking at the amount of money spent by the Gulf monarchies on other countries: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is busy. In March they announced a $10 billion bail-out for Oman and Bahrain, the two poorest member states suffering from upheaval. Following the Egyptian revolution, Saudi … Read more
Turkey’s Syrian Waiting Game
In contrast to Iran and Saudi Arabia, Turkey has been far more patient in its policy towards Syria and the Syrian uprising. Meanwhile Iran has completely backed Assad and Saudi has thrown its lot in with the protesters. Each decision has clear regional implications (as I recently discussed) based on national interests, but it seems … Read more
The Iranian-Saudi Testing Ground (aka Syria)
Joseph Bahout has an interview in Le Journal de dimanche in which he expands on the competing interests of Iran and Saudi Arabia (and Turkey as well,) noting that the recent isolation of Syria has left Assad with only Iranian support. Bahout calls the fall of the Assad regime a ‘red line’ and says … Read more
Syrian Bloodshed Could Start Regional War, Part II
Haaretz recently offered some empty speculation concerning the rumors of a Turkish intervention in Syria should Assad not end the violence against the Syrian people: Turkey sends troops to Syria, and Iran retaliates by sending troops to Bahrain. It seems unlikely that Turkey would send its military into Syria and there is nothing to … Read more
Breaking News: Iran and Libya Concerned About Rights of Protesters!
Well this is all over the blogosphere. Duss has it, Keating has it, and Scoblete has it. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called on the British police to show restraint in dealing with the rioters in England and suggests the state enter a reconciliation dialogue. Best part? Not a joke. I think. Ok maybe it was a joke. (Was … Read more
The Arab Spring and the Fall of Hezbollah
The links between Hezbollah and the Bashar al-Assad regime are tight and very well known. Consequently, Hezbollah members are watching the situation in Syria very closely, as the fall of Assad would deprive the group of one of its most important backers (Iran being the other). Thanassis Cambanis and Nicholas Noe wrote two pieces in … Read more
Why Would Anyone Want to be a Lebanese Politician?
It has never been easy to be in Lebanese politics. And that may be the understatement of the year. For the past few decades, Lebanon has been split into those who supported the Syrian control over the Lebanese political system and those who were pushing for sovereignty. Since its creation in 1982, Hezbollah has been … Read more
The Danger of Flower Throwing
In response to the news that US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, was welcomed by flower-throwing protesters when he visited the city of Hama on Thursday and Friday, Mustapha, of the Beirut Spring Blog, recalled the fickle nature of flower throwers: in 1982, Lebanese southerners greeted the invading Israeli army with flowers. While this seems … Read more
The Importance of Being Turkey
A while back I penned a piece highlighting the growing importance of Turkey both within the Middle East and for the United States. The country has the unique position of being both a NATO member with a strong democratic government as well as a popular regional leader that has fostered close ties with nearly all … Read more
