Rebuttal against Daniel Ayalon’s New YouTube Video
I do not know if anyone else is as sick of this stupid hasbara (propaganda) videos by Israeli MK and Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon as I am but I feel the need to retort. Not that this has some profound legitimate points. He picks and chooses convenient lies and exploits them to fit a … 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
Dear Israeli Tent Movement, You are not Tahrir Square
It has been said lately by Western media outlets that the tent movement going on in Israel is a ‘revolution‘ or ‘Israeli Arab Spring.’ This could not be any more disingenuous, incorrect, or belittling of the Arab Spring movements. Israelis are mostly protesting about prices, specifically for homes and necessary goods. This is the one and only … Read more
What Will Ramadan do to the Opposition
Kal, over at the Moor Next Door, published some thoughts on how Ramadan, the Muslim holiday that will start on August 1st and run until August 29th, will change the nature of the Arab uprisings across the region. Kal focuses on the potential rise of Islamists in what has generally been a secular uprising, the … Read more
What Does a Successful Arab Revolution Look Like?
So far, the Arab Awakening has toppled two regimes, in Egypt and Tunisia. Obviously, both countries have fared far better than their bloodier counterparts in Syria and Libya, but serious problem remain. Both countries have postponed elections (both until October – though this is not necessarily a bad thing) and have experienced revolutionary flashbacks with … Read more
Has Jordan Lost its Mind?
The news that Jordanian police beat and injured 17 people, including several clearly marked journalists was certainly shocking. The country has been relatively insulated from the Arab Spring – in part because of the national devotion to King Abdullah and in part because the government has (at least symbolically) moved forward on several reforms, placating … Read more
The Arab Spring and the Fall of Hezbollah, Con’t
Yesterday I argued, in response to Nicholas Noe and Thanassis Cambanis’ respective eulogies of Hezbollah, that the group’s (perhaps) unwise support of the Assad regime in the face of popular protests would not bring about the group’s destruction. The sectarian divisions in Lebanon (and the weaker, secular Shi’ite party Amal) means that Hezbollah will be able … 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
Thomas Friedman Might Be the Most Unknowledgeable Editorialist in Popular American Print Media
I openly admit that I dislike Thomas Friedman. In America, since the spectrum is so skewed, he is considered center or left of center but to anyone who studies Political Science they know he is rather right wing. His book “From Beirut to Jerusalem” is always considered a hit among American Jews who study the … Read more
Jordan’s Unlikely Reforms
A while back we published a guest post on the King of Jordan’s wish to bring political parties to Jordan. The post focused on the way in which Jordanians vote, notably “based on patronage, not policy.” In other words, the creation of political parties will mean little in Jordan as voters and politicians alike will … Read more
Chris Keeler
Chris Whitman
