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9 May 2012
The political earthquake that shook Jerusalem this week and resulted in a massive unity government in Israel will doubtless be felt in other parts of the region. That’s because for all the talk about historical legislation being easier to pass with a national consensus coalition, Israel’s new political leadership raises interesting questions for the Middle East peace process and the Iranian nuclear program.
5 May 2012
The deployment of advanced American fighterjets to the Middle East certainly caught Iran’s attention. But the location of the F-22s, in the United Arab Emirates, raises questions as to why the US sent them. And was it a message being sent to Iran, or someone else?
25 Apr 2012
The news coming out of Syria was schizophrenic this week. On the one hand, the United Nations advance observer team was making a positive impact despite their small numbers. On the other hand, dozens were being killed as the Syrian government continued to brutalize its own people. The way those dichotomies harmonized offers hope for the future—and a sober warning.
20 Apr 2012
This past week a high-ranking Palestinian delegation hand-delivered a letter from President Mahmoud Abbas to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In turn, Netanyahu promised a response letter in two weeks. The Palestinians made a point to say that the meeting wasn’t for negotiations, which they have yet to renew. Considering how far opposed the Palestinians have seemed to talking in recent months, what the Palestinians said—and did not say—publicly regarding the letter exchange hints they don’t want to look like the hindrance to renewed talks. But why?
16 Apr 2012
This past weekend hinted at a potential shift in the Iranian nuclear program dispute. For months, Israel and the United States have danced around a complex desire to present a unified position on Iran while realizing their perceptions on what to do next are becoming more and more disparate. And now it is appearing more and more likely that the patched-together image is coming apart. From Israel’s perspective, time is really running out.
3 Apr 2012
The dramatic announcement that the Syrian regime would finish pulling out troops from cities in the country by April 10 marks the first concrete chance that the chaotic violence in the country could end in negotiations. Obviously, that deadline alone makes April very important for Syria’s future, and the future of dictator Bashar al-Assad—who has killed thousands of his own people in the last year to try to hold on to power. But there’s another reason that April is vital in determining if Assad will win, civil war will erupt or if peace will take hold: the significant role to …
23 Mar 2012
The United Nations Security Council finally united behind a plan for a political transition and a ceasefire in Syria this week, and US top diplomat Hillary Clinton was correct in saying the Council spoke “with one voice.” Unfortunately, that’s about all they did. Time—and remaining options to resolve the conflict with political freedom for Syria—is running out.
16 Mar 2012
The latest upsurge in the Israel-Gaza conflict looked a lot like ones in the past. Palestinian terrorists planned a new attack on Israel, Israel responded by targeting terrorists behind it, the Palestinians reacted with a massive rocket barrage at Israeli civilians, Israel bombed terror targets in response and so on. A calm was finally reached, broken sporadically with renewed rockets and will eventually quiet down. But the similarity doesn’t make it bearable, and the “quiet” period after the ceasefire has been particularly troubling. Terrorists in Gaza are playing a dangerous game here—this escalation in rockets and other terror could lead …
8 Mar 2012
After signals that the United States and Israel were not united on their approach to Iran, President Barack Obama sought to put such concerns to rest this week by declaring unequivocally that all options are indeed on the table. He said containing a nuclear-armed Iran was not an option and even went so far as to mention “a military effort” as a means to stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons. In fact, he came close to matching Israel’s intensity, if not their urgency, in his comments on Iran. There remains one area where the two allies don’t appear to be …
29 Feb 2012
The current situation in Syria is becoming more and more desperate. The Bashar al-Assad regime’s brutal crackdown on the opposition has escalated in recent months and the death toll is rising dramatically. To make matters worse, a siege on the Syrian city of Homs is reaching a critical point as international efforts to send in aid have yet to bear fruit. United States Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, in comments released by her office on Wednesday, said, “Rather than meeting the needs of its people, the barbaric Syrian government is preparing its final assault on the city of …
