Monthly Archives: March 2014

War Across the Borders

Posted on March 29, 2014 by jonathanspyer

PJmedia, 28/3 It has become a commonplace to claim that the unrest in the Arab world is challenging the state borders laid down in the Arab world following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. This claim, however, is … Continue reading →

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New Sunni Insurgency in Iraq

Posted on March 22, 2014 by jonathanspyer

Largely ignored by the global media, Iraq today stands on the brink of a renewed Sunni insurgency.  The emergent insurgency in Iraq is following the same sectarian pattern as the civil war in Syria and the growing violence in Lebanon. It … Continue reading →

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Israel-Syria Border Escalation

Posted on March 22, 2014 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 21/3   This week’s events on the Israel-Syrian border are testimony to the extent to  which the effective disintegration of the Syrian state is producing a new  security reality in the North. Once, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s  regime … Continue reading →

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Shifting Mideast Sands Reveal New Alliances

Posted on March 17, 2014 by jonathanspyer

  A number of events in recent weeks cast light on the current intersecting lines of conflict in the Middle East. They reflect a region in flux, in which new bonds are being formed, and old ones torn asunder.   … Continue reading →

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Not Quiet on the Northern Front

Posted on March 14, 2014 by jonathanspyer

New York Daily News, 11/3.  (Co-authored with Benjamin Weinthal)   The disintegration of the Syrian state into warring enclaves is bringing with  it new challenges and threats for Israel. Alarm bells have now been sounded on  Israel’’ shared northern border … Continue reading →

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Kurdistan Emerges

Posted on March 9, 2014 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 7/3 In late February, The Jerusalem Post spoke to prominent Kurdish leader Zubeyir Aydar in the Brussels offices of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK). Aydar’s official title is vice-president of the Koma Civakên Kurdistan (KCK) (Group of Communities in Kurdistan.  He is … Continue reading →

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The end of the ‘wrong side of history

Posted on March 7, 2014 by jonathanspyer

PJmedia, 4/3   President Barack Obama, in criticizing Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s conquest of the Crimean Peninsula, described Putin as standing on the ‘wrong side of history.’  This curious and arresting phrase has become a common usage among western liberals.  … Continue reading →

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