Author Archives: jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 4/2 On June 21, 2021, a newly built mosque was inaugurated in the village of Sheikh Khurez, in north west Syria, close to the Turkish border.  Sheikh Khurez is located in the part of Syria under the nominal … Continue reading →

1/2 With the world focused on the crisis in Ukraine, a joint exercise in the Indian Ocean involving the navies of Iran, China and Russia passed largely un-noticed last week. The exercise, dubbed ‘2022 Marine Security Belt’ was the third … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 21/1 A series of bomb and grenade attacks have taken place over the last week in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. They were directed at financial facilities and political offices associated with a  number of factions currently taking part … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 7/1 As 2022 begins, the Mid-East strategic picture is in a state of flux and change.  Stable and long held assumptions about the region, its dynamics, its main players and its power structures are being challenged.  So what are the … Continue reading →

A version of this article appeared in the Australian Newspaper, in December, 2021. Will the US-China Cold War reach the Middle East? The rise of China as a peer competitor to the United States is the most significant geo-political process … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 24/12 On December 3rd, a stormy demonstration took place outside the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Hague.  40-50 demonstrators, most of them Kurds, were arrested. The demonstrators were demanding that … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 11/12 At a conference in Istanbul last week, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh expressed his gratitude for the role that Turkey is playing in the advancement of the Palestinian cause. “From the land of the beloved Turkey, which is … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 19/11 The departure of an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander from Syria this month has led to some speculation in regional media that the Syrian regime is seeking to recalibrate its relations with Teheran. Two Saudi news outlets claimed … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 29/10 A coup has taken place in Sudan.   On Monday morning, In a series of moves straight from the well-thumbed handbook of Arab military takeovers, Sudanese military forces stormed the country’s state broadcaster. At an unspecified hour, the … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 5/11 A number of regional media outlets have in recent days carried articles concerning a possibly imminent Turkish military operation into north east Syria.  The reports and rumors follow a summit between Turkish President Recep Tayepp Erdogan and … Continue reading →