Author Archives: jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 9/10 Teheran prefers to strike directly only at weak and peripheral enemies, while acting against stronger ones through proxies. Is this distinction sustainable? The effort by the US and its allies to contain and ultimately roll back the … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 27/10 Turkey and Qatar seek to turn the death of Jamal Khashoggi to political advantage   The killing of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi represents a golden opportunity for all those forces opposed to the current direction of … Continue reading →

29/9 In Raqqa, they were exhuming  a mass grave as we drove into the city.  It was by the municipality, in the center of the town.  A great gaping pit.  A group of men in blue municipality uniforms at work … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 14/9 Over the past week, violent protests have swept the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Twelve people have been killed in the protests and hundreds injured. The protests focused on the dire living conditions in the city, which … Continue reading →

The Australian, 8/9 The Syrian-Turkish border area in the early morning hours is calm and almost serene. Driving from the town of Kobane to the border crossing at Semalka one may get the impression that there is not much of … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 1/9 Turkey Faces Few Good Options as Idlib offensive looms Syrian regime and Russian forces are currently preparing for an offensive into Idlib Province in north west Syria. The attack on Idlib is set to mark the final … Continue reading →

Jerusalem Post, 13/7 The raid on the T4 base at Tiyas in southern Syria this week was, according to global media reports, the third such action by Israeli air power against this facility in the course of 2018.  It is … Continue reading →