Author Archives: jonathanspyer

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About jonathanspyer

Jonathan Spyer is a Middle East analyst, author and journalist specializing in the areas of Israel, Syria and broader issues of regional strategy. He is the director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and analysis (MECRA), a research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for strategy and Security (JISS) and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Taken – a novel by Michael Totten. Book Review.

Posted on May 31, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Taken’ is the first novel by Michael Totten. Totten, an American blogger and foreign correspondent, is the author of ‘the Road to Fatima Gate’ and two other works of reportage.  In the Middle East, he has reported from Lebanon, Iraq … Continue reading →

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Burning of Hizballah flag in northern Syria

Posted on May 28, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Opposition activists set fire to a flag of the Lebanese Shia Islamist organization, Binnish, northern Syria, February, 2012.

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The Failure of Western Policy on Syria

Posted on May 28, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Tower Magazine, May, 2013 The Syrian civil war has now entered its third year with no end in sight. Over 70,000 people have died. 1.5 million refugees have fled Syria, with another two million displaced within the country’s borders. According … Continue reading →

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Erdogan’s Kurdish Gambit

Posted on May 17, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 17/5 On May 8th, fighters of the Kurdish PKK militia began to withdraw from their positions in Turkey, bound for their mountain strongholds in Kurdish-ruled northern Iraq. The decision by the PKK to withdraw is the result of … Continue reading →

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The Israeli Debate over Syria

Posted on May 16, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Tablet Magazine, 14/5: The civil war in Syria has led to a keen debate among the professional echelon tasked with advising policymakers in Israel. This debate has been reflected in a more subdued public conversation and occasionally in spectacular events—like … Continue reading →

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Is Assad Winning?

Posted on May 3, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 3/5 The imminent demise of the Assad regime has been announced on numerous occasions over the last two years of civil war in Syria. But the regime has held on. Despite some advances by rebels in the south … Continue reading →

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Muslim Brotherhood Presides over Growing Chaos in Egypt

Posted on April 12, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 12/2: Recent days have seen a further sharp deterioration in Egypt. Against a background of economic crisis, Salafi Islamist groups are increasingly assertive. The Salafis are engaged in the violent harassment of Egyptian Copts and secular oppositionists, and … Continue reading →

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Iran’s Silent War in the Gulf

Posted on April 6, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 5/4: A series of trials currently under way in the neighboring Gulf states of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain offer a glimpse into the ongoing, silent war being waged by Iran against its regional rivals. Bahrain is of particular … Continue reading →

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In Syria, Western Illusions Lead to Ill-Advised Action

Posted on March 23, 2013 by jonathanspyer

PJ Media, 23/3: The signs are now unmistakable: both openly and behind the scenes, a major Western effort to bring the Syrian civil war to a close with the defeat of the Assad regime is now underway. This is being … Continue reading →

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The Kurds are for the Kurds

Posted on March 9, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Weekly Standard, 9/3. In northeast Syria, from the border with Iraq to the disputed town of Seri Kaniyah, a de facto Kurdish autonomous region has emerged. The area, known to the Kurds as western Kurdistan, is ruled by the Democratic … Continue reading →

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