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.

War over the Ruins

Posted on March 8, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 8/3. The Syrian civil war bursts its banks This week, 48 Syrian soldiers who were reported as having ‘sought refuge’ in Iraq were ambushed and killed on Iraqi soil. At least 9, and possibly as many as 19 … Continue reading →

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A small cautionary tale

Posted on February 25, 2013 by jonathanspyer

The map above was produced by the Relief Web website. Relief Web is a project of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The website, according to its homepage, aims to ‘provide reliable disaster and crisis updates … Continue reading →

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Syria’s Kurds end their silence

Posted on February 23, 2013 by jonathanspyer

National Post, 23/2 As the civil war in Syria grinds on, one of the less noticed developments has been the emergence of a de facto Kurdish autonomous area in the country’s north east. Stretching across a chain of towns and … Continue reading →

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Syria’s War within a war

Posted on February 2, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 2/2/13 Clashes between Kurds, Islamist rebels point to increasing fragmentation of Syria A civil war within a civil war has been under way for the last two weeks in the small Syrian-Kurdish border town of Sere Kaniye, in … Continue reading →

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Some thoughts on the elections in Israel

Posted on January 23, 2013 by jonathanspyer

With the vote-counting nearly completed, it is already possible to draw a number of conclusions regarding the 2013 Knesset elections in Israel Firstly, the long-standing division of Israeli parties into ‘left’ and right’ wing blocs does not fully capture the … Continue reading →

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A Gulf Apart

Posted on January 20, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 18/1. Saudi and United Arab Emirates security forces recently apprehended a 10-man cell linked to the Muslim Brotherhood that was active in the UAE. The cell, according to Gulf media reports, was engaged in raising money for the … Continue reading →

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Murders in Paris

Posted on January 20, 2013 by jonathanspyer

PJ Media, 16/1. Three female Kurdish activists were murdered in Paris earlier this month. The execution-style killings took place at a Kurdish information office on the quiet Rue Lafayette, near Paris’s Gare Du Nord. One of the three women, Sakine … Continue reading →

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A Nation Once Again?

Posted on December 28, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 28/12/12 In Syria, the Assad regime’s retreat back to Damascus and the Alawi heartlands in the west of the country has made possible the emergence of a Kurdish autonomous area in the country’s northeast. This area shares a … Continue reading →

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Coastal Retreat

Posted on December 22, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Is Assad preparing a last stand in Syria’s Alawi mountains? Jerusalem Post, 21/12 The beleaguered regime of Bashar Assad in Syria suffered further setbacks this week. The Syrian rebels are slowly clawing their way into Damascus. A fierce fight took … Continue reading →

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The Revolt of Islam in Syria

Posted on December 15, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 14/12 The United States this week became the latest country to recognize the Syrian National Coalition, formed in Qatar a month ago, as the legitimate leadership of the Syrian opposition. The formation of a joint military council aligned … Continue reading →

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