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.

News From the House of Slaughter

Posted on December 1, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 30/11/12 Rebels forge ahead in Syria; but no end to conflict in sight In the large slaughterhouse that Syria has become, a new phase is opening up. The stalemate that held for most of 2012 between the forces … Continue reading →

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Hamas’s Mis-Calculation

Posted on November 18, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Weekly Standard Blog, 18/11. The crisis now under way in Gaza represents the moment in which the wave of Sunni Islamism that has been achieving triumph after triumph in the region since early 2011 finally crashes up against the Jewish … Continue reading →

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Bahrain, Hezbollah and the Sunni-Shia arc of conflict

Posted on November 9, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 9/11/12. Bahrain this week accused the Lebanese Hezbollah group of responsibility for a series of bombings in the Bahraini capital Manama. The five bomb blasts, in the Adliya and Gudaybiya districts of the city came amid renewed protests … Continue reading →

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Anatomy of a Revolt

Posted on November 6, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Report, 1/11/12 In northern Aleppo province, the Assad regime only exists in the air. Lack of manpower has forced the Syrian regime to pull back to Aleppo city, leaving a swathe of land under the precarious control of the … Continue reading →

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Nasrallah Gambles on Assad

Posted on October 19, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 18/10 Growing evidence of direct Hizballah involvement in the Syrian civil war This week, fierce clashes took place in Syria’s Homs Province, close to the border with Lebanon, between Free Syrian Army fighters and armed men loyal to … Continue reading →

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Erdogan’s Problems with the Neighbors

Posted on October 13, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 12/10. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayep Erdogan, in a speech this week said that Turkey was ‘not interested in war – but we’re not far from it either.’ This rather confused phrase perfectly sums up the dilemmas in … Continue reading →

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Saving President Assad

Posted on September 29, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Iran and its proxies mobilize to preserve Assad Jerusalem Post, 28/9. A report issued by the US Treasury Department this month and picked up by the Washington Post newspaper accused the Lebanese Hizballah organization of increasing its support for the … Continue reading →

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Inside Assad’s Killing Fields

Posted on September 28, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Wall Street Journal, 27/9. Dar al-Shifa hospital in the al-Sha’ar neighborhood of Aleppo is one of two large facilities serving the fighters of the Free Syrian Army here. The hospital also treats civilians in FSA-controlled areas. On Sept. 18, Dar … Continue reading →

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Turkish Difficulty – Kurdish Opportunity

Posted on September 15, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 14/9. The PKK increase attacks in south-east Turkey. Is this evidence of a grand bargain between the movement, Syria and Iran? A serious escalation is currently under way in the long conflict between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) … Continue reading →

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Military councils move center stage in Syria

Posted on September 9, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 7/9/12 Syrian rebels in the embattled city of Homs this week announced the formation of a joint ‘revolutionary military council’ in the city. The council is intended to act as a leadership and coordinating body with powers to … Continue reading →

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