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.

Analysis: Hizbullah Turns up the Temperature in the North

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post-30/07/2009 Israel’s border with Lebanon is currently at its most tense since the cease-fire which ended the war of 2006. This tension has been brought on by the combination of a number of factors. Ongoing internal political frictions in … Continue reading →

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Iran Hasn’t Won the Cold War Yet

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 07/01/2010 The salient strategic fact in the Middle East today is the Iranian drive for regional hegemony. This Iranian objective is being promoted by a rising hardline conservative elite within the Iranian regime, centred on a number of … Continue reading →

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Analysis: Lebanon Election Results Offer Some Relief, but No Major Changes

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post-08/06/2009 It is now clear that the pro-Western March 14 alliance has won an unexpected victory in parliamentary elections in Lebanon, and senior sources in the Hizbullah-led March 8 bloc have conceded defeat in statements to Western reporters. Contrary … Continue reading →

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The Forgotten Minority

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 09/07/2010 On March 21, 2010, the Syrian security forces opened fire with live ammunition on a crowd of 5,000 in the northern Syrian town of al-Raqqah. The crowd had gathered to celebrate the Kurdish festival of Nowruz. Three … Continue reading →

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Hamas Fans Flames of Islamic Anger Following “Day of Rage”

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 19/03/2010 Hamas leaders are seeking to escalate Palestinian unrest over the supposed Israeli threat to Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. In addition to reflecting the movement’s ideological goals, this effort makes good political sense. Hamas seeks to supplant … Continue reading →

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Behind the Axis: The North Korean Connection

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 29/05/2010 North Korean spokesmen reacted furiously last week to claims by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman that Pyongyang is supplying weapons technology to Iran and Syria. Representatives of the regime of Kim Jong-Il described Lieberman as an “imbecile.” The … Continue reading →

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Who Killed Khaled Sultan al-Abed?

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 14/06/2010 Once viewed as perhaps the most locked-down and policed city in the Middle East, the Syrian capital of Damascus has been the scene of a number of bombings and assassinations in the last few years. Most famously, … Continue reading →

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Losing the Scent in South Lebanon

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center -20/07/2010 Last week, the IDF released evidence of Hizbullah stockpiling of weaponry in populated civilian areas of southern Lebanon. The IDF material showed an aerial map of the Shi’ite town of El Khiam. The map showed details of … Continue reading →

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Al-Qaida-Style Islamism Comes to Gaza

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 19/08/2009 Quiet has now returned to the Gaza Strip after the weekend violence which claimed the lives of 28 people. The last of the funerals of the Jund Ansar Allah fighters killed in the suppression of the organization … Continue reading →

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Growing Islamization in Gaza

Posted on April 5, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 29/09/2009 Deriving accurate and reliable information from within the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip is not easy. The Strip is largely closed to journalists, and its inhabitants are reluctant to speak in detail of events there. Nevertheless, reliable sources confirm … Continue reading →

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