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: A Bus Blows up in Damascus – Exploding Tire or Terror Strike?

Posted on April 4, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 07/12/2009 The Syrian authorities are currently trying to attribute the blast Thursday on a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims near the Saida Zeinab mosque in Damascus to an exploding tire. However, eyewitnesses earlier reported a bomb explosion on the … Continue reading →

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Iran Hasn’t Won the Cold War Yet

Posted on April 4, 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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EU and Teheran: A Collision in Slow Motion

Posted on April 4, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center – 01/08/2010 This week, the European Union approved sanctions of unprecedented severity against Iran, because of its refusal to desist from enriching uranium. The EU decision follows the recent fourth UN Security Council sanctions resolution against Iran, and … Continue reading →

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Fight or Flight?

Posted on April 4, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center -11/12/2010 The revelation that the Saudis sought to create a military option for anti-Iranian forces in Lebanon is the latest item to fall into the category of “non-surprising surprises” revealed by the WikiLeaks cables. This is not intended … Continue reading →

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Notes From an Undeclared Cold War

Posted on April 4, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 11/12/2010 The diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks earlier this week confirm that the key strategic process taking place in the Middle East is the push for regional dominance by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The documents show that … Continue reading →

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The West Should Use Resolution 1701 to Roll Back Hizbullah’s Effective Take-over of the Lebanese Government

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

22/04/2010 The summoning by the United States of Syrian Deputy Chief of Mission Zouheir Jabbour for a review of Syrian arms transfers to Hizbullah is the latest evidence of the serious basis to the recent tensions in the north. Syria … Continue reading →

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Arab Order and flying Shoes

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

21/12/2008 US President George W. Bush’s visit to Iraq this week reflected the mixed legacy of his presidency. The Iraq invasion is likely to be remembered as the defining issue of the Bush era and recent events show real progress … Continue reading →

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Northern Sinai: A Desert Playground for Smugglers, Jihadis

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

13/11/2008 The 25 Egyptian police officers taken hostage by Beduins in northern Sinai on Tuesday have now been freed. The men were released on the Egyptian border with Israel, reportedly unharmed. The freeing of the hostages concludes a series of … Continue reading →

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Israel’s Demographic Timebomb

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Guardian- 14/01/2004 Israeli right-of-centre politics is today turned in on itself. The reason for this derives from the prominence in recent weeks given to proposals for unilateral disengagement by Israel from the Gaza Strip and the greater part of the … Continue reading →

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Waking from the Oslo Dream

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Guardian- 01/05/2002 Israel is at war. The brief respite afforded by operation Defensive Shield ended with the killings at Adura. As I write, Israeli forces are in Hebron. Here in Jerusalem, once again, the streets are emptying. Tension, fear in … Continue reading →

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