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.

Virtual Diplomacy, Real Damage

Posted on March 7, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post-29/11/2009 The statement by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Riyadh last week expressing French willingness to mediate talks between Syria and Israel is the latest indication of Syria’s emergence from diplomatic isolation. Damascus has largely rebuilt its links with … Continue reading →

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New Manifesto reveals a more Sophisticated, Confident Hizbullah

Posted on March 7, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post-15/12/2009 Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah this week announced the publication of a new political manifesto, outlining the goals of his movement. The document is the successor to Hizbullah’s first manifesto, published in 1985, and many regional analysts have hailed … Continue reading →

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Lebanon: Conflict widens to Syria

Posted on March 7, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post-03/02/2010 In the last week, senior Israeli policymakers made statements of an uncharacteristically bellicose nature regarding Syria. It is unlikely that these statements were made because of sudden random irritation toward Israel’s hostile northeastern neighbor.  Rather, the statements probably … Continue reading →

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Muslim World: Iran – The End is not Nigh

Posted on March 7, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post-02/01/2010 The ongoing demonstrations in Iran are testimony to the continued strength and resilience of Iranian civil society. They make a mockery of the Islamic Republic’s ambition of offering a model for successful Muslim governance to the world. The … Continue reading →

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Malevolent Inspiration

Posted on March 7, 2011 by jonathanspyer

10/07/2010 Beirut this week witnessed the passing of one of the seminal figures of the Lebanese Shi’ites – Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah. Tens of thousands of mourners followed the coffin in its southern suburbs, with chants of “Death to … Continue reading →

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Arab World: Battleground Yemen

Posted on March 7, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post-09/01/2010 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday described the current situation in Yemen as “a threat to regional stability and even to global stability.” She was referring to the fact that Yemen is the latest failed state to … Continue reading →

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Arab World: Ahmadinejad’s Recipe for Success

Posted on March 7, 2011 by jonathanspyer

22/10/2010 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is now safely back in Teheran, his triumphal tour of Lebanon concluded. The internal Lebanese political crisis which underlay his visit, however, is far from over and has almost certainly not yet reached its height. … Continue reading →

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Lebanon and the limits of protest

Posted on February 16, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post- 16/02/2011 Former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri’s declaration this week that his March 14 movement will enter the opposition serves to clarify the situation in Lebanon. The country is today openly under the control of a coalition of … Continue reading →

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The Birth of Hizballahstan

Posted on January 26, 2011 by jonathanspyer

Gloria Center- 27/01/2011 Events have moved fast in Lebanon. The country now faces the prospect of a government controlled by Hizbullah and consisting solely of the movement and its allies. Parts of Lebanon looked in danger of slipping into chaos … Continue reading →

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Death in Urumiya

Posted on January 22, 2011 by jonathanspyer

In the early morning hours of Saturday, January 15 in the isolated and overcrowded Urumiya prison in western Iran, the authorities hanged one of their opponents. Hossein Khazri, an alleged activist with the Party for Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), … Continue reading →

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