Category Archives: Uncategorized

Qatari Power – and Irresponsibility – set to continue under new Emir

Posted on June 29, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 29/6. An event of a type exotically rare in the contemporary Arab world took place this week: namely, a bloodless transfer of power. The ruling, ailing Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamid bin-Khalifa al-Thani chose to step down. Power … Continue reading →

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Plagiarized?

Posted on June 9, 2013 by jonathanspyer

A BBC-Watch site accuses a BBC journalist of cribbing from one of my articles: http://biasedbbc.org/blog/2013/05/10/curious/ Yesterday I praised Paul Danahar for his realistic and reasoned analysis of the situation in Syria and compared it favourably against the efforts of Mark … Continue reading →

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Hizballah enters the Syrian Abyss

Posted on June 2, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Two Grad rockets were fired this week at the south Beirut suburb of Shiyah. This district borders the Dahiyeh – the stronghold in the city which houses the main offices of Hizballah. The decision to strike so close to Hizballah’s … Continue reading →

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Taken – a novel by Michael Totten. Book Review.

Posted on May 31, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Taken’ is the first novel by Michael Totten. Totten, an American blogger and foreign correspondent, is the author of ‘the Road to Fatima Gate’ and two other works of reportage.  In the Middle East, he has reported from Lebanon, Iraq … Continue reading →

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Burning of Hizballah flag in northern Syria

Posted on May 28, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Opposition activists set fire to a flag of the Lebanese Shia Islamist organization, Binnish, northern Syria, February, 2012.

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The Failure of Western Policy on Syria

Posted on May 28, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Tower Magazine, May, 2013 The Syrian civil war has now entered its third year with no end in sight. Over 70,000 people have died. 1.5 million refugees have fled Syria, with another two million displaced within the country’s borders. According … Continue reading →

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Erdogan’s Kurdish Gambit

Posted on May 17, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 17/5 On May 8th, fighters of the Kurdish PKK militia began to withdraw from their positions in Turkey, bound for their mountain strongholds in Kurdish-ruled northern Iraq. The decision by the PKK to withdraw is the result of … Continue reading →

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The Israeli Debate over Syria

Posted on May 16, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Tablet Magazine, 14/5: The civil war in Syria has led to a keen debate among the professional echelon tasked with advising policymakers in Israel. This debate has been reflected in a more subdued public conversation and occasionally in spectacular events—like … Continue reading →

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Is Assad Winning?

Posted on May 3, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 3/5 The imminent demise of the Assad regime has been announced on numerous occasions over the last two years of civil war in Syria. But the regime has held on. Despite some advances by rebels in the south … Continue reading →

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Muslim Brotherhood Presides over Growing Chaos in Egypt

Posted on April 12, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 12/2: Recent days have seen a further sharp deterioration in Egypt. Against a background of economic crisis, Salafi Islamist groups are increasingly assertive. The Salafis are engaged in the violent harassment of Egyptian Copts and secular oppositionists, and … Continue reading →

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