Category Archives: Uncategorized

War by other means: The Revolutionary Guards Corps fights sanctions on Iran’s energy sector

Posted on July 14, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 13/7. Iran announced this week that it is set to transfer responsibility for part of its oil sales to three newly established private consortiums. This move is intended to counter the impact of an EU ban on importation, … Continue reading →

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The Sovereignty of Violence

Posted on July 12, 2012 by jonathanspyer

‘And as our vineyards, fallows, meads and hedges, defective in their natures, grow to wildness, even so our houses and ourselves and children have lost, or do not learn for want of time, the sciences that should become our country, … Continue reading →

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Sunni Islamism Stirs in Lebanon

Posted on July 7, 2012 by jonathanspyer

As the civil war in Syria grinds on and assumes an increasingly sectarian character, echoes of the strife are being heard across the border in Lebanon. The main beneficiary of the Arab uprisings of the last year has been Sunni … Continue reading →

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Tensions between FSA rebels, Kurdish Separatists in Syria

Posted on June 29, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 29/6. At a recent meeting in London, I asked a Syrian Kurd whose affiliations are close to the nationalist PKK why the Kurds of Syria remained on the sidelines in the uprising against Bashar Assad. The Kurds of … Continue reading →

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Defections reflect doubts among Assad loyalists

Posted on June 26, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 26/06/2012 Analysis: Syrian rebels, having begun as an uprising against recognized authorities, are beginning to look more like a rival center of power in country. The defection this week of a Syrian general, five other officers and 33 … Continue reading →

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Syrian Rebels Gaining Ground

Posted on June 19, 2012 by jonathanspyer

As the UN Observer Mission in Syria ceases its activities, there are indications that the Syrian rebels are beginning to gain the upper hand against the Assad regime. The rebels have scored notable achievements against government forces in recent days. … Continue reading →

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A loon claims that I am an ‘adviser’ to the ‘Free Syrian Terrorist Army’

Posted on June 17, 2012 by jonathanspyer
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Interview on ABC News

Posted on June 1, 2012 by jonathanspyer

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-31/20120531-worldiv-raw/4045298

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The Rise of Hamas-Gaza

Posted on May 16, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement which controls the Gaza Strip, recently held internal elections. The polls were for the Gaza Political Bureau and Shura Council, often described as the movement’s parliament. Hamas holds its votes in secret, and tries to … Continue reading →

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Syrian Kurdish dissident: ‘Break Syria into Pieces’

Posted on May 16, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post 16/05/2012 Sherkoh Abbas, a veteran Syrian Kurdish dissident, called on Israel this week to support the break-up of Syria into a series of federal structures based on the country’s various ethnicities. Speaking from Washington, Abbas was also critical … Continue reading →

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