Tag Archives: Iran

The Fragmented Forces Behind Assad

Posted on September 27, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 27/9 The conflict in Syria tends to be seen as one between a disparate, fragmented rebellion and a centralized dictatorial regime. That characterization of the rebellion is correct. The view of the Assad regime as a centralized, monolithic … Continue reading →

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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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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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Iran’s Silent War in the Gulf

Posted on April 6, 2013 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 5/4: A series of trials currently under way in the neighboring Gulf states of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain offer a glimpse into the ongoing, silent war being waged by Iran against its regional rivals. Bahrain is of particular … Continue reading →

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Murders in Paris

Posted on January 20, 2013 by jonathanspyer

PJ Media, 16/1. Three female Kurdish activists were murdered in Paris earlier this month. The execution-style killings took place at a Kurdish information office on the quiet Rue Lafayette, near Paris’s Gare Du Nord. One of the three women, Sakine … Continue reading →

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Saving President Assad

Posted on September 29, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Iran and its proxies mobilize to preserve Assad Jerusalem Post, 28/9. A report issued by the US Treasury Department this month and picked up by the Washington Post newspaper accused the Lebanese Hizballah organization of increasing its support for the … Continue reading →

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Collateral Damage

Posted on August 4, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 4/8. Brigadier-General Masoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of the Iranian armed forces, told a reporter this week that Iran would ‘not allow the enemy to advance’ in Syria. He said that no need had yet arisen for direct Iranian … Continue reading →

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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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Iran and Saudi Arabia duel over Bahrain

Posted on April 29, 2012 by jonathanspyer

The Saudi-sponsored newspaper Alsharq Alawsat this week reported a meeting in Qom between Iraqi Shi’ite Islamist leader Moqtada al-Sadr and leaders of the Bahraini opposition. Alsharq Alawsat, based in London, was keen to cast a spotlight on this meeting because … Continue reading →

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Taking note of Yemen

Posted on March 31, 2012 by jonathanspyer

Jerusalem Post, 29/03/2012 The US is waking up to Iran’s support for Shi’ite rebels and its attempts to gain influence through proxy warfare. In a notable shift in the US public stance, Washington’s Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein this week … Continue reading →

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