Middle East: Only Headaches and Root Canals Historically, the US has succeeded in war and peacemaking where regional conflict has created opportunities for change. At times, however, that change can be too unpredicatble for outsiders to guide. Aaron David Miller writes that “sometimes getting out of the way of history is a better option than getting run over by it.” Originals
Gaddafi Is Gone but One Year on Libya Looks Grim February 17 was the first anniversary of the revolution that ousted Gaddafi. Libya is far from stable, with rampant violence and an economy crippled by corruption. Patrick Haimzadeh, a former French diplomat in Tripoli and the author of Inside Gaddafi’s Libya, spoke to Al Monitor’s Sophie Claudet. Libya
Will Nonviolent Protest Spark a ‘Palestinian Spring’? It is too early to tell whether Khader Adnan’s defiance is a sign of a budding “Palestinian Spring,” but signs of mobilization been percolating throughout the past year. It comes in the context of the growing Palestinian nonviolent protest movement known for its demonstrations in Bil’in and Nabi Saleh. Originals
An Israeli Policy Dodges a Bullet--for Now Khader 'Adnan's hunger strike brought one of the occupation's main mechanisms, administrative detention, into crisis. Originals
UN Commission Accuses Syria Of Crimes Against Humanity The UN-backed independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria released a report Thursday accusing Syrian armed and security forces of crimes against humanity. The report, documenting human rights violations since the beginning of the Syria uprising in March 2011, also accused armed opposition groups of serious violations. Al Monitor interviewed the panel’s chairman, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, about the report. Syria
Turkey’s Syrian Conundrum Turkey has emerged as the key country in the Syrian endgame, writes Henri J. Barkey. Almost every proposal has a Turkey component, from calls for that nation’s armed forces to enter Syria, to proposals for establishing “humanitarian corridors.” Ankara finds itself in an impossible situation, alarmed by Syria’s steady march toward the abyss, but reluctant to intervene militarily. Originals
Iranian Web Site Urges Pre-Emptive Strike Against Israel A provocative article has appeared on an Iranian website that seems intended to warn the US and Israel not to attack Iran. Shaul Bakhash reports that the article calls on the government to launch military strikes to destroy Israel. The site isn't a normal conduit for government messages, but the threat of a pre-emptive strike was reiterated by the deputy head of the armed forces. Originals
Saudi Writer Faces Death Penalty For Doubting Prophet on Twitter Thomas W. Lippman, author of Saudi Arabia on the Edge:The Uncertain Future of an American Ally, gives the example of Hamza Kashgari as “an almost perfect microcosm of the dilemma facing King Abdullah and the princes as they try to balance their push for modernization with their need to maintain religious purity.” Originals
Brzezinski, Slaughter Discuss Obama's Mideast Challenges Al-Monitor Washington correspondent Barbara Slavin recently interviewed former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski and former State Department policy planning chief Anne-Marie Slaughter about the challenges facing the United States in the Middle East during this U.S. presidential election year. Excerpts from those interviews follow: Egypt
The Late Anthony Shadid on Covering Arab Spring Watch Anthony Shadid's remarkable presentation at Rice University last fall, on his award-winning coverage of the promise and perils of last year's upheaval in the region. Culture & Society
Hamas and the New Mideast Puzzle Hamas, the Palestinian “Islamic Resistance Movement,” is on the move. Among many other things, it is leaving Syria and planning to relocate its headquarters to Qatar. Sam Bahour writes that Hamas’ decision to act now on so many fronts might be a response to the broader Islamic political waves moving across the region. Originals
US Must Act Quickly to Maintain Influence in Middle East With the Middle East in a state of massive transition, William S. Cohen, a former US Secretary of Defense and the head of a strategic advisory firm, makes three predictions: Populist policies will continue to sway the work of new governments, Islamic parties will grow in stature and importance within newly democratic states and the US will struggle to play its traditional leadership role. Egypt
When Sheiks Become Members of Parliament Recent elections in Egypt and Tunisia swept Islamists to power who appear to be moderate so far, but the vote in Libya is likely to produce a more unsettling result: a legislature controlled by a mixture of politically inexperienced tribal and Islamic lawmakers united by their regard for Sharia as the source of all laws. Originals
Israel-Iran Covert Spy Games Become More Dangerous Bruce Riedel analyzes the state of the covert war between Israel and Iran. Escalating aggression from Hezbollah and countermeasures by Mossad suggest that this “spy versus spy” game is getting harder to contain. Riedel favors ousting the Alawite regime in Damascus and mobilizing the Syrian opposition around Turkish leadership. Originals
