Politics & Policies by Claude Salhani

Politics & Policies: Can there be a victor?

2008-04-08T11:41:00.003-04:00

by CLAUDE SALHANI (Editor, Middle East Times)

Replying to a column published yesterday on the precarious situation in “Middle East Democracy and Mideast headcount,” one reader made the following comment: “I would suggest that any war artificially ended before a clear victor and a clear loser emerge will reignite…. What did people think was going to happen when they forced Israel to halt its drubbing of Hezbollah two summers ago before they were done? Germany waited a couple of decades…doubtful Iran will.” In theory the writer is correct in her analysis; but as anyone who has studied theory quickly realizes, applying theory to practice is not always realistic, or necessarily the most intelligent approach.

full story

Iraq: Beginning of the end?

2007-09-07T11:17:00.000-04:00

BY CLAUDE SALHANI

TWO separate events unfolded in Iraq last week that could signal the beginning of the end of the Anglo-US engagement in that country. The first event was the unexpected visit to the war-torn country by US President George W Bush, the American president’s third visit to Iraq. The second event was the pullback of British forces from Basra.

(Click on above link for the full story.)

Threats without borders

2007-08-31T12:17:00.000-04:00

Claude Salhani
August 31, 2007

Addressing a gathering of some 200 French ambassadors gathered at the Elysee Palace last Monday, President Nicolas Sarkozy stressed the urgency of what he called "The first challenge" facing the West: How to prevent a confrontation with Islam.

"The threats we face today — terrorism, proliferation, crime — know no borders, warned the French president.

"There's no point in waffling: this confrontation is being called for by extremist groups such as al Qaeda that dream of establishing a caliphate from Indonesia to Nigeria, rejecting all openness, all modernity, every hint of diversity," said Mr. Sarkozy. "If these forces were to achieve their sinister objective, it is certain that the 21st century would be even worse than the last one, itself marked by merciless confrontation between ideologies."

(to view the full story click on the main title.)

With our computers frozen, would the U.S. still be a superpower? China intends to find out.

2007-08-28T23:02:00.000-04:00

In this galaxy, in the not too distant future . . .

by Claude Salhani

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan demanded that the U.S. military focus its attention—and much of its research and development—on how best to respond to low-tech threats such as primitive improvised explosive devices. While the IEDs proved to be deadly for the troops of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq—the majority of casualties suffered were from exploding roadside bombs—the long-term effect they had on the American military was far more consequential. The real impact was felt only a few years later when the United States became involved in its next major conflict—with China.

(Click on the title to read the full story.)

The Iraq surge works

2007-07-31T09:13:00.000-04:00

Commentary: The Iraq surge works

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Claude Salhani, Middle East Times
July 31, 2007

Two leading US scholars - and typically harsh critics of the administration - who have just returned from Iraq, say the surge of American forces there is working, but that more time is needed before the US starts to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

(to read more about Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack's report on Iraq click on above link.)

Cheney wants attack on Iran

2007-07-30T17:49:00.000-04:00

By CLAUDE SALHANI

WASHINGTON, July 30 (UPI) –

There has been much speculation regarding the probability of U.S. and/or Israeli military strikes against Islamic republic's nuclear power sites before they become fully operational. But such a strike against Iran would unleash the tsunami-like force of millions in the Arab/Muslim world.

800 word click on the link to read the entire storyl

Is Al-Qaida making a comeback??

2007-07-13T15:00:00.001-04:00

By CLAUDE SALHANI

U.S. intelligence officials have produced a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) concluding that the al-Qaida terrorist network is still a very potent enemy despite an all-out war waged against it almost everywhere in the world by the United States.

Click on above link to read the full story

Analysis: Soft partition of Iraq

2007-07-06T11:25:00.000-04:00

By CLAUDE SALHANI
The partition of Iraq is being offered as an alternative for an otherwise failed policy on Iraq.

Letter from the Editor

2006-12-05T16:38:00.000-05:00

Claude Salhani
Middle East Times
December 5, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The events that unfolded these past few days in the Lebanese capital leaves no doubt that Lebanon is sitting on the political equivalent of a rumbling volcano ready to erupt at a moment's notice.

(Click on above link to read full story.)

Politics & Policies: Three Mideast fires

2006-12-04T17:51:00.000-05:00

By CLAUDE SALHANI
UPI International Editor

The Middle East is facing the danger of three civil wars erupting -- Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories.

(Click on title link to read full report.)

Live from Lebanon

2006-11-26T10:29:00.000-05:00

by Claude Salhani

11.17.2006

BEIRUT, Lebanon.

In wake of the devastating war with Israel this summer, this pleasant strip of land on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean projects normality, with its fine restaurants and popular watering holes packed to the hilt every night. But with the rhetorical clashing between factions escalating by the day, there are fears that Lebanon could precipitously fall back into the abyss of the nightmarish days of the fifteen-year civil war. Some groups have delivered ominous threats that could prompt a shift from political to street sparring.

(Click on above link to read full story.)

Olmert's Secret Weapon: Prime Minister Deployed a Boomerang

2006-09-15T12:39:00.000-04:00

by Claude Salhani

EMAIL ARTICLE | PRINTER FRIENDLY

In his bid to wipe out Hizballah in northern Lebanon, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert unsheathed his secret weapon: a precision-guided boomerang. This weapon certainly did cause massive destruction in Lebanon and then, with noted precision, wreaked damage upon its return to sender. Indeed, Olmert's foray into Lebanon may well cost him his job.

And Israel itself, as conventional wisdom has correctly had it, has also been damaged, in that an illusion of invincibility has been shattered. Of course, the Islamist victory in Lebanon builds on a succession of such triumphs, from Algeria to Somalia, and potentially in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the chorus on the Lebanon conflict has failed to recognize the decent prospects for a successful multilateral peacekeeping operation in Lebanon. This is because, despite the reversals for Israel, each side has a modicum of victories to highlight--and defeats.

To read the full story click on the above headline, or go to http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=12058i

Politics & Policies: The world is one global village

2006-07-13T09:16:00.000-04:00

What do illegal migrants from sub-Saharan Afriac have in common with Europeans living in Europe? AFar more than you think. (click on anove link for full story.)

Will redrawing the map of the Middle East end conflict?

2006-07-13T07:27:00.000-04:00

Will redrawing the map of the Middle East end conflict?
BY CLAUDE SALHANI

13 July 2006

LT. COL. Ralph Peters published an article in the US’ Armed Forces Journal last month where he outlines his vision as to what is needed to solve the many woes — and wars — troubling the Greater Middle East: redraw the maps of most countries in the turbulent region, as Lt. Col. Peters (retired) would have it. In so doing, the face of the region as we know it today would change, thereby hopefully eradicating present day conflicts.

What Peters omits from his expose is that these changes would produce winners and losers, which in turn would be the genesis of newer conflicts.

Working from the assumption that "international borders are never completely just," Peters suggests major alterations. "Modern borders," says Peters, "have been the cause of injustice, oppression and atrocities." Peters starts with Israel: the Jewish state, he says, must abide by the demands it return to the pre-1967 lines, "if it hopes to ever live in peace."

Next he takes on Saudi Arabia: The kingdom stands to lose the most, according to the author’s plan. He advocates breaking it up into three parts. The Eastern province would be tied to the "Arab Shia State," composed of parts of southern Iraq and Iran — and bits of some of the other Gulf states. Rest assured, Peters leaves the UAE (and Oman) intact. It’s Yemen that wins big with large swathes of Saudi Arabia going its way. The second part of Saudi Arabia, the part comprising the holy cities of Makkah and Medina, would be shaped into what he calls the "Islamic Sacred State." Peters sees Saudi Arabia as "A root cause of the broad stagnation in the Muslim world."

The basis of Peters’ thesis is that today’s borders were "most arbitrary and distorted," which he claims were "drawn by self-interested Europeans (who have had sufficient trouble defining their own frontiers)." To those who think that borders are unchangeable, he offers this advice declaring "that boundaries must not change and that’s that, it pays to remember that boundaries have never stopped changing through the centuries. Borders have never been static," says Peters."Oh, and one other dirty little secret from 5,000 years of history: Ethnic cleansing works," adds the retired army officer. Look at the former Yugoslavia,

Then he comes to Iraq — "A Frankenstein’s monster of a state sewn together from ill-fitting parts." He adds, "the US and its coalition partners missed a glorious chance to begin to correct this injustice after Baghdad’s fall." According to Peters, "Iraq should have been divided into three smaller states." He says the United States "failed from cowardice and lack of vision, bullying Iraq’s Kurds into supporting the new Iraqi government — which they do wistfully as a quid pro quo for our good will."

He correctly states that should there be a free plebiscite to be held. “Make no mistake,” says Peters, "Nearly 100 per cent of Iraq’s Kurds would vote for independence.

The same goes for the Kurds of Turkey, whom Peters says "have endured decades of violent military oppression and a decades-long demotion to ‘mountain Turks’ in an effort to eradicate their identity." While the plight of the Kurds in Turkey "has eased somewhat over the past decade, the repression recently intensified again and the eastern fifth of Turkey should be viewed as occupied territory."

Peters sees the Kurds of Syria and Iran, rushing to join in forming an independent Kurdistan if they could.

In the new Middle East, according to Peters, "Iraq’s three Sunni-majority provinces might eventually choose to unify with a Syria that loses its littoral to a Mediterranean-oriented Greater Lebanon: Phoenicia reborn." "Correcting borders to reflect the will of the people may be impossible, for now. But given time — and the inevitable attendant bloodshed — new and natural borders will emerge. Babylon has fallen more than once."

True, but there is bound to be more bloodshed before any such changes take place, if they ever do. And more blood after these changes take place is sure to follow.

Claude Salhani is International Editor and a political analyst with United Press International in Washington. He may be contacted at Claude@upi.com

Iran, Syria fighting Israel by proxy militias

2006-07-12T09:20:00.000-04:00

Iran, Syria use and abuse Lebanese militia... to fight Israel.

Illegal Immigration draws Africa closer to Europe

2006-07-12T07:35:00.000-04:00

How do you stop the flow of millions of Africans from crossing the Sahara Desert as they try to make their way to Europe, via Morocco? Not through security measures alone," say officials.

Are Iran and Syria behind the latest Mideast escalation?

2006-07-12T07:16:00.000-04:00

Israel is fighting on two fronts now -- Lebanon and Gaza -- in efforts to free its captured soldiers. The battle, however, could escalate to frightening proportions.

Illegal Immigration: Go North, young man

2006-07-11T07:30:00.000-04:00

Millions of would-be African immigrants head north to Morocco every year, hoping to make it to Europe from here. Alas, many die along the way.

Despite ethnic killings, officials say still not civil war in Iraq

2006-07-10T07:21:00.000-04:00

Officials in the Iraqi capital claim it is still not a civil war...despite the fact that masked gunmen pulled at least 40 Sunni Arabs from their houses, cafes, and cars and executed them in cold blood. Iraq's President Jalal Talabani said it brought the country to a "dangerous edge." I thought it was already there.

North Korea's bluff

2006-07-06T20:42:00.000-04:00

The North Korea have gambled -- and lost. By firing their missiles the reclusive communist state we have convinced America's allies in the Pacific region of the need of a strong US presence.

Islamic renewal needs US backing

2006-07-05T20:47:00.000-04:00

In the days, months and years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the United States has found itself in a war against an enemy it had very little intelligence on -- Islamist extremists.

Now, five years later, "The United States still lacks an integrated and sustainable strategy to confront religious extremism in the Muslim world," writes Abdeslam M. Maghraoui, director of the Muslim World Initiative at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Jihadi bomber blows up hope of peace in Mideast

2006-04-18T20:30:00.000-04:00

More deaths and destruction in the Middle East!

Hopes of any peaceful settlement in the Middle East were blown away earlier today along with a Palestinian suicide bomber who blew himself up in central Tel Aviv Monday, killing nine people and wounding about 50 others.

What can the US do with Iran?

2006-04-17T20:21:00.000-04:00

Rumors were plentiful in Washington last week that a military strike on Iran was a possibility after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that his country had succeeded in enriching uranium, a necessary first step in producing a nuclear weapon. According to a very reliable source who spoke to me on condition of anonymity, a military strike on Iran was -- or maybe still is -- in the offing, as was reported by Sy Hirsch of the New Yorker.

Bush's European allies pay heavy price

2006-04-13T22:17:00.000-04:00

It's not easy being a faithful ally of president these days. Many world leaders who supported the American president in his Iraqi expedition, either politically or by contributing troops to the Iraqi campaign, have systematically found themselves voted out of a job.

In Italy this week Bush lost his staunchest European supporter ever with the defeat of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his conservative Forza Italia to centrist Romano Prodi and his alliance of Catholics, leftists and communists

Immigration troubles

2006-04-12T21:34:00.000-04:00

Thirty-three years ago Jean Raspail wrote "The Camp of the Saints,"his almost-prophetic book on immigration gone wild. The French author explained how social conditions in the developing world deteriorated to the point that it forced millions of refugees from the Indian subcontinent to storm the beaches of southern France after commandeering an armada of cargo ships. At the same time, milliona of hungry Chinese oozed across the Amur River into Russia. With refugees flowing like uncontrolled mercury into Europe from the east and west simultaneously, the face of Europe was suddenly changed -- forever.

Could the same be happening in the US with 12 million "aliens.?"

Iran closer to nukes

2006-04-11T22:22:00.000-04:00

Only a few days after strong rumors of a possible preemptive U.S. and/or Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities circulated like wildfire around the Washington Beltway, Iran said it has taken its nuclear program forward.

"Uranium enrichment has been achieved," boasted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tuesday to a jubilant crowd gathered in Mashhad, during a speech televised for the world to see. This latest step in Iran's nuclear program brings the Islamic Republic that much closer to acquiring nuclear weapons.

The players in Iraq

2006-04-11T21:40:00.000-04:00

The author of the report, Nawaf Obaid, an adjunct fellow at The Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, recently released a comprehensive study of the situation in Iraq titled "Meeting the Challenge of a Fragmented Iraq: A Saudi Perspective." offers invaluable background on the various players and political parties elbowing for power in post-Saddam Iraq. The following are extracts of his report.

Italy votes-- world waits for results...

2006-04-10T22:07:00.000-04:00

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's often-controversial rule came to an abrupt end -- maybe? -- Monday after a tumultuous five years in power. This places the center-left back in control. Assuming exit polls are correct the center-left alliance leads with a margin of 4 percent to 5 percent.

Civil war in Iraq? Maybe....

2006-04-10T22:05:00.000-04:00

President Bush is right when he says there is no civil war in Iraq. The Commander in Chief is right on the money, there is no civil war in Iraq. The spiraling spate of sectarian killings is far from civil.

A divided Iraq is a challenge for Saudi

2006-04-07T22:09:00.000-04:00

"United States policy in Iraq is widening sectarian divisions to the point of effectively handing the country to Iran," commented Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal while on an official visit to Washington on September 20, 2005. "We fought a war together to keep Iran out of Iraq, now we are handing the whole country over to Iran without reason... Iraq is disintegrating."

A new report by Nawaf Obaid, an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, reveals some chilling realities about the U.S. intervention in Iraq and explores a Saudi view of the ramifications of the war.

Iraq poses challenge to Saudi

2006-04-07T05:05:00.000-04:00

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said while on an official visit to Washington on September 20, 2005: "United States policy in Iraq is widening sectarian divisions to the point of effectively handing the country to Iran. We fought a war together to keep Iran out of Iraq, now we are handing the whole country over to Iran without reason... Iraq is disintegrating." Latest report by Nawaf Obaid, reveals chilling realities about the U.S. intervention in Iraq.
(click on the above link to see full story.)

Last chance summit for Iraq

2006-04-06T05:17:00.000-04:00

The Iraqi Islamic Reconciliation Summit will be held in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on April 22 -- it will be Iraq's last chance to avoid civil war.
(Click on above link for full story.)

Iraq's troubles continue

2006-04-04T05:22:00.000-04:00

The violence in Iraq may is not considered by Washington as a civil war.
(Click on above link for full story.)

I Love Paris in the spring ...despite the teargas

2006-04-04T05:12:00.000-04:00

Protesting a controversial law meant to encourage employers to hire young people without suffering heavy social taxes, the French have taken to the streets as Prime Minister Dominque de Villepin's dream of reaching the Elysee Palace fades with the smoke from every tear gas grenade.
(Click on above link for full story.)

Hamas' governing difficulties

2006-04-03T05:24:00.000-04:00

Having won the legislative election in the Palestinian territories, Hamas faces new challenges.

(Click on above link for full story.)

New Hamas government already in trouble

2006-03-30T19:41:00.000-05:00

Ruling the Palestinian territories has proved difficult even at the best of times. Hamas, the winner of last January's elections are finding out just how complex governing those territories can be. And these are by no means the best of times.

Olmert's monumental job

2006-03-29T19:47:00.000-05:00

Israel's Kadima center party has won the elections -- but just barely. However, this will guarantee the prime minister's office to Ehud Olmert, along with a difficult task.

Israelis go to the polls

2006-03-28T19:54:00.000-05:00

Israeli voters are going to the polls this Tuesday to cast their ballots in what has been described at the same time as one of the country's most decisive and most apathetic elections.

Bush commits second major Iraq error

2006-03-27T19:57:00.000-05:00

People will argue for years to come whether the war in Iraq was worth starting or a mistake.

Afghan covert from Islam threatened

2006-03-24T20:01:00.000-05:00

Just two months after the debacle over the caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed pitted the Muslim world against the West, a new controversy has erupted threatening to further widen the chasm between the two cultures. The latest row is over the news that a court in the Afghan capital, Kabul, is threatening to impose the death penalty on an Afghani man who converted to Christianity from Islam.

Dubai deploys weapon of charm

2006-03-22T19:59:00.000-05:00

Dubai's secret weapon came to Washington. She is Sheikha Lubna Al-Qasimi, Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates and the first woman in the history of the United Arab Emirates to assume a full cabinet position. She was given the position in November 2004 to manage the newly merged ministries of Economy and Planning.

Media pays heavy price in Iraq

2006-03-22T19:45:00.000-05:00

Call it civil waror not, three years of conflict has already claimed more lives among the press corps than 20 years of jungle, and at times urban, warfare in Vietnam.

The Not May '68 riots

2006-03-20T20:04:00.000-05:00

Despite the similarities between today's student unrest and the student revolt of May 1968, there is little chance that the recent spate of protests perturbing French political life turning into another May '68.

Stop the boycott

2006-03-17T18:52:00.000-05:00

Shorlt after ascending to the throne, Saudi Arabia's new King Abdullah indicated that he intended to play a major role in finding a negotiated settlement to the long-standing Arab-Israeli dispute.

A diary of the Iraq war -- year three

2006-03-15T18:47:00.000-05:00

Iraq. Year three. Things did not exactly turn out as planned.

Elections in the Levant

2006-03-14T18:49:00.000-05:00

In most countries politicians campaign by kissisng babies. In Israel elections are marked by Israeli Army bulldozers storming a Palestinian prison.

Death of a dictator

2006-03-13T18:54:00.000-05:00

Slobodan Milosevic, the 64-year-old former leader of Yugoslavia who threw his country into the worst fighting in Europe since the end of WWII, died Saturday. His ideology was based on hate, racism and nationalistic ideas that included "ethnic cleansing," and mass murder.

The Tehran tango

2006-03-10T16:35:00.000-05:00

The Tehran tango, you take one step back and two steps forward.

Opening the gates of ijtihad

2006-03-07T16:44:00.000-05:00

Some experts believe the solution to the turmoil gripping Muslim society today may be found in r-opening the gates of ijtihad.

How films impact us

2006-03-07T16:42:00.000-05:00

Movies, whether fact or fiction, have a big impact on society.

Moderate Muslims appeal

2006-03-06T16:40:00.000-05:00

A plea from moderate Muslims.

Al-Qaida in Gaza?

2006-03-04T14:07:00.000-05:00

Is al-Qaida active in the Palestinian territories? Israeli and Palestinian officials believe that to be true. case. H

How to handle Iran

2006-03-02T14:05:00.000-05:00

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed shat of Iran cautions against any knee-jerk reaction that might further empower the ruling mullahs in Tehran.

Assault on Abqaiq

2006-02-28T14:03:00.001-05:00

Once considered a weapon to pressure the West, oil is now being used against them by al-Qaida.

More al-Qaida terror in Saudi

2006-02-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

Al-Qaida is back on the warpath in Saudi Arabia after 13 months of quiet. the target this time was the mega-oil installation at Abqaiq.

Is it a civil war?

2006-02-24T18:54:00.000-05:00

When is a civil war a civil war? When does the mayhem -- fighting, car bombing, kidnapping and other random acts of violence become a civil war?

Port Insecurity

2006-02-23T18:51:00.000-05:00

Is the sale of U.S. ports to a Dubai-based company a threat to national security?

Where did the Palestinian Left disappear to?

2006-02-21T19:10:00.000-05:00

What became of the once mightyPalestinian left? Amid the commotion of Hamas' victory last month in the West Bank and Gaza, the practical disappearance of the Palestinian left went by almost unheralded.

Iraq: Three years on

2006-02-20T18:19:00.000-05:00

Do we live in a safer world today after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, three years ago?

Who is winning the war

2006-02-17T14:26:00.000-05:00

Are we winning or losing the war on terrorism? President Bush tells us we are making progress in Iraq and in the war on terror. But several analysts say this is hardly the picture they see.

What is Russia up to in the Middle East

2006-02-15T14:29:00.000-05:00

Washington is upset with Russian President Vladimir Putin for inviting Hamas to Moscow for talks, Israeli officials are livid.

U.S. foes close ranks

2006-02-14T14:33:00.000-05:00

America's enemies are closing ranks, believing they are headed for a showdown with the United States.

France's Trojan Horse - immigration

2006-02-13T14:31:00.000-05:00

Tolerant immigration policies have turned into the Trojan Horse of the European Union.

Danish cartoons causes chaos

2006-02-09T14:35:00.000-05:00

With the eruption of the 'cartoon war,' for the first time in decades anti-European sentiments surpassed anti-Americanism in the Middle East.

Beirut riots cause chaos

2006-02-07T21:06:00.000-05:00

Lebanon came close to being pushed back into civil war when a demonstration protesting the publication of a caricature of the prophet Mohammad turned ugly.

More Cartoon Madness

2006-02-06T21:02:00.000-05:00

Cartoon madness is escalating and the Middle East is going loony tunes. Danish and Norwegian embassies are being ransacked and set ablaze.

Cartoon craziness

2006-02-04T22:57:00.000-05:00

The great cultural divide between the Western and Muslim medias are a microcosm of the societies they represent -- fractured and galaxies apart.

A Hurculean job for Hamas

2006-02-02T22:55:00.000-05:00

Hamas' victory has surprised the Islamist movement more than anyone else. Hamas now facs a Herculean task.

Bush's State of the Union

2006-02-01T22:52:00.000-05:00

In his State of the Union address, President Bush reinforced his resolve in fighting the war on terrorism and promoting democracy in the greater Middle East, as well as making the United States less dependent on Middle Eastern oil.

Al-Jazeera to launch English channel

2006-01-31T22:49:00.000-05:00

Al-Jazeera the tevision network that the Bush administration loves to hate, is launching an English channel in spring.

Hamas should forget the hudna

2006-01-30T22:47:00.000-05:00

Those who declare wars will rarely, if ever, see combat. But it takes far more courage to negotiate peace. This is what the Hamas leadership must keep in mind as it ponders what to do in the days and weeks to come.

Saudis say US policies helped Hamas

2006-01-27T22:44:00.000-05:00

A confidential Saudi report prepared weeks before the Palestinian elections predicted a Hamas victory and puts the blame on the United States.

Chibli Mallat aims for the presidency

2006-01-27T22:41:00.000-05:00

The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri sparked the Cedar Revolution. Angered by the murder of the politician, about a million people -- almost a third of Lebanon's population -- took to the streets of Beirut in a protest that resembled Ukraine's Orange Revolution.

Ahmadinejad's plans

2006-01-26T22:38:00.000-05:00

What can Iran and Syria do if the United States starts pushing the Islamic republic and Syria?

Hamas beats all expectations

2006-01-26T22:32:00.000-05:00

Hamas won the majority vote in parliamentary elections in the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas' victory sets a new reality in the Middle East, one that cannot be ignored. One that must not be ignored.

Why the US should engage Hamas

2006-01-23T22:47:00.000-05:00

Hamas is set to come out ahead in this week's parliamentary elections in the West Bank and Gaza. What these elections tell us is that nearly half of the 1.3 million eligible voters in the Palestinian territories favor Hamas over Fatah. Why?
click on the link to read the full story.

Political changes in Morocco

2006-01-20T22:51:00.000-05:00

A breeze of change is drifting across Morocco, bringing long-awaited reforms.

Tel Aviv Bomb shatters hopes

2006-01-19T22:53:00.000-05:00

The bomb that exploded near a Tel Aviv fast-food stand Thursday shattered hopes of a peaceful transition of power and expectations of smooth elections.

Cheney's Mideast quest

2006-01-18T21:27:00.000-05:00

Vice President Dick Cheney is on a tour of the Middle East hoping to drum up support for an Arab/Muslim military force to deploy in Iraq. If successful, that force would allow Washington to gradually begin redeploying U.S. troops out of the country.

Reviving colonialism

2006-01-18T21:24:00.000-05:00

While the U.S. military invasion of Iraq remains a highly debatable an entire collection of failed states begs the question if outside military intervention by former colonial rulers -- or by the world's sole remaining superpower -- might not at times prove beneficial, even outright desirable.

Syria's plan for Lebanon

2006-01-17T21:30:00.000-05:00

Is Syria living in the past, trying to revive defunct tactics?

Iran's role in Iraq

2006-01-16T21:19:00.000-05:00

Political analysts believe that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's task is to aggressively push forward an agenda consisting of three action points. Proceed with the nuclear program, export the revolution and establish a foothold in neighboring Iraq.

Iran -- The what if scenario?

2006-01-12T23:23:00.000-05:00

What if Israel and/or the United States decided to carry out military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities? What are the likely consequences?

Israel able to destroy Iran's nukes

2006-01-11T23:28:00.000-05:00

Israel's Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz said Iran's nuclear program "can be destroyed." He made the comments during a conference at Tel Aviv University, Israeli Army Radio reported.

Iran's nukes represents the greatest political risk in 2006

2006-01-10T23:39:00.000-05:00

Risking escalating the crisis into a major fight with Western powers Iran removed U.N. seals on its uranium enrichment equipment, announcing it will resume nuclear research. Meanwhile a Washington lobby group calling for regime change in Tehran said Iran now has 5,000 centrifuge machines for installation at the Natanz nuclear facility.

Assad feels the pressure

2006-01-09T23:30:00.000-05:00

Feeling pressure from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union - particularly France -Syrian President Bashar Assad made a surprise visit to for Saudi Arabia Sunday, hoping that words of wisdom from King Abdullah could help diffuse the rising tension.

President Assad seeks help from Saudi

2006-01-08T23:43:00.000-05:00

President Bashsar Assad flew to Saudi King Abdullah Sunday to try and resolve the crisis spawned by the killing of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. Following accusations by former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam, insinuating that President Assad could have been implicated in Hariri's assassination, the United Nations committee investigating the murder has asked to question both Assad and his foreign minister Farouk Shara.

Ariel Sharon's legacy

2006-01-06T23:33:00.000-05:00

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon leaves the political stageafter having fought for war and peace with equal vigor.

Is a Syrian government in exile feasible?

2006-01-05T11:51:00.000-05:00

Former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam is planning to form a government-in-exile with help from Ali Duba and others.

Casualties rise among media in 2005

2006-01-03T11:49:00.000-05:00

Iraq turned out to be the world's most dangerous country for the media: 24 journalists and 5 media assistants were killed, according to the Paris based media watchdog group, Reporters Without Borders.

Does the US have plans to attack Iran?

2006-01-03T11:43:00.000-05:00

Amid the uncertainties in the Middle East there are three sure things.

First, that Iran will continue to build its nuclear weapons. Second, that Washington not allow the Islamic republic to pursue its nuclear dream. And third, Iran will build its nuclear weapon system.

Showdown between Syria and Khaddam

2006-01-02T12:29:00.000-05:00

Will the defection of former Syrian Vice President Abdel-Halim Khaddam bring about the downfall of President Bashar Assad?

Syria's Khadddam creates tsunami in Damascus

2005-12-31T12:25:00.000-05:00

An interview given by former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam Friday to al-Arabiya TV insinuating that Syria played a role in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and that President Bashar Assad should have known about it is causing a political storm in Damascus.

The Middle East, another year and still no democracy

2005-12-28T12:22:00.000-05:00

Another year has been kept out of the Middle East, though not entirely. Turkey has made great strides as it gets ready to join the European Union - some time in the next decade or so, despite its Islamist-leaning government Ankara is implementing reforms. And Cyprus while still divided, is now part of the European Union. Well, at least the Greek half of the island.

Past and future predictions for the Middle East

2005-12-27T12:18:00.000-05:00

Political analysts tend to go out on a limb and predict how U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East will fare over the next 12 months. This year I thought it would be interesting to compare past predictions, before making future prediction.

How Christmas has become un-PC

2005-12-23T16:49:00.000-05:00

It's around this time of year when the American chapter of the Taliban awakens and becomes most active. Yes, little boys and girls, they do exist, even in the land of the free and the home of the brave! (And of the Braves, too.)

I am talking about the ultra-orthodox, the extremists, the politically correct polizei -- or in plain English -- the PC police.

Is Eurasianism an alternative to the EU?

2005-12-22T16:41:00.000-05:00

For 50 years Turkey has been hoping to enter the European Community and for 50 years Brussels has been playing hard ball. for almost 50 years now. Finally,now the Turks are told they might be allowed into the EU, but only after an intense negotiation period of 10-15 years, during which time the Turks will be analyzed and scrutinized to make sure they finally comply with all the demands set forth by Brussels.

Meanwhile, Russian President Putin is pushing Eurasianism," said Zeyno Baran, director of the International Security and Energy Programs at the Nixon Center, a conservative think tank in Washington.

President Bush's strategy for victory in Iraq

2005-12-21T21:18:00.000-05:00

The Bush administration claim that since the fall of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqis have had three elections, each one unfolding under better circumstances and with greater Sunni participation. Yet the reality is far from rosy. If Iraqis voted in larger numbers than ever, they voted according to ethnic divisions. Early returns indicate that divisions among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds is greater than ever.

Syriana blurred lines

2005-12-20T21:18:00.000-05:00

"Syriana," the new political thriller starring George Clooney, doesn't quite succeed in explaining the phenomenon behind the rise of Islamist terrorism -- and its weapon of choice, the suicide bomber.

US and the use of torture

2005-12-19T21:00:00.000-05:00

Recent reprots that the United States used torture to obtain information and confessions from suspected terrorists tells us much on changing morals this country has undergone in the last 50 years. Compare what is happening today to the story of Italian POWs held in a U.S. military prison outside Cairo during WWII.