Syria’s Sunni Arabs and Israel: The War’s Silver Lining?

The war in Syria has resulted in many changes to its society, including a perceptible shift in the Sunni Arab majority's attitude towards Israel. However, that shift remains very limited in scope. Much still needs to be done on both sides of the border to root out the Syrian culture of anti-Semitism.

Trump’s Recognition of Jerusalem: Enough with Dread and Circuses

The Israeli-Palestinian “peace process” is strictly a two-party affair. It cannot and will not succeed if the OIC-57 and the G-77 continue to collude towards pitting the UN perpetually against Israel. Reminding the world in no uncertain terms of the fact that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital invites doubters and deniers to come to their senses at last and start negotiating in realistic terms – if “a just and durable peace for all” is, in fact, what the Islamic countries and their allies are after.

Macron’s Presidency Heralds Nothing New in Israel-France Relations

Emmanuel Macron’s presidency heralds no new era in Israel-France relations, particularly on issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Like other French presidents before him, he condemns Palestinian terrorism and Israeli settlements in the West Bank as if they are moral equivalents. His response to US President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was to reassert the traditional French subscription to the two-state solution and to stress that Paris does not approve of the American move.

North Korea’s Missile Program

North Korea's missile program demonstrates Pyongyang's ability to build a reliable deterrence capability against the US – but the program requires a huge budget. Pyongyang should be able to fund the industry in the short term, but sanctions and costs might eventually force it either to look for new income sources or to offer tactical concessions.

Why Does the Average Turk Love Erdoğan?

A quick glance at Turkey’s facts and figures helps to explain why the Turks love their leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. There are striking parallels between the political sociology of the average Turkish voter and Erdoğan’s Islamist worldview. In a way, Erdoğan is what the average Turk sees when he looks in the mirror.

Reading Palestinian Responses to Trump’s Jerusalem Declaration

The PA and Hamas are hopeful that unorganized Palestinian youth will mobilize against President Trump’s declaration acknowledging that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. A groundswell from the streets would preclude the necessity for the two organizations to actively take the lead. However, the readers of al-Quds, the Palestinian silent majority, are loath to sacrifice their sons on behalf of the warring factions.

The Chaotic Arab World Has Nothing to Offer Israel

Israel should not do the bidding of the divided and bankrupt Arab world and strive to contain Tehran’s hegemonic ambitions at an exorbitant human and material cost. Nor should it trust its Arab neighbors to offer genuine peace once the Iranian threat is eliminated.

Qatari vs. Saudi Wahhabism and the Perils of Top-Down Change

Qatar and Saudi Arabia share a Wahhabi tradition, yet Qatar’s secular social character is more similar to that of Turkey. Despite their current antagonism, the leaders of the two countries share a forward-looking, less socially conservative vision. But a government-engineered modernizing process will be ineffective if it is not accompanied by political change.

The “Arab Spring” and the New Regional Chessboard

The "Arab Spring" phenomenon has created new strategic conundrums in the Middle East, as well as new opportunities for diplomatic ties and cooperative schemes. The volatility it has generated is likely to increase, with both positive and negative results.

Easter in Winter: The “Arab Spring” Seven Years Later

The time has come to stop peddling misleading and empty political metaphors and to refrain from predicating alternative futures on facile inferences that serve only to add confusion to ambiguity.

Perspectives Papers