Disasters Expose Erdoğan’s Paper Tiger Sultanate

Wildfires and floods in August revealed how weak Turkey is in the face of natural disasters, and how skewed are the priorities of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Once again, Turks failed to unite in a time of national sorrow.

Afghanistan May Be a Bellwether for Saudi-Iranian Rivalry

Boasting an almost 1,000-kilometer border with Iran and a history of troubled relations between the Iranians and Sunni Muslim militants, including the Taliban, Afghanistan could become a bellwether for the future of the rivalry between the Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia.

How an Erdoğan Crony Made a Fortune

The BMC affair is just one example of an Erdoğan business crony making hefty gains thanks to nepotism and favoritism.

The Water Shortage Crisis in Iraq

The Middle East and North Africa are dry, with higher temperatures, fewer rivers, and less rain and snowfall than the rest of the world. Thanks to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Iraq is one of the richest countries in the region in terms of water resources—but millions of Iraqis nevertheless suffer from a lack of clean water as temperatures rise and desertification overtakes large parts of the country. This problem is badly mismanaged by the Iraqi government, as it is by other governments across the region, and is worsened by the malign actions of neighboring countries. If the water problem is not solved, Iraqi civilization could disappear completely.

The American House of Cards

Lev Stesin
August 30, 2021
Paper No. 2139

US policy in Afghanistan was based on lies, ignorance, and irrational thinking. Many other aspects of American foreign policy, still doggedly pursued, look dangerously similar. For 30 years, US policy has amounted to the construction of a huge house of cards in all directions. Now that one card has fallen, the rest will inevitably follow.

From the Second Lebanon War to Regional War

The Second Lebanon War was probably the last time Israel was going to be able to focus on fighting in a single front. The next war may well be a regional war. This strategic shift will require a significant increase in the order of IDF forces and preparation of the Israeli public for the kind of war it has not seen since the War of Independence.

Israel and the Holy See

For many years, the Jewish people of Israel have been effectively paying the taxes of the Catholic Church and other churches in Jerusalem and elsewhere in Israel. It is high time not only for the churches to start paying the taxes they owe the State of Israel but to restore the vast troves of property looted from the Jewish people and stolen from their heritage by the church over a period of centuries.

Tehran Tests Joe Biden in Afghanistan and Beyond

The Iranian regime views Biden as a weak president who can be safely challenged. Greatly encouraged by the American debacle in Afghanistan, Iran’s new hardline president Ebrahim Raisi has declared a new Russian-Chinese-Iranian alliance and promised an aggressive policy toward the US.

Biden’s Foreign Policy and the Pursuit of “Legitimacy”

The Biden administration’s foreign policy is based on the concept of “legitimacy.” Constantly excusing Iranian actions, including military attacks, in order to pursue supposedly legitimacy- granting negotiations; and admonishing the Taliban about their “legitimacy” in the eyes of the international community are examples of a moralistic approach to norms and institutions. This approach alleges to bolster a narrative of American “legitimacy,” but is in fact designed for American consumption as a cover for neglect of US interests. As the gap between rhetoric and reality increases, American trust in US institutions continues to decline.

The Ingathering of the Exiles Is Not Over

Diaspora Minister Nachman Shai’s claim that it is not his job to encourage Aliya to Israel negates the very purpose of Zionism, as understood and emphasized by the leaders of the founding generation. First and foremost among those leaders was David Ben-Gurion, who saw the ingathering of the exiles as “the yearning, destiny, and mission of the State of Israel.”

Perspectives Papers