- Dr. Doron Matza
- Paper No. 2011
Misguided political discourse on the question of the value of strategic ambiguity endangers Israel’s effort to craft its regional image as much as does the loss of such ambiguity.
Perspectives Papers
Perspectives Papers provide analysis from BESA Center research associates and other outside experts on the most important issues pertaining to Israel and the Middle East.
- Dr. James M. Dorsey
- Paper No. 2010
In a sign of the times, Turkish schoolbooks have replaced Saudi texts as the focus of criticism of supremacist and intolerant curricula in the Muslim world.
- Dr. Doron Matza
- Paper No. 2009
In the last decade and a half, Israel has enjoyed unprecedented security stability that has, in turn, enabled economic and technological prosperity that made it a world-class power. There are increasing signs of a change to this reality, and the recent rocket attack from the Gaza Strip is one of them.
- Dr. Ardavan Khoshnood
- Paper No. 2007
In the recently published Swedish Security Service Yearbook 2020, which discusses the main security and intelligence challenges faced by Sweden over the past year, Iran is mentioned 14 times. The Islamic Republic, together with Russia and China, is a direct threat to Swedish national security.
- Prof. Eytan Gilboa
- Paper No. 2006
Three months after Joe Biden entered the White House, his administration is exhibiting symptoms of naiveté, misunderstanding, and disregard for past failures in its foreign policy. These issues are of particular concern to Israel.
- Dr. Jiri Valenta
- Paper No. 2005
Having used brutal force to crush nationwide demonstrations in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin has now embarked on a new venture. By mobilizing a huge number of Russian forces at the eastern borders of Ukraine and in the annexed Crimea, he is refueling a conflict that has been simmering since 2014. Or is it all for show?
- Dr. Ardavan Khoshnood
- Paper No. 2004
Muhammad Hejazi, deputy head of the Iranian Quds Force, is reported to have died of heart disease. However, a mysterious tweet hints that he might have been killed.
- Dr. James M. Dorsey
- Paper No. 2003
Saudi Sheikh Salman Awdah, a popular but controversial religious scholar who has been mostly in solitary confinement since 2017, appeared in court recently only to hear that his case had been adjourned yet again for four months. Charged with more than 30 counts of terrorism, a term that is broadly defined in Saudi Arabia to include adherence to atheism and peaceful dissent, prosecutors are demanding the death sentence.
- Burak Bekdil
- Paper No. 2002
The emerging Islamic bloc of three Muslim states—Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan—seems feasible in theory, but its growth is constrained by the realities. Azerbaijan is still more Russian turf than Turkish, and Pakistan remains Chinese territory. The new Islamic bloc resembles three kids playing cowboy while their parents smile and watch. The parents will stay on the sidelines only until such time as they sense danger to their interests.
- Dr. Galit Truman Zinman
- Paper No. 2001
The Islamic State (ISIS), which has lost both territory and its means of governance, has managed to preserve its cyber-dependent propaganda network. During the COVID-19 crisis, the terror organization used advanced media technologies to cultivate the idea of reviving a utopian caliphate. Over the past year, it has used the video-sharing app TikTok to recruit a youthful target audience, shape the outlook of that audience, and induce it to identify with the global jihad movement.