The Israel-UAE Agreement’s Greatest Achievement: Little Arab Protest

To the surprise of Iranian and Palestinian leaders, the Arab public did not protest the Israel-UAE peace agreement—but they continue to protest Iranian meddling in Iraqi and Lebanese affairs. The lack of protest against the Israel-UAE breakthrough is a sign of political maturity as Arab and Muslim populations clamor for reform at home rather than destructive ideological visions.

Why F-35s Should Not Be Released to the UAE and Saudi Arabia

The normalization of Israeli-UAE relations will have significant strategic and political ramifications for the Middle East as a whole and Israel in particular. However, Israel’s regional standing relies quintessentially on the perception of its technological and military superiority and not on the fluid nature of reversible political agreements. In the Middle East, peace treaties—as the Egyptian and Jordanian examples show—need to be protected through security arrangements that discourage their violation rather than through the provision of military capabilities that may one day, under a change of leadership and intent, encourage a challenge to Israel.

Indonesia: A Major Prize in the Battle for the Soul of Islam

Saudi support for religious ultra-conservatism in Indonesia contradicts Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s promotion of an undefined form of moderate Islam intended to project his kingdom as tolerant, innovative, and forward-looking. It also suggests that Saudi Arabia is willing to work with the Muslim Brotherhood despite its denunciation of the group as a terrorist organization.

India’s Government Is Not Anti-Muslim

A general impression has spread across the international media that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, to which India’s current ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is affiliated, is opposed to minorities, Muslims in particular. This is absolutely false.

The Problem with the Wexner Program at Harvard

Mixed up in the controversy between Netanyahu’s supporters and opponents is the scholarship program of the Wexner Foundation, which finances a master’s degree in public administration at Harvard University for young and promising Israelis (ages 30-45) in public service (including the defense establishment). The aim is “to provide Israel’s next generation of public leaders with superlative training in public management and leadership development.” What are the educational contents and nature of this training, and to what extent does the program serve Israel’s unique national needs?

Israel-UAE Peace Deal Challenges Iranian, Muslim Brotherhood Camps

The peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel takes Jerusalem’s cooperation with Sunni Arab states out of the shadows. A boost to regional stability, the agreement will enable expanded cooperation on defense and intelligence issues, trade, investment, and joint technological development, and could foster a positive religious-cultural dialogue. The deal is a setback for Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood, two radical Islamist forces that are determined to destabilize the region and that threaten Israel and Sunni Arab countries alike.

Defying Geography: The Israel-Azerbaijan Partnership

Recent fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan exposed Israel as a significant player in the region. Though far apart geographically, Baku and Jerusalem pursue strategic relations. The dilemma is how this should be done in a region where Russian, Iranian, and Turkish interests predominate, as none of those countries desires another competitor.

US Attitudes Toward China in the Wake of the Coronavirus

The troubled trade relationship between China and the US and Bejing’s behavior during the coronavirus crisis have combined to worsen American public opinion about China, a trend that could ultimately have serious consequences for the People’s Republic.

How the Netherlands Hid Its War Crimes for Decades

The decades-long absence of international media interest in the Netherlands has made it possible for the country’s authorities and elites to blur Dutch war crimes that took place during the 1948-49 repression of the Indonesian revolution. It is only now, when most of those who committed the crimes are dead or very old, that a major study on the Dutch post-war decolonization of Indonesia has started. This blurring of responsibility for the past is an integral part of Dutch culture.

Turkey: Islamism’s Corrupted Symbolism

Burak Bekdil
August 30, 2020
Paper No. 1720

The conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque and the desire to “Turkify” place names reflect the Islamist “conquest fetish.” Modern Islamists in Turkey have created a new version of Islam for themselves that differs from the religion’s origins.

Perspectives Papers