GLORIA Center

Israel Isn’t Going to Attack Iran and Neither Will the United States

The radio superhero, The Shadow, had the power to “cloud men’s… [more]

Obama’s State of the Union Speech: My Response Discovers Some Curious Insights and Strange Formulations

In his State of the Union message, President Barack Obama began… [more]

Where the ‘Counter-Obama’ View of the Middle East Is Right and Where It’s Wrong

Jackson Diehl is by far the best journalist writing in the mass… [more]

Why Contemporary Western Elites Don’t Understand the World and Why Their Foreign Policies Fail

One of the benefits of spending much of my time talking to people… [more]

Egypt’s Parliament 75 percent Islamist; Egypt-Israel Peace Agreement is Dead Even if Treaty Still Exists

We’re starting to get a good picture of what the lower house… [more]

Middle East Media Sampler for January 27, 2012

By Daniel Goldstein January 27, 2012

1) Really? The New York Times has a short item, Lebanon: Former General Sentenced in Spying Case. The former general, Fayez Karam was convicted of giving information to Israel. I've been skeptical of these announced arrests of spies in Lebanon. Two years is an awfully light sentence for an espionage conviction. 2) Fouad Ajami on [...]

Israel Isn’t Going to Attack Iran and Neither Will the United States

By Barry Rubin January 26, 2012

The radio superhero, The Shadow, had the power to “cloud men’s minds.” But nothing clouds men’s minds like anything that has to do with Jews or Israel. This year’s variation on that theme is the idea that Israel is about to attack Iran. Such a claim repeatedly appears in the media. Some have criticized Israel for [...]

Middle East Media Sampler for January 26, 2012

By Daniel Goldstein January 26, 2012

1) Mahmoud the two-faced Maariv (in Hebrew) reported (translated by Daily Alert) The talks underway between Israel and the Palestinians in Amman have not lead to any progress. The opposite is true: the Palestinians refused to talk with Israel on the issues related to security arrangements for their future state, even though at issue is [...]

Obama’s State of the Union Speech: My Response Discovers Some Curious Insights and Strange Formulations

By Barry Rubin January 25, 2012

In his State of the Union message, President Barack Obama began by wrapping himself in the flag, patriotism, and love of the armed forces while trying to highlight his foreign policy achievements. Among his points: The United States [is] safer and more respected around the world. Presumably, a lot of Americans will believe this. The [...]

Where the ‘Counter-Obama’ View of the Middle East Is Right and Where It’s Wrong

By Barry Rubin January 25, 2012

Jackson Diehl is by far the best journalist writing in the mass media about the Middle East. In a recent column, he tries to find some middle ground between the dominant ideas — that Islamist regimes are no problem at all and that the Muslim Brotherhood is really moderate — and what he defines as [...]

Middle East Media Sampler for January 25, 2012

By Daniel Goldstein January 25, 2012

Middle East Media Sampler for January 24, 2012

By Daniel Goldstein January 24, 2012

1) What the Diehl? Lately Jackson Diehl has been one of the better analysts of the Middle East. His most recent, Turkey's government is the new normal in the Middle East, unfortunately, was disappointing. Diehl started off by blasting former Republican presidential candidate, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. Perry responded: “Well, obviously when you have [...]

Why Contemporary Western Elites Don’t Understand the World and Why Their Foreign Policies Fail

By Barry Rubin January 23, 2012

One of the benefits of spending much of my time talking to people from around the world is getting an original, fresh perspective on the United States, its policies, politics, and political culture. Recently, I had a discussion with a brilliant academic who had grown up in a Communist country, has spent a lot of [...]

Egypt’s Parliament 75 percent Islamist; Egypt-Israel Peace Agreement is Dead Even if Treaty Still Exists

By Barry Rubin January 23, 2012

We’re starting to get a good picture of what the lower house of Egypt’s parliament will be like, though it will take another month to be certain. Close to 50 percent of the seats will be held by the Muslim Brotherhood. Another 25 percent will be held by the al-Nour party of Salafists. With 75 [...]

The Unvarnished Reality of Contemporary U.S.-Israel Relations

By Barry Rubin January 23, 2012

Do not speak of it in public. Do not expect any Israeli official to admit it. But Israel is facing an issue unlike anything it has had to deal with during the past 50 years: It cannot depend on the United States. True, the relationship in terms of weapons’ supply remains good. Old programs continue [...]