GLORIA Center

The Muslim Brotherhood Moderation Myth Revealed, Then Quickly Dropped Down the Memory Hole

It is amazing how mass media coverage of the Middle East switches… [more]

Response to Ron Paul: Did U.S. Policy Make Today’s Islamist Iran Hate America?

Presidential candidate Ron Paul has said repeatedly that Iranians… [more]

Rick Santorum Shows Us the Strong and Weak Points of Republican Foreign Policy Thinking

As Republican candidates begin to define a foreign policy alternative… [more]

Why Syria’s Regime Is Surviving a Revolution

Despite what is now the longest-running revolution in Middle… [more]

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]

The Muslim Brotherhood Moderation Myth Revealed, Then Quickly Dropped Down the Memory Hole

By Barry Rubin February 2, 2012

It is amazing how mass media coverage of the Middle East switches gears and implicitly admits to having been wrong while continuing with the same themes. Or sometimes, buried deep inside an article, there’s a flash of truth that conflicts with everything else that’s been said, even by the same reporter. But then the light [...]

Middle East Media Sampler for February 2, 2012

By Daniel Goldstein February 2, 2012

1) Fayyad down, Abbas up Salam Fayyad the Palestinian prime minister has introduced a series of unpopular economic measures leading to Support for Palestinian Authority Erodes as Prices and Taxes Rise: But over the past two weeks Palestinians have been taking to the streets here and in other West Bank cities to denounce Mr. Fayyad, [...]

Middle East Media Sampler for February 1, 2012

By Daniel Goldstein February 1, 2012

New York Times Mideast Op-Ed Index for January 2012 A) Preventing a Nuclear Iran, Peacefully – Shibley Telhami and Steven Kull – January 15, 2012 Most important, when asked whether it would be better for both Israel and Iran to have the bomb, or for neither to have it, 65 percent of Israeli Jews said [...]

Response to Ron Paul: Did U.S. Policy Make Today’s Islamist Iran Hate America?

By Barry Rubin January 31, 2012

Presidential candidate Ron Paul has said repeatedly that Iranians hate America because of its role in the 1953 coup overthrowing Prime Minister Muhammad Mossadegh. Like his frequent claims that the September 11 attack was a response to a supposed decade-long U.S. bombing of Iraq.In fact, about the only intense bombing of Iraq done by the [...]

Rick Santorum Shows Us the Strong and Weak Points of Republican Foreign Policy Thinking

By Barry Rubin January 31, 2012

As Republican candidates begin to define a foreign policy alternative to President Barack Obama, it’s useful to analyze an international affairs’ speech given by presidential candidate Rick Santorum. I am not writing to praise or criticize him as an individual—I’m not backing any candidate—but to show where strategic ideas are going and where they should [...]

Middle East Media Sampler for January 31, 2012

By Daniel Goldstein January 31, 2012

1) Will Israel be illegal in Iraq? A new bill before the Iraqi parliament would make travel to Israel illegal (via memeorandum): The bill was proposed following a number of incidents at the Bagdad airport. A local security officer working there said the passport had caught a number of Iraqi officials carrying passports with Israeli [...]

Why Syria’s Regime Is Surviving a Revolution

By Barry Rubin January 30, 2012

Despite what is now the longest-running revolution in Middle Eastern history, the Syrian regime will probably be in power on December 31, 2012. I don’t say that because it’s what I want to happen — Syria’s revolution is more democratic-minded than those in Libya or Egypt; the government is far more repressive than the former [...]

Middle East Media Sampler for January 30, 2012

By Daniel Goldstein January 30, 2012

1) Khaled in Jordan The New York Times reports Hamas Leader Takes Rare Trip to Jordan about Khaled Meshal's recent visit to Jordan: Jordan wants to restore relations with Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that controls Gaza, because the group is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose Islamist allies are forming new governments around [...]

Middle East Media Sampler for January 29, 2012

By Daniel Goldstein January 29, 2012

1)To strike or not to strike One of the most discussed articles is today's New York Times Magazine cover story, Will Israel Attack Iran? by Ronen Bergman. Jeffrey Goldberg (via memeorandum) makes an interesting observation: I write this, of course, as someone who thought, based on interviewing many of the same people Bergman interviewed, that [...]

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 [...]