About Barry Rubin

Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal, and a featured columnist for PajamasMedia at http://pajamasmedia.com/barryrubin/. His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan)

The Hamas Split and the Palestinian Political Mess

By Barry Rubin February 19, 2012

There’s a serious split in Hamas reflecting the growing civil war among Islamists along Sunni-Shia lines. Each side is radical but the fact that they’re fighting among themselves weakens both of them. The issues involved are tactical, not strategic. Indeed, what is ironic is that Khaled Mashal, who historically has been described as the radical, is following the approach that will seem moderate to the naïve while Ismail Haniya, described by the naive as the moderate is leading the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Middle East Politics, Palestinians

Manufacturing Heresy: How the Mildest Muslim Liberalism is Turned into a Capital Punishment Offense

By Barry Rubin February 19, 2012

Please also read my article The Hamas Split and the Palestinian Political Mess “A merchant in Baghdad…sent his servant to market….The servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplace…I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me….Lend me your horse, and…I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse…and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. The merchant went down to the marketplace and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Middle East Politics, Radical Movements

Report from Behind the Lines in Syria: An Interview with Dr. Jonathan Spyer

By Barry Rubin February 17, 2012

Dr. Jonathan Spyer, GLORIA Center senior fellow, has just returned from Syria where he met with oppositionists, members of the Free Syrian Army, and local inhabitants. Here’s his first interview on his experiences and observations. Barry Rubin: Dr. Spyer, please tell us about your visit to Syria, what you saw and your impressions. Jonathan Spyer: Well, I spent a week in Idleb province, traveling between a number of different towns. The most striking aspect was the extent … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Middle East Politics, Regional Security, Syria

What is Russia Doing in the Middle East?

By Barry Rubin February 17, 2012

The transition to democracy and capitalism has not been kind to Russia. It sank from superpower to sideshow internationally. The country is hurting and stagnant; it has no sense of purpose or goals; and Russia is in the hands of a ruthless dictator who knows how to use nationalism and demagoguery to ensure his power. Of course, Russia’s rulers are weaker, less ambitious, far less well armed, and less anti-American than the old Soviet Union. Still, though, the Russian government has a chip … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Middle East Politics, Russia/USSR

What to Do About Syria

By Barry Rubin February 15, 2012

There is a strong case that can be made for doing nothing about the Syrian civil war, but a stronger case can be made for doing something relatively low-cost and ineffective, indeed, precisely what the Syrian opposition is requesting. Forget about major military intervention, which would be dangerous, costly, and above the level of available resources. I’m also not enthusiastic about a major U.S. effort at regime change, since the Turkish regime wants an Islamist government in Damascus … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Regional Security, Syria, U.S. Policy on the Middle East

Why Egypt’s Holding Americans Hostage and How The Obama Administration’s Destroying Its Own Credibility

By Barry Rubin February 12, 2012

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A reader asks: Why is Egypt keeping Americans who have been working with pro-democracy NGOs from leaving the country and threatening to put them on trial as criminals? Here’s the answer: 1. The military rulers want to show they cannot be pushed around by the United States. This is, of course, also a big way to muster popularity within Egypt. The resentment of foreign intervention is very high and as I pointed out in a recent article, even a U.S. Navy anti-disease program is being … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Egypt, Regional Security, U.S. Policy on the Middle East

The World Media Goes Bonkers: An Israel-Attacks-Iran Case Study

By Barry Rubin February 10, 2012

For the second time in a few months we have seen a crazy global Israel-About-to-Attack-Iran Story. I don't want to go into all of the details but this tale is an example of how the media has just lost it completely due to a combination of laziness (reporters don't really do research or check sources); agenda; ignorance; and good old sensationalism. Partly, too, it arises from the difficulty of the mass media in dealing with the Internet media era and the difficulty of the Internet media in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Iran, Israel, Media Coverage of the Middle East

Arab Liberals Lament: Here’s How the Muslim Brotherhood is Fooling the West

By Barry Rubin February 10, 2012

Since we can’t get good coverage of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in the Western media, it’s necessary to turn to the Islamists’ intended victims — Arab liberals — to get a better picture. NowLebanon explains it all to you in an article on what it calls the “media blitz” of the Muslim Brotherhood and its politicians in the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP): Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has been displaying great skill in handling the media over the past year. Since the revolution … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Radical Movements, Understanding the Middle East

The Essence of Contemporary Leftism And Islamism Revealed: Freedom or Slavery to Those Who Claim to Know Best?

By Barry Rubin February 10, 2012

Here’s a fascinating exchange telling us not only about the contemporary state of Islam, Islamism, and the political issues involving them but also the debates and conflicts shaping Western civilization today. It also taught me about the common theme between revolutionary Islamism and the revolutionary leftism that today masquerades as liberalism. The interviewee is Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, a leading Islamist presidential candidate in Egypt and the Salafists’ favorite. I’ll annotate his … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Radical Movements, Understanding the Middle East

Gulf Arab Leaders: Obama Administration Policy is the Biggest Threat to our Security

By Barry Rubin February 8, 2012

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Want to understand the real Middle East? Then pay attention to the following. Let’s say an important and outspoken Gulf Arab gave a frank and thoughtful assessment of the region’s security problems. What would he say and what would that tell you? And how would that differ from the stereotypes of what Arabs—especially non-Islamist Arab leaders—think as presented by the Western media and academia? In fact, Dahi Khalfan Tamim recently gave such a speech. He is the respected police chief … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gulf, Middle East Politics, U.S. Policy on the Middle East