Volume 3, No. 1 - March 1999 REBELLION IN BAHRAIN By Adel Darwish Editor's Summary: The civil conflict in Bahrain can be interpreted as a struggle over democracy, a radical Islamic rebellion, or a Sunni/Shia dispute. It is important to remember, however, that such political issues have their individual complexities, too. And local factors can often be misinterpreted when they are forced to fit political categories developed for other issues. Bahrain has been, for decades, an … [Read more...]
Ambition for All Seasons: Tansu Ciller
By March 6, 2021
Volume 3, No. 1 - March 1999 AMBITION FOR ALL SEASONS: TANSU CILLER* By Ustun Reinart Editor's Summary: Tansu Ciller, leader of the True Path party, is one of Turkey's most powerful politicians. As Turkey prepares for its coming elections, she is a key powerbroker for forming the next government. Yet she has constantly walked the edge of disaster, through both her political decisions and personal choices. A blonde, stylish woman stood behind a microphone at the Turkish … [Read more...]
U.S. Policy Toward the Middle East In Clinton’s Second Term
By March 5, 2021
Volume 3, No. 1 - March 1999 U.S. POLICY TOWARD THE MIDDLE EAST IN CLINTON'S SECOND TERM* By Robert O. Freedman While U.S. President Bill Clinton achieved a number of successes in his Middle East policy during his first term in office -- most noticeably the Oslo peace agreement between Israel and the PLO that was signed on the White House lawn in September 1993 -- during his second term U.S. Middle East policy has proved much more problematic.(1) Not only has the Oslo peace … [Read more...]
China’s Middle East Strategy
By March 4, 2021
Volume 3, No. 1 - March 1999 CHINA'S MIDDLE EAST STRATEGY By Barry Rubin Editor's Summary: China's involvement in the Middle East has some negative and destabilizing effects on the region. By supplying weapons of mass destruction to Iran and other countries, while also campaigning for an end to sanctions against Iraq, Beijing has an important impact. These activities, however, are motivated by economic goals rather than political ambitions. They are also restrained by China's … [Read more...]
VOL. 3 No. 1 - March 1999
By March 3, 2021
VOL. 3 No. 1 - March 1999 VOL. 3 No. 1 - March 1999 Editor: Professor Barry Rubin Assistant Editor: Cameron Brown TABLE OF CONTENTS Post Author Title (shortened) Adobe Acrobat Version 1 Alan Dowty ISRAELI FOREIGN POLICY AND THE JEWISH QUESTION Acrobat Format 2 Ali R. Abootalebi ISLAM, ISLAMISTS, AND DEMOCRACY Acrobat Format 3 Sean Foley THE UAE: POLITICAL ISSUES AND SECURITY DILEMMAS Acrobat … [Read more...]
The UAE: Political Issues and Security Dilemmas
By March 3, 2021
Volume 3, No. 1 - March 1999 THE UAE: POLITICAL ISSUES AND SECURITY DILEMMAS By Sean Foley At the end of the twentieth century, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) enjoys a favorable strategic position compared to the rest of the southern Gulf states. The federation faces no immediate threat of invasion, overwhelming debt, organized domestic opposition or economic collapse. The emirates' rivalries have largely abated and there appears to be the beginnings of a federal civil society. … [Read more...]
Islam, Islamists and Democracy
By March 2, 2021
Volume 3, No. 1 - March 1999 ISLAM, ISLAMISTS, AND DEMOCRACY By Ali R. Abootalebi Editor's Summary: Professor Abootalebi analyzes the differences among Islamic movements, as well as their contrasting attitudes toward democracy. He shows how reality is quite different from the monolithic models often presented regarding such ideologies and groups, including the debates among their leading activists and philosophers. The concept of Islamist and fundamentalist variations is … [Read more...]
Israeli Foreign Policy and the Jewish Question
By March 1, 2021
Israeli foreign policy, like that of any state, derives largely from interests and ideologies. But there is more to it than that. Israel's approach to the world, like that of any nation, is also shaped by its political culture. A Jewish worldview, the product of unique history and circumstances, functions as a prism through which policymakers may see and act. The role of interests, particularly in the realm of security, cannot be denied. It often seems as though strategic logic, however … [Read more...]
