Editor's Summary: Turkey supported the Arab-Israeli peace process for many reasons. But as Syria�s northern neighbor, engaged in more than one dispute with that country, Turkish leaders worried that a Syria-Israel peace agreement might shift the power balance against Turkey. There was concern that the removal of a Syria-Israel conflict might make Damascus more confident in its demands toward Turkey, while there were also questions as to whether some provisions of … [Read more...]
Israel’s National Security Doctrine: An Introductory Overview
By September 6, 2020
Editor's Summary: Throughout its history, Israel has faced acute challenges to its national security. Despite this condition, it has never officially articulated all the elements of its national security doctrine. Yet Israel's response to these challenges has not been haphazard. A set of basic security concepts has informed the state's conduct with respect to low-intensity conflict, full-scale conflict, and weapons of mass destruction warfare. The … [Read more...]
“Normalization” and “Anti-Normalization” in Jordan: The Public Debate
By September 5, 2020
Editor's Summary: The Jordan-Israel peace treaty, signed in October 1994, was accompanied on both sides by high hopes of warm relations between the peoples of the two countries. A wide range of factors, however, led to a deterioration in any public support for the peace agreement on the Jordanian side. These included: the limits of economic benefits arising from the agreement; the slow, and uncertain pace of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations; Israel?s 1996 "Grapes of Wrath" … [Read more...]
The Intifada: Revealing the Chasm
By September 4, 2020
Editor's Summary: The outbreak of a new Palestinian uprising (intifada) in September 2000 is analyzed by examining Palestinian perceptions and activities. This article discusses the causes of this development, analyzes Palestinian strategy, and talks of differing Palestinian and Israeli views on the course of the peace process. It also discusses the standpoints of leaders and of public opinion toward these events. The outbreak of a new Palestinian uprising (intifada) … [Read more...]
State-Society Relations and Prospects for Democracy in Iran
By September 3, 2020
Editor's Summary: The author suggests that the very changes brought about by the 20-year-old Islamic republic has so changed the country's people and structures as to undermine the rule of conservative forces. A new generation yearns for a free, more normal existence. The state's poor performance on a wide range of issues increases the pressure for major alterations in the country's governance. Revolutionary mobilization has given way to reformist mobilization. The author assesses … [Read more...]
Transformation of the Iranian Political System: Towards a New Model?
By September 2, 2020
Editor's Summary: The author analyzes the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its changing balance of power, debates, and wider meaning. He suggests that this comprises an ongoing experiment in the attempt of Muslims to find some system which combines tradition and religion with stability and material success. The emerging situation is one in which President Muhammad Khatami is simultaneously president and leader of the opposition. There is a lively debate among Iranians and … [Read more...]
Sisyphus’ Newsstand: The Iranian Press Under Khatami
By September 1, 2020
Editor's Summary: Despite the election of President Muhammad Khatami, Iranian conservatives continue to target the press there, using the institutions they control. Indeed, arrests, persecutions, and harassment of the independent-minded and reformist media has increased as the anti-Khatami faction struggles to hold onto power. Khatami has been unwilling or unable to respond. This is a case study of how effectively those opposing democracy and change can wield their assets. … [Read more...]
VOL. 6 No. 3 - September 2002
By August 31, 2020
VOL. 6 No. 3 - September 2002 Editor and Publisher: Professor Barry RubinAssistant Editors: Cameron Brown, Elisheva Rosman-Stollman, Joy Pincus MERIA Journal Previous Issues TABLE OF CONTENTS Get the Acrobat Format of MERIA Cover Page Post Author Title (regular version) Adobe Acrobat Version 1 Ibrahim Marashi Iraq's Security and Intelligence Network; A Guide and Analysis Acrobat Format 2 Robert G. Rabil Operation … [Read more...]
