Israel

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

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 attacking Iran and turning the Middle East into a cauldron of turmoil (not as if the region needs any help in that department) despite the fact that it hasn’t even … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Iran, Israel, U.S. Policy on the Middle East

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 percent the two Islamist parties will be able to do as they please. But, they—or at least the Brotherhood—are determined to be cautious. Note that there is a big difference between actually being … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Egypt, Israel, Radical Movements

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

By Barry Rubin January 23, 2012

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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 to provide advanced arms to Israel. Nor is the problem the one most people think of first: on Israel-Palestinian, “peace process” issues. President Barack Obama’s Administration has seen … [Read more...]

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

Israel’s Options as Muslim Brotherhood Gains Power

By Barry Rubin January 18, 2012

The political history of the modern Middle East can easily be divided into three eras. In 1952, a military coup in Egypt signaled the start of the period in which radical Arab nationalism dominated. The 1979 Iranian revolution began the challenge of revolutionary Islamism. And then, in 2011, in the wake of more revolutions, Arab nationalism collapsed completely. In most of the Arab world we are now in the era of the Muslim Brotherhood. Finally, there is a new “Middle East,” … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Israel, Middle East Politics

The Three Rules of Western Discourse and Why The Media Must Always Blame Israel

By Barry Rubin January 17, 2012

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It is truly astonishing how, it often seems, how Western media coverage must blame Israel for everything that “goes wrong” in the Middle East, including murderous hostility to Israel. Sentences often seem carefully formulated to push this claim and exclude any possibility of balance, much less accuracy. And no matter what the subject, it seems, this message must be snuck in. Consider these two paragraphs in a Washington Post story about the Egyptian government’s cancellation of a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Israel, Media Coverage of the Middle East

Israel: An Introduction, Forthcoming January 24, 2012

By Gregg Roman January 10, 2012

(Herzliya, Israel) – Israel: An Introduction, a project by the Global Research in International Affairs Center (GLORIA), of the Interdisciplinary Center of Herzliya, and published by Yale University Press will be in stores on January 24th, 2012. "What’s unique about Israel: An Introduction,” said Professor Barry Rubin, the book's editor and one of its authors, “is that it is the first book to provide a comprehensive picture of modern Israel including land and people, geography, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, GLORIA, Israel, Publications

New Theme: Israel is Collapsing; Losing Its Democracy. Evidence? None

By Barry Rubin December 28, 2011

It is truly amazing how anti-Israel forces generate so many false stories every day. At a time when revolutionary Islamists are taking over most Middle Eastern countries and the democracy dream in the region is collapsing, one would think that the main threat and evil force in the region is Israel. After all, we live in a time when Thomas Friedman, court jester for Middle East issues, can openly write antisemitic canards in the New York Times (the Israel lobby bought a standing ovation for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Israel, Media Coverage of the Middle East

A Coming War Threat: Terrorists Are Developing A Safe Haven in Egypt to Attack Israel

By Barry Rubin December 18, 2011

First, a word on contingencies. Governments and political analysts are supposed to examine likely problems in order that they can be evaded or minimized. The time to be alarmed is not when problems become visible but when governments refuse to recognize their existence. Western regimes and analysts are generally taking a best-possible-case view on Egypt and other developing issues in the region. I’m tempted to say they are taking a fantasy view. They dismiss not just worst-case but … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Egypt, Israel, Regional Security

How Can Israel Please the American Government, Media, and “Experts”? It Can’t

By Barry Rubin December 18, 2011

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There is a constant effort—especially by the anti-Israel left--to portray those who express mainstream Israeli public opinion and the views of professional analysts as “right-wing” or “Likudnik.” This leads me to wonder what one would have to say to please these people. What would be the equivalent of a “liberal” position for Israel according to them? What kinds of positions would they see as legitimate? What follows is not meant to exaggerate in any way but is, I believe, a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Israel, Israel-Palestinian Issues, Middle East Politics, U.S. Policy on the Middle East, Understanding the Middle East