May 20, 2013

HOME CONTACT US SITEMAP Posts

You are here: Home / Archives for MERIA / U.S. Policy on the Middle East

WESTERN INFLUENCE ON ARAB MILITARIES: POUNDING SQUARE PEGS INTO ROUND HOLES

By March 18, 2013
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff greets the various commanding generals of U.S. Forces, Iraq in Baghdad on July 27, 2010. Mullen's final stop in Iraq wraps up the ten-day, around the world trip to meet with counterparts and troops engaged in the war on terrorism. DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

This article is a personal account of U.S. Army Colonel Norvell DeAtkine’s experience in dealing with Arab militaries for over 40 years. Based on observation and study of Arab military establishments, he concludes little of significance has happened to change the deeply embedded character of the Arab military mindset. While there is some evidence that Arab soldiers historically performed better under European officers, there is no evidence that the Western tradition of command ethos outlived … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Egypt, Iraq, MERIA Journal Volume 17, Number 1 (Spring 2013), Regional Security, Russia/USSR, Saudi Arabia, U.S. Policy on the Middle East, Understanding the Middle East

Why Today’s American Foreign Policy Is So Unrealistic

By February 2, 2013
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

One of the main features of this misguided contemporary foreign policy debate is the corruption of the concept of Realism.  In some ways, the school called Realism was simply a way of teaching principles long regarded as obvious in Europe to Americans, whose idealism about the world had both good and bad implications. Both isolationism and the idea that America's mission is to spread democracy are typical non-Realist patterns of how American exceptionalism plays into foreign policy … [Read more...]

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

Understanding Real Israeli Politics

By July 29, 2012
640px-Netanyahu_campaign_poster

“Can’t anybody here play this game?”  --Casey Stengel, great baseball coach Stengel’s complaint is the precise description of Israeli politics nowadays. To a remarkable extent—and this has nothing to do with his views or policies—Bibi Netanyahu is the only functioning politician in Israel today. No wonder he is prime minister, will finish his current term, and will almost certainly be reelected in 2013. Consider the alternatives. The number one such option is Shaul Mofaz who … [Read more...]

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

THE ARAB SPRING, ITS EFFECTS ON THE KURDS, AND THE APPROACHES OF TURKEY, IRAN, SYRIA, AND IRAQ ON THE KURDISH ISSUE

By July 1, 2012
Jalal Talabani and Nouri al-Maliki posters on parade at Iraqi event.

  This article addresses the approaches of Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq in dealing with the Kurdish issue, with a special focus on historical background. In addition, the article discusses how this issue affects relations among the aforementioned countries and whether cooperation on this issue is possible. The article also examines how the Arab Spring has impacted the Kurds and the attitudes of these countries toward the Kurdish issue.    Click here to download the PDF version of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Iran, Iraq, Israel, Media Coverage of the Middle East, MERIA Journal Volume 16, Number 02 (June 2012), Middle East Politics, Regional, Regional Security, Turkey, U.S. Policy on the Middle East

IS THE ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN PEACE PROCESS DEAD?

By July 1, 2012
Arafat, Rabin and Peres at the Noble Peace Prize Ceremony.

  Western governments, experts, and journalists have long assumed that an Israel-Palestinian or comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace agreement ending the conflict was near at hand and easily achieved. In fact, the truth is the exact opposite. Indeed, there has not been any real “peace process” or real chance for a diplomatic solution since the Palestinian leadership rejected a deal in 2000. This article examines the factors that, on one hand, make the “peace process” deceased and, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Israel, Israel-Palestinian Issues, MERIA Journal Volume 16, Number 02 (June 2012), Middle East Politics, Palestinians, U.S. Policy on the Middle East

The West should help Syrian rebels

By March 17, 2012
مظاهرة_ببلدة_نصيب_في_درعا_(Naseeb,_Daraa_demonstration)

In recent days the world has witnessed the Assad regime in Syria pretending to inquire as to its citizens’ opinion in a referendum on constitutional reform, while enthusiastically slaughtering the opposition with advanced artillery. About 100 civilians were shot or blown up by the security forces in the 48-hour period during which the vote was conducted. This simultaneous referendum and bloodbath was a uniquely Assad-type production. It combined the clunky, very 20th-century and … [Read more...]

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

PAKISTAN AND ITS DISCONTENTS

By December 22, 2011
640px-Pakistani_forces_-_Flickr_-_Al_Jazeera_English

Pakistan is facing a serious crisis today and despite the proclivity of the nation’s elites to blame external forces, the wounds are largely self-inflicted. India is not the biggest danger Pakistan faces today. It is the extremist groups that the security establishment has nurtured over the years that have turned against the Pakistani state. The Pakistani army has yet to reconcile itself to the idea that Afghanistan should be something other than its strategic backyard, under the control of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Afghanistan, Central Asia, MERIA Journal Volume 15, Number 04 (December 2011), Pakistan, Regional, Regional Security, U.S. Policy on the Middle East

THE “INDEPENDENT SHI’A” OF LEBANON: WHAT WIKILEAKS TELLS US ABOUT AMERICAN EFFORTS TO FIND AN ALTERNATIVE TO HIZBALLAH

By December 22, 2011
320px-Quran_cover

U.S. diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks have given a new insight into American policy in Lebanon, especially efforts to counter Hizballah. Hizballah’s willingness to use a combination of hard power through violence and coercion, combined with a softer touch via extensive patronage networks has given them unmatched control over the Shi’a community since the 2005 Cedar Revolution. Using these released cables, this study will focus on efforts, successes, and failures made by so-called … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lebanon, MERIA Journal Volume 15, Number 04 (December 2011), Middle East Politics, Radical Movements, Regional, U.S. Policy on the Middle East

ASSESSING THE SURGE IN IRAQ

By December 22, 2011
Iraq 1

This article discusses the 2006/2007 U.S. troop surge in Iraq. It examines to what extent the shift in strategy was responsible for the dramatic drop in violence as well as the implications for U.S. strategy in future conflicts. This article can be found in PDF version here.   INTRODUCTION   Adopted at the end of 2006--by far Iraq’s bloodiest year--the troop “surge” marked a major shift in the George W. Bush administration’s Iraq strategy. Indeed, the Iraq Body Count … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Iraq, MERIA Journal Volume 15, Number 04 (December 2011), Radical Movements, Regional Security, U.S. Policy on the Middle East

NAVIGATING THE NEW MIDDLE EAST? THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IS LOST AT SEA AND ON THE ROCKS

By December 22, 2011
800px-Barack_Obama_at_Cairo_University

This article surveys all aspects of U.S. Middle East policy under the Obama administration, critiques this strategy and premises, and suggests what U.S. policy should be. A previous version of this article was published in The Journal of International Security Affairs (Fall/Winter 2011).   The Obama administration has comprehensively lost its way on Middle East policy to an extent that poses tremendous dangers to the United States, Western interests, and the region as a whole. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Israel, Israel-Palestinian Issues, MERIA Journal Volume 15, Number 04 (December 2011), Middle East Politics, Radical Movements, Regional, Regional Security, U.S. Policy on the Middle East
« Older Posts