Middle East
Middle East
Fair Observer provides inclusive, insightful and contextual analysis of the Middle East with its manifold cultures and civilizations.
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Turkey’s besting Iran in the contest for the hearts and minds of advocates of change in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa is proving to be both a blessing and a curse. With tension mounting over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the perceived window of opportunity for a military strike closing, Turkey faces increased challenges and the threat of a proxy war with Syria and the Islamic Republic. This is compounded by the fact that the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia need Turkey in their effort to further corner the regime in Syria and to isolate Iran, but want to prevent a shift in regional power away from the kingdom and the Israeli state to Ankara—increasingly...
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Algeria’s Islamists are bound to make gains in the country’s parliamentary elections on May 10, but it remains to be seen whether they will have a significant impact on the country. As the Arab uprisings continue into the second year, there is a distinct hint of rising public Islamism across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Egypt has seen the ascendance of the Muslim Brotherhood in the wake of Hosni Mubarak’s vertiginous fall; in Tunisia the moderate Islamist party Ennahda has triumphed in parliamentary elections; and Libya currently has several moderate to possibly radical Islamist groupings vying for influence. The events across the region are heralding a shift...
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A summary of Algeria’s post-colonial history and a brief look at the first legislative elections since the start of the ongoing Arab uprisings. Background Algeria, now the Arab world’s largest country since Sudan split, gained its independence in 1962 after a bloody and catastrophic war which cost over 1mn lives and culminated in the end of French colonial rule. The war began in 1954 and ensued for nearly a decade, until the National Liberation Front (FLN) rose to power. Following this, Algeria saw its political route move towards a socialist system. The FLN aligned itself with the Soviet Union in the Cold War era and with revolutionary Arab states. Despite the discovery of...
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360° Analysis / Politics / Middle East / AsiaOn Turkey’s political and economic rise, its refugee crises, and the need for a new immigration policy. As the Syrian uprising enters its 14th month, the world waits to see if the tenuous de-escalation of violence will hold and continues to debate an international intervention. Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu have emerged as prominent voices in that conversation. They hosted in Istanbul the second meeting of the ad hoc “Friends of Syria” group born out of Russian and Chinese Security Council obstructionism, and they have provided a safe haven to Syrian National Council members and commanders of the Free Syrian Army...
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Politics / 360° Context / Middle East / AsiaBy Ari KatzTurkey is a predominantly Sunni Muslim, ethnically Turkish country with a Kurdish minority. Its role in several ongoing geopolitical sagas, its increasingly public Islamic conservatism, and its newly assertive nature has positioned Turkey squarely on the international stage. Background After a brutal war for independence from Western WWI victors, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk led a group of military officers who successfully instituted secular and western reforms, including the restriction of Islam in the public sphere. Heralded as exemplary, “Kemalism” drove Turkey’s destiny to become a successful, liberal and modern power. Following World War II, Turkey moved forward as a...
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In a response to Iran Observer, a previous contributor to Fair Observer, Shayan Arkian and Mahmoud Ayad argue to dispel notions of pure idealism, religiosity, and military/nuclear ambitions in Iran. On February 27, 2012 an anonymous author wrote an article named “Why Iran Wants the Bomb: An Iranian Perspective”, featured on Fair Observer. Presented as “someone with an intimate knowledge of Iran”, the author espouses understanding of the Iranian perspective in order to elucidate Iran’s behaviour regarding its nuclear program. Unfortunately, two major errors degrade the author’s analysis: first a stark misconception of the very basic rationale of the...
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After appraising the milieu of the recent coalition Paris meeting regarding the Syrian humanitarian crisis, Laurenti argues that “the layering in of international military monitors, including some from Russia and China, plus a large humanitarian relief operation… “are the most efficacious policy options moving forward”. The Paris meeting this month of the international coalition supporting the ouster of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, sent a clear message to Russia, his chief defender in the United Nations Security Council: We are not wedded to Kofi Annan’s peace mission, and if you can’t put the leash on Syria’s attack dogs, we are ready to up...
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By Trita ParsiStemming from its fears of an amending Iran-US relationship, Israel has mischaracterized the recent P5+1 talks as a failure for western interests. In reality, there are hopeful signs of progress towards a peaceful resolution of the potentially dangerous situation, says Trita Parsi. Netanyahu and Obama are at it again. The hardline Israeli Prime Minister, standing next to Senator Joe Lieberman, accused Obama of having given Iran a “freebie” during the Istanbul talks this month. Iran can continue to enrich uranium “without any limitation” for another five weeks, Netanyahu charged. Nothing could be further from the truth, Obama shot back moments later from the other...
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By Lana AsfourLana Asfour talks to Syrian refugees in Lebanon near the Syrian border. In the windswept hills of the northern Bekaa valley, the normally quiet town of Aarsal is experiencing an unusual amount of activity. It is one of the remote border villages in the Jabal Younine mountain range that are seeing an influx of Syrians escaping the violence at home. They started arriving over one year ago when the unrest began, and have continued to cross the border ever since. This week, the number of refugees rose dramatically as Bashar Al Assad widened his assault on several areas. There have also been various incursions by the Syrian army into Lebanese territory, with shelling very close to local farms...
