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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Mitchell Plitnick, former Director of B’Tselem and the Jewish Voice for Peace, speaks to Heba Al-Adawy about the future of political activism, and the obstacles to peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Heba Al-Adawy: As an American Jew, what (and when) was the turning point in your political consciousness with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Mitchell Plitnick: There was no single turning point. As a young child in the 1970s, I was fed an absurdly one-sided version of Israeli history and current politics (of that time). The picture was that Israel only ever wanted peace and always had its hand out in friendship, but "the Arabs" hated Jews so much that all...
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360° Analysis / Drones / Pakistan / United States / Yemen / Middle East / Global Security / AsiaYemen replaced Pakistan as the primary destination for US drone strikes in 2012. In both countries, official government support for this US policy often comes at odds with the average citizen. Yemen’s President, Abd-Rabbo Mansur Hadi, does not have any particularly strong local powerbase in the country, normally a pre-requisite for leading as unstable a country as Yemen. Perhaps that is why he continues to vocally support the continuation of a US drones campaign in his country in the face of widespread national opposition to a counter-terrorism strategy, that often results in civilian ‘collateral damage.’ Hadi: Drone Strikes in Yemen Hadi needs America’s...
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Robert D. Crane, former adviser to the late President Richard Nixon, discusses the role of shari'a and secularism, and the issue of whether the “Arab Spring” winds up as an “Arab Winter”. The following is an executive summary from the essay, originally featured in the Arches Quarterly. The issue is human rights. The Qatar Foundation created a Center for the Study of Contemporary Muslim Societies, of which I became the first Director in January 2012, to explore where and how the Arab Spring and any Global Awakening have originated and the extent to which the theories behind them have been translated into practice. What these two phenomena are or might become will...
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Islam / Islamism / Politics / Salaf / Salafism / Middle East / AfricaBy Omar FarahatOmar Farahat examines the origins of Salafis, and argues that the question of shari’a has to be resolved before Egypt can witness any kind of durable stability. The following is an executive summary from the essay, originally featured in the Arches Quarterly. Prior to the outbreak of the popular revolution against Mubarak’s regime in January and February of 2011, and the subsequent developments, talk within political and intellectual circles about Islamist presence and potential in Egyptian politics was almost exclusively centered on the Muslim Brotherhood. After all, it was the Brotherhood that consistently competed for parliamentary seats, organized massive student protests,...
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360° Analysis / Damascus / Poet / Syria / Arts & Culture / Middle EastReel Festivals present Road to Damascus – a short film by Roxana Vilk. Road to Damascus a short film by Roxana Vilk from Roxana Vilk on Vimeo. *[Note: This film was originally featured by Reel Festivals. The upcoming Reel Iraq 2013 event, which marks 10 years since the US and UK led military invasion, is being held across the United Kingdom between March 21-25. For further information, please visit www.reelfestivals.org. Fair Observer is a media partner of Reel Iraq 2013.] Credits Produced, Directed and Filmed by Roxana Vilk Executive Produced by GOL Productions & Reel Festivals Edited by Maryam Ghorbankarimi Sound Design and Music by Peter Vilk Production Assistant Stefanie...
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360° Analysis / AKP / Ayşenur Arslan / Erdoğan / Politics / Turkey / Arts & Culture / Middle EastBy Murat OnurTurkey’s poor press freedom record contradicts its main strategic goal to establish the country as a regional power and the leader of the Muslim world, contests Murat Onur. The state of press freedom in Turkey has recently been in the spotlight, particularly after Reporters Without Borders declared the country as “the world’s biggest prison for journalists” last December. While concerns about press freedom in Turkey are not new, a series of recent reports reveal a rather disturbing declining trend in the country's press freedom. In the last two years, a number of advocacy groups and international organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ...
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360° Analysis / Israel / Miko Peled / Palestine / Politics / Middle EastBy Miko PeledMiko Peled, a peace activist and the son of an Israeli general, discusses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Miko Peled is a peace activist who dares to say in public what many choose to deny. Miko was born in Jerusalem in 1961 into a well-known Zionist family. His grandfather, Dr. Avraham Katsnelson was a Zionist leader and signer on Israel's Declaration of Independence. His father, Matti Peled was a young officer in the war of 1948 and a general in the war of 1967 when Israel conquered the West Bank, Gaza, Golan Heights, and Sinai. The political became personal for Miko , when on September 4, 1997, his niece Smadar, 13, was killed in a suicide attack in Jerusalem. He was driven...
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360° Analysis / Arab Spring / Egypt / Islamism / Libya / Politics / Tunisia / Middle EastRajai Masri explains the complex reality of the Arab world amidst the potential for real change. One is coming to the conclusion that the “objective circumstances,”Al-Zorouf Al-Mawdouieh, are not ripe. The lack of political maturity among Arabs cannot lead to a constructive and orderly transformation or a change in the socio-political structure of the Arab world, at this particular juncture in history. The Arabs’ bid for change, under the rubric of the Arab Spring, is spiraling out of control, becoming chaotic, enduring, and is ultimately prone to hijacking by the better organized Islamic factions under a theocratic dictatorship. Now the Arab Spring, once seen as the...
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360° Analysis / Arab Spring / constitution / Egypt / Mohammed Morsi / Muslim Brotherhood / National Salvation Front / Politics / Middle East / AfricaThe Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is being heavily criticized. However, the complicated situation in Egypt urges the observer to take a closer look. Stephan Roll scrutinizes the five most important points of criticism. First: Morsi Placed Himself Above the Law Last November, Mohammed Morsi placed himself above the law via a decree, and thereby stopped a foreseeable interference by the judiciary into the process of drafting the constitution. This procedure has been sharply criticized by the Egyptian opposition as well as foreign countries. The president was accused of having violated the basic principles of democracy by rescinding the separation of powers. However, this...