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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Much has been discussed regarding the Turkish system of governance as a model of ‘Post-Islamism’ for countries emerging out of the ‘Arab Spring’. However, before such claims can be made, it is important to understand the model. The following is an executive summary of Mustafa Akyol's essay from the Arches Quarterly. Introduction Turkey began 2008 in the shadow of a very heated debate over whether female students could cover their hair with a headscarf — a practice banned in Turkey since 1989. In February 2008, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), a “conservative” party led by devout Muslims, with the support of two other parties, passed an...
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360° Analysis / Arab Spring / Egypt / Islamism / Islamist / Morocco / Politics / Tunisia / Middle East / AfricaBy George JofféThe following is an extract from George Joffé’s essay, “The Arab Intifada in Perspective,” as he discusses the role of Islamist parties in Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco. To appreciate what has actually happened in the Arab world as a result of what in the West is called the “Arab Spring” but is referred to as the “Arab Intifada” in the Middle East and North Africa, and what is likely to take place there, we should perhaps note that the actual outcomes of the events of 2011 have much to do with their specific causes, both in regional and national terms. The events of 2011 have made it quite clear that, whether a paradigm shift or not, the...
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In the Middle East, nothing ever stands still, and this is particularly true regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On November 29, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of according Palestine non-member state status in the UN. The vote saw 138 in favor to 9 against (Canada, Czech Republic, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Panama, Palau and the United States), with 41 abstentions which showed the broad international support for the Palestinian right of self-determination and for their own independent state, alongside the State of Israel. It also showed the international opposition to the continued occupation and human...
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China / Chomsky / Freud / Japan / Laos / North Korea / Politics / United States / Europe / Focus Article / BRIC / Arts & Culture / Middle East / Americas / Africa / Asia / OceaniaFair Observer's five best articles of February. By February, the new year loses its newness and 2013 is no exception. While all of us have settled into 2013, the world continues to be as eventful as ever. Italy has had yet another election. Kerry is off on his first foreign trip as Secretary of State. Karzai is asking the US to curtail its role, and the conflict in Syria shows no signs of resolution. The world economy is wobbly with the Eurozone in deepest distress. At Fair Observer, we try our best to make sense of the world and please find our best articles for February below. As always, we want to know what you think and please email us at info@fairobserver.com to tell us how we can...
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Arab Spring / Emir of Qatar / Gulf / Politics / Qatar / United States / Focus Article / Middle EastDavid Holdridge, a frequent visitor to Qatar over the past decade, argues that sooner rather than later the US will realize that it should distance itself from the autocracies of the Gulf. Oil and military concerns aside, the Arab street will not tolerate these medieval structures much longer. Not long ago, I found myself on the pavement on West 23rd Street in lower Manhattan. Just outside the door of this beautiful red brick monster – walking toward a bar called “East of 8th” for a couple of shots and a burger. I had spent the day uptown trying to get my head around the question of what makes Qatar tick. I had listened to our esteemed Secretary of Transportation...
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360° Analysis / Iran / Iranian Sanctions / Israel / Politics / US / Middle EastBy Mahmoud AyadIn its quest to weather the sanctions imposed against it, the Islamic Republic of Iran has resorted to political, economic and — most interestingly — socio-religious instruments. For a long time, Iran's reaction to Western sanctions was to downplay their effects on the Iranian economy. The official tone was that the sanctions would strengthen the Islamic Republic by compelling Iranians to produce all of the embargoed products themselves. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad even called sanctions on Iranian exports, mainly oil, “ridiculous,” saying that it is “funny” to see the West “using oil as a political weapon against a country that is an...
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Iran / Iranian Sanctions / Israel / Politics / US / 360° Context / Middle EastIran has become one of the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world, as the international community attempts to prevent Tehran from building a nuclear weapon. The resulting isolation has imposed significant challenges on the Iranian economy, which has shown signs of strain particularly in the past year. Background Since the 1990s, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran have played an extended game of cat-and-mouse over the country’s nuclear program. Although Iran insists that its program is purely peaceful, the country’s secrecy and belligerence toward the IAEA have only heightened concerns that Tehran is pursuing a nuclear weapons capability. The United...
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Israel / Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process / Jordan / Palestine / Politics / United States / Middle EastThere is one conventional wisdom regarding the Middle East Peace Process, which has already become axiomatic: There can be no peace without active American involvement. As conventional wisdoms go, so is the case with this one, argues Josef Olmert, former Israeli peace negotiator. Somewhat true, somewhat exaggerated, altogether an oversimplification of an otherwise complicated reality. If we track the beginnings of the saga known as the Middle East Peace Process to the aftermath of the 1973 war, we have enough historic perspective to evaluate the pros and cons of the case on hand. The verdict must be that the US does play a significant role, though less crucial than what it seems to be. The...
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360° Analysis / Ijtihad / Islamic Law / Politics / Quran / Secular / Sharia / Middle EastBy Anna BirawiWhile many secular advocates, right-wing parties and orthodox Islamic groups hold tight to the idea of a static, unresponsive and irrational Islamic law, the traditional framework of Islamic Legal Theory boasts otherwise. Here, the neglected principle of ijtihād is analysed. The evolutionary vs. immutable nature of Islamic law has been a controversial topic for centuries abound. Can Islamic law develop in response to the ever changing demands of human life? Or have its dictates been determined once and for all, binding it to a complete, static and indisputable set of laws? Is Islamic law an ancient, outdated system that lives in an era far away from our so-called modern times or can it...