Middle East Politics.Net » Middle East politics http://middleeastpolitics.net Facts, News, Trends, Analysis Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:56:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Palestinians Downplay Clinton’s Attempts http://middleeastpolitics.net/2010/01/10/palestinians-downplay-clintons-attempts/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2010/01/10/palestinians-downplay-clintons-attempts/#comments Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:34:41 +0000 davidhulme http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=4104 Hillary Clinton’s latest efforts to restart peace talks met with a rebuff from the veteran Palestinian negotiator over the weekend. According to Saeb Erekat “You cannot have discussions on borders while the territory you want to set up your state on is being eaten up by the settlements.”

David Hulme

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2010/01/10/palestinians-downplay-clintons-attempts/feed/ 0 Palestinians End Torture of Hamas Prisoners http://middleeastpolitics.net/2010/01/04/palestinians-end-torture-of-hamas-prisoners/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2010/01/04/palestinians-end-torture-of-hamas-prisoners/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:59:55 +0000 davidhulme http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=4102 According to Hamas inmates of West Bank prison in Nablus, the Palestinian Authority has stopped torturing them. This is an effort according to Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad to create a solid foundation for a state.

David Hulme

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2010/01/04/palestinians-end-torture-of-hamas-prisoners/feed/ 0 Israel and New Building Projects http://middleeastpolitics.net/2009/09/08/israel-and-new-building-projects/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2009/09/08/israel-and-new-building-projects/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:46:09 +0000 davidhulme http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=4091 The White House has issued a statement (September 5) about the Israeli government’s latest building plans. Hoping to retain settler support and then follow up with a freeze on construction to meet US demands, PM Netanyahu announced the latest permissions–Helena Cobban comments.

David Hulme

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2009/09/08/israel-and-new-building-projects/feed/ 0 Middle East Peace Through Jerusalem or Tehran? http://middleeastpolitics.net/2009/01/16/middle-east-peace-through-jerusalem-or-teheran/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2009/01/16/middle-east-peace-through-jerusalem-or-teheran/#comments Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:00:15 +0000 davidhulme http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=4026 Ethan Bronner is Jerusalem bureau chief for the The Times. Here he reviews a new collection of scholarly essays on how to resolve the ME’s various critical problems. The authors, who work in two ME think tanks deal in “nuance and realism, despite small lapses.” The two policy research groups also have close relations to the incoming Obama administration. The road to peace may lie not so much through Jerusalem, but through Tehran.

David Hulme

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2009/01/16/middle-east-peace-through-jerusalem-or-teheran/feed/ 0 Defining the Middle East http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/17/defining-the-middle-east/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/17/defining-the-middle-east/#comments Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:01:05 +0000 davidhulme http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=4002 A few days ago, I mentioned Robert Kaplan’s piece in the NYT on his idea that the Middle East needed redefining. It got me thinking about other authors’ definitions. Here are a few:

In The Foreign Policies of Middle East States (2002), Hinnebusch and Ehteshami have a map labeled “The Middle East (the Arab League plus Iran, Israel and Turkey).” There are 22 countries in the Arab League. They stretch from Mauritania in the far west of Africa to Oman, east of Saudi Arabia. The League includes Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia, the Comores in the Indian Ocean and three observer states Eritrea, India, and Venezuela. To be fair, the Arab League’s observers were added in 2003, 2006 and 2007.

The map in Politics in the Middle East (2000) by Bill and Springborg shows an area that stretches from Morocco (including Western Sahara) to Pakistan. It excludes Somalia and Djibouti and includes Turkey, Israel, Iran and Afghanistan.

The cover on State, Power and Politics in the Making of the Modern Middle East (2004) by Roger Owen, shows Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, part of Afghanistan and part of Pakistan. Inside, there’s a 20th century inter-war map of the Middle East, showing an area from Morocco to Iran and from Turkey to Sudan.

Monte Palmer’s The Politics of the Middle East (2006) has a map bounded on the west by Egypt and Sudan, on the east by Iran, on the north by Turkey on the south by Yemen.

Read the rest at Causes of Conflict.

David Hulme

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/17/defining-the-middle-east/feed/ 0 Lebanon and Syria, Another Viewpoint http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/08/lebanon-syria-another-viewpoint/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/08/lebanon-syria-another-viewpoint/#comments Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:55:18 +0000 sanajong http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=3899 Walid Jumblatt, Lebanon’s Progressive Socialist Party leader had harsh criticism for Aoun’s visit to Syria last week. It seems as if Lebanon is not only at odds with Syria personally, but also at odds with Syria’s reconciliation with the world. He heavily berated the hypocrisy of Aoun’s visit and proclaimed that he would never reconcile with his neighbor.

Why is it that Aoun is able to put the past aside and forge a relationship in order to promote unity in the Middle East, but Jumblatt cannot?

Sade San A Jong

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/08/lebanon-syria-another-viewpoint/feed/ 1 Aoun’s Church Tours http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/08/aouns-church-tours/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/08/aouns-church-tours/#comments Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:51:40 +0000 sanajong http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=3897 As Lebanon’s Michel Aoun visited Syria, he toured some of its churches and Christian religious sites. This article explains the author’s frustrations with the niceties and falsehoods that the world adopts at the expense of the people in the Middle East.

Sade San A Jong

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/08/aouns-church-tours/feed/ 0 Syria on Stage Again http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/08/syria-again/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/08/syria-again/#comments Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:48:42 +0000 sanajong http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=3895 As Syria steps onto the main stage again and foreign dignitaries are eager to do business with its president, Bashar al-Assad, is it necessary or fair for the West, under pressure from Israel, to continue to demand that it break ties with Hamas and Hezbollah?

If these are legitimate and recognized political parties in the Middle East –what legal grounds do we have in order to make such demands?

Sade San A Jong

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/08/syria-again/feed/ 0 Damascus and Washington http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/08/demascus-washington/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/08/demascus-washington/#comments Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:46:03 +0000 sanajong http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=3893 Syrian top officials praise president-elect Obama’s choice of Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State. They see in this Obama’s seriousness for achieving peace in the Middle East. Progressive liberals back home however, who have backed the Obama candidacy for President are not happy with his choice. Of course, they too want peace in the Middle East, as stability there would provide stability around the world, especially in the United States. In addition, Obama plans to rescind the Syria Accountability Act and send a US ambassador to Syria in 2009.

What do you think are the positives that we have to look forward as a nation in terms of relations with the Middle East now that Hillary Clinton is our new secretary of state?

And what do you think about the young president-elect’s willingness to allow Syria to play again on the national stage?

Sade San A Jong

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/08/demascus-washington/feed/ 0 Gaza Ceasefire Thoughts http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/07/gaza-ceasefire-thoughts/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/07/gaza-ceasefire-thoughts/#comments Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:36:19 +0000 davidhulme http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=3884 The Palestinian-Israeli Crossfire site, bitterlemons, has four perspectives on the ceasefire and domestic politics. This is a very useful site with regular commentary from multiple viewpoints on important dimensions of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

David Hulme

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