The Historian, the Diplomat, and the Spy
At the table were Bernard Lewis, for my money the greatest living historian of the Middle East; Uri Lubrani, Israel’s envoy to Iran prior to the fall of the Shah and an advisor to leaders of the Jewish state ever since; and Meir Dagan, a retired paratrooper, commando, and general who was recruited in 2002 by then-prime minister Ariel Sharon to rebuild the Mossad as an intelligence agency “with a knife in its teeth.” (Dagan stepped down from that post in 2010 and has been increasingly outspoken ever since.) A small group of young American national-security professionals — from the Hill, the Defense Department, Homeland Security, even the D.C. police department — broke pita with them. None of the three minimizes how dire will be the consequences should Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s finger come to rest on a nuclear trigger. The Iranian president subscribes to an extremist school of Shia theology that, General Dagan explained, looks forward to an apocalyptic war that would “hasten the arrival of the Mahdi,” mankind’s ultimate savior. But he thinks Ahmadinejad and his associates are not as close as many analysts believe to acquiring a nuclear capability. “Two years to have such a weapon, in my estimation,” he said.
Turkey and Iran carve up a ruptured Arab world
Moreover, Western observers have missed the primary thread of events – namely, the ongoing asymmetric Turkish-Iranian soft partition of the Arab republics. Concomitantly, the American position as regional hegemony is vanishing. Today, only the Arab monarchies and Israel continue to look to the US as their primary patron.
To investigate how these changing dynamics are seen by actors within the region, Mr. Pack spent his Christmas holidays in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq.
Three car bombs kill 17 in Iraqi capital
The leaders of Iraq’s rival sects have been locked in a standoff since last month, when authorities in the Shiite-dominated government called for Sunni Vice President Tariq Al Hashemi’s arrest on terrorism charges just as the last American troops were withdrawing from the country.
Shiites brave crisis, bombs for Iraq pilgrimage
Tens of thousands of Shi'ite Muslims are pouring into Iraq's holy city of Kerbala, despite having become the main targets of a bombing campaign that followed the withdrawal of U.S. troops last month.
Ahmadinejad and Chavez taunt US
"One of the targets that Yankee imperialism has in its sights is Iran, which is why we are showing our solidarity," Chavez said during a joint press conference. "That hill will open up and a big atomic bomb will come out," he said of a hill next to his Miraflores Palace.
Russia 'regrets' news of Iran nuclear activity in Qom facility
"Moscow has met reports on the start of uranium enrichment at an Iranian plant near Qom with regret and concern," the agency quoted a Foreign Ministry official as saying.
UN nuclear inspectors to visit Iran 'soon,' IAEA official says
Such a trip would come at a time of escalating tension over Iran's nuclear ambitions with European nations preparing for a embargo on Iranian oil and Tehran threatening to retaliate by blocking Gulf oil shipping lanes vital to the global economy.
Turkey holds Syria-bound Iranian 'military cargo'
"The four trucks were confiscated by customs. They are alleged to be carrying military equipment," Governor Yusuf Odabas said. He said experts were being sent from Ankara to examine the cargo.
Syria: Assad hits out at 'terrorists' in speech
Syria's embattled President Bashar al-Assad has taken a confrontational stance in a televised speech, vowing to strike "terrorists with an iron fist" and offering no hint of compromise with forces ranged against him.
But it is what keeps happening on the ground that shatters all hope for the Syrian activists, while the international community becomes more and more skeptical. Some activists say the monitors who visit Syrian towns are being flagrantly misled by the regime’s security forces and that rarely can protesters reach the observers to give them information. Further, activists allege that the regime’s forces change street signs to manipulate the observers into thinking they are in a different place.
Clerics critical of Hezbollah face conspiracy charges
Those close to the Shia clerics say these accusations are unfounded, however, and say that the men are being targeted because they represent a challenge to Hezbollah’s authority, and the party’s dominance in the Shia community. Al Balad journalist, Ali al-Amin, believes that it “is a message directed toward clerics that they too can be accused of treason if they were to defy Hezbollah, or take clear and strong position against the party.” He also told NOW Lebanon that this is the first time clerics have been accused of conspiring with Israel.
Political movements and parties to protest Abu Hasira Festival
Permission for Israelis to visit Abu Hasira’s tomb has angered some in Egypt, especially because it is not included in the list of celebrations authorized to be held in Egypt. The Supreme Administrative Court upheld a 2001 lower court decision to abolish the annual event.
Egyptian Christian faces trial for insulting Islam
The case dates back to June, when Naguib Sawiris posted a cartoon showing a bearded Mickey Mouse and veiled Minnie. He made a public apology after Islamists complained, but his action set off a boycott of his telecom company and other outlets. He said it was supposed to be a joke and apologized, but lawyer Mamdouh Ismail filed a formal complaint against him.
Jordan’s Islamists regain key asset
Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood movement has not climbed the ladder to political power as its counterparts have in Egypt and Tunisia, but a recent government decision has paved the way for it to gain money and boost influence with voters as Jordan moves toward elections.
Wishful thinking: Hamas’s “New direction”
Let’s for a moment ignore all the evidence to the contrary and assume Hamas really did agree to abandon terror for unarmed “popular struggle.” What would that mean for Israel? About 500 rockets a year fired at its civilian population. How do I know? Because Hamas, unwilling to risk another Israeli offensive, hasn’t personally fired rockets at Israel since the last offensive ended three years ago. Instead, it has allowed smaller groups to fire 1,571 rockets from Hamas-controlled Gaza while disclaiming responsibility – a tactic it would undoubtedly continue. In short, Hamas’s “new direction” wouldn’t reduce anti-Israel terror from Hamas-controlled territory one whit.
Abbas meets Abdullah, expresses hope for continued talks
In a meeting between Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II, the two leaders discussed how to renew Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, but reiterated demands that Israel halt all settlement activity and accept the 1967 lines as the borders of the future Palestinian state, Wafa reported.
Khaled Abu Toameh: The many contradictions of Mahmoud Abbas
True, the failure of the peace process with Israel has undermined Abbas’s standing among many Palestinians. But that’s surely not the main reason why many Palestinians have lost their faith in him and his leadership.
In recent years, Abbas has managed to confuse many Palestinians by sending contradictory messages to them and the rest of the world.
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