Left: Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (r) with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Riyadh, March 2, 2015; picture provided by the Saudi Press Agency; AFP Photo/SPA/HO The attempt to establish a Sunni pact against the background of the … [Read more...] about Can Saudi Arabia Form a United Sunni Front?
Qatar
Libya 2011: The Decisive Year
Left: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton learned about the death of Muammar Gaddafi via an SMS message. Clinton was staying in Kabul when she learned the news. The moment, when she was given a cell phone, was filmed by CBS NEWS as Clinton was … [Read more...] about Libya 2011: The Decisive Year
Israel, Hamas and Hizbollah on a Collision Course: Undesirable yet Inevitable
Left: Hamas leader Kaled Mashal with Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's 3rd Secretary General. At the start of 2015, Israel’s two major fronts – home to the two hostile players with which Israel has had military encounters in recent months – were calm. … [Read more...] about Israel, Hamas and Hizbollah on a Collision Course: Undesirable yet Inevitable
The Embryonic Palestinian State – A monster in the Ultra-Sound*
Left: One need not be a prophet in order to know what a monster would be born from the Palestinian “embryonic state” in Judea and Samaria. Photo: Flash 90 As of now, in Judea, Samaria and Gaza there is a sort of embryonic state, or “Arab state in … [Read more...] about The Embryonic Palestinian State – A monster in the Ultra-Sound*
The Egyptian Bet
Any hope for an exit from the current Middle East chaos lies with the efforts of Gen. Pres. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to stabilize its politics and rebuild the Egyptian economy. With its 90 million people and traditional role as the intellectual leader … [Read more...] about The Egyptian Bet
Legitimatizing Hamas
Left: Palestinian Hamas masked gunmen march in a rally to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the terrorist group in Gaza City, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) The European Union has taken another step, in what it apparently hopes … [Read more...] about Legitimatizing Hamas
Islamists’ Political Power in the U.K. and U.S.
Tony Blair got it right. When asked about the consequences of the West’s intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq, Britain’s former Prime Minister, once again reiterated “the reason it was tough in Iraq and tough in Afghanistan is the reason it is tough … [Read more...] about Islamists’ Political Power in the U.K. and U.S.
ISIS: Portrait of a Jihadi Terrorist Organization*
An ISIS operative holds a shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile on the background of a black ISIS flag (Picture sent by ISIS via Twitter) Objectives 1. This study examines the nature of the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), an Islamic … [Read more...] about ISIS: Portrait of a Jihadi Terrorist Organization*
Weekly Briefing, November 2-8, 2014
Transportation Terrorism – Part I - Rachel Ehrenfeld - The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood that the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that … [Read more...] about Weekly Briefing, November 2-8, 2014
Weekly Briefing, October 26 – November 1, 2014
Laser Communications - Rachel Ehrenfeld - Uninterrupted radio frequencies are necessary to guarantee wireless communications. The rapid growth of wireless communication and computing systems with a wide range of applications and services have crowded … [Read more...] about Weekly Briefing, October 26 – November 1, 2014