Archive for the ‘Israel’ Category

|Guest Column| Who Assassinated Wissam al-Hassan?

Posted: October 29, 2012 in Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Syrian Civil War
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by Bilal Hamade

On the 19th of October 2012, a car bomb explosion in East Beirut killed Police Information Branch Chief Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan with 2 other people. The assassination came as a surprise to many. The person in charge of the most powerful security apparatus in Lebanon is dead, who else is safe?

In the deeply divided country, accusations following every assassination are always ready. March 14 Alliance accuses Syria; while March 8 alliance accuses Israel, and the latter accuses Hezbollah.  In this particular assassination however, pointing fingers is not as easy due to Al-Hassan’s enigmatic personality. The only absentee on the day of Rafiq Hariri’s assassination and the mastermind behind many successful security operations, al-Hassan has earned the title of Lebanon’s most skilled security official.

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Video: Fall Out In The Mediterranean (AJE)

Posted: October 13, 2012 in Israel, Middle East, Turkey
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Fall Out In The Mediterranean – Al Jazeera World

Featured on Al Jazeera World, filmmakers Mariam Shahin and George Azar chart the deterioration of the Israeli-Turkish relationship. Once part of the United States’ strategic alliance in the Middle East, new realities within the region are forcing these competing powers to clearly define and prioritize their self-interests from their mutual interests. The documentary also looks into the impact of recently discovered gas deposits on the future of this once key strategic alliance.

To read more of about the history of Israeli-Turkish relations and their loose grouping under the periphery policy, click here.

|Guest Column| Could Syria’s Civil War Redraw the Map of the Middle East?

Posted: July 21, 2012 in Guest Opinions, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Syrian Civil War, Turkey
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By Frazier Fathers

This past week’s decapitating strike by Syrian opposition forces resulted in the deaths of Defense Minister Dawood Rajiha, his “deputy” Asef Shawkat (Assad’s brother-in law), Assistant Vice President Hassan Turkmani and Hisham Ikhtiar (Syria’s National Security Chief). The brazen bombing showed that the situation in Syria has recently deteriorated much quicker than many expected; the ability of the ever emboldened opposition to strike at the higher echelons of the Syrian regime is becoming a potential game changer. As the situation continues to spiral out of control, reports of ethnic cleansing of neighbourhoods and villages to the driving out of Iraqi refuges are raising sectarian tensions.

With pundits all agreeing that it is not a matter of “if” the Assad regime will fall but rather “when,” attention needs to be paid to what the aftermath of his fall might be. Syria is a divided nation in a divided region, where the majority Sunni population has been repressed at the hands of the Alawites (Shiites). Meanwhile the Kurds of Syria much like Kurds in Iraq and Turkey has suffered years of repression that has led to various nationalistic movements within the group. Smattered between these major groups are enclaves of Druze and Christians who are positioned to be potential targets of reprisal for their years of supporting the Assad regime.

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Video: Nuclear-Armed Iran Would Bring ‘Stability’ But Risks (PBS)

Posted: July 9, 2012 in Iranian Nuclear Issue, Israel, Middle East, Uncategorized
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Popular political scientist John Mearsheimer and former Pentagon official Dov Zakheim argue about the merits and risks of Iran possessing nuclear weapons and its influence on Middle Eastern stability. The debate over the purpose of nuclear weapons has been reignited in recent weeks by Kenneth Waltz’s piece on the Foreign Policy Magazine, where he argues that Iranian nuclear weapons would bring stability to the region. Waltz’s article can be found here.

A New Age of Warfare

Posted: June 29, 2012 in China, Iranian Nuclear Issue, Israel, United States of America
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In 1984, a Canadian director and an Austrian strong-man created a film franchise based on an intelligent computer system that turns on its creators and wages war on mankind. The Terminator series went onto spawned many sequels, a TV series and even a horrible Nintendo game. Yet be not alarmed, there is no impending robot apocalypse. However, our rapid progress and deeper reliance on technology might be leading us in to a new era of war; adding new layers to an age-old human ritual that has constantly been streamlined and perfected. What does this evolution mean for the nation-state and its concept of war and security? How will these advances impact the century succeeding the bloodiest hundred years in human history?

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|Guest Column| No Surprises at Iranian Nuclear Talks

Posted: June 28, 2012 in Guest Opinions, Iranian Nuclear Issue, Israel, Middle East
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By Uri Marantz

The latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and the West has once again failed to deliver concrete results, resolutions (of even the most minimally binding nature) or serious agreement of any kind; besides of course, agreeing to reschedule previously scheduled meetings for a future-but-as-of-yet-undefined date in time.  The West in this case refers to the P5+1, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) plus Germany (or the EU3+3, named after another Iranian negotiating bloc in the mid-2000s).

This patently predictable turn of events, this lack of progress on a potentially globally destabilizing hot-button political issue, has not surprised a single analyst or political expert on Iranian nuclear affairs.  Western-Iranian nuclear negotiations have become almost as endlessly protracted and hopelessly intractable as Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations; to paraphrase the Prussian military strategist Carl von Clausewitz, these nuclear negotiations have become the only continuation of politics by other means.

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Israel’s Coalition: Much ado about…

Posted: May 14, 2012 in Iranian Nuclear Issue, Israel, Middle East
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Last week, Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu pulled off either the most despicable or brilliant political manoeuvre in the nation’s 64 year history. A day after having called for new elections that many expected him to win, Bibi, as he is affectionately called, did a U-turn and formed a new coalition with the Centrist Kadima party. It became a media sensation, causing wonderment, shock and anger while raising plenty of questions. Why did the Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz become bed fellows with the man (the “liar”) he vowed to oppose in the upcoming elections? Why did Bibi and Likud change their stance on new elections a day after the announcement? Moreover, what does this deal mean for Israel? Iran? The Peace process?

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|Guest Column| Canada: Conduit of Israeli Policy Towards Lebanon

Posted: May 8, 2012 in Canada, Guest Opinions, Israel, Lebanon
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by Bilal Hamade

It might be sheer coincidence that the last two prosecutors in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) are Canadians. Daniel Bellemare, who held the position since 2009, is now being replaced by Norman Farrell. Nevertheless, this “coincidence” is particularly telling of the increased Canadian interest and involvement in the Hariri assassination case and the politics of the Middle East at large.

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Video: Cold Peace (AJE)

Posted: May 4, 2012 in Egypt, Israel, Middle East
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This is a fascinating and in-depth documentary series produced by Al Jazeera English, charting the history of the Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty. It examines the bold steps taken by the two sides and all the domestic and regional challenges that threatened to break the treaty. With many voices in the current Egyptian regime looking to re-evaluate the status of Egyptian-Israeli relations, this documentary provides valuable context. To watch the full two-part series, use our YouTube playlist.

To read more about the recent troubles threatening the first Israeli-Arab peace treaty, click here.

A General’s Admission: The Israeli Debate on Iran

Posted: April 26, 2012 in Iranian Nuclear Issue, Israel, Middle East
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A couple of days ago, the Israeli daily Haaretz ran an interview with Israel’s Chief of Staff Lt. General Benny Gantz that caused a stir amongst political analysts. Contrary to the vision of impending doom frequently painted by Israel’s Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz stated that he does not believe Iran will decide to develop nuclear weapons.

While the statements appeared surprising to most, it was not only for the most obvious reasons. The “Israeli perspective” or the “Israeli red line,” has often been used by those who want to exert immense pressure Iran and possibly cease all forms of its nuclear enrichment. The argument goes onto state that while the Americans and Europeans could exist with a nuclear Iran, Israel has no such option. However, General Gantz has painted Iran as a state led by rational leaders, who have yet to make a decision on nuclear weaponization. Gantz goes further by predicting that Tehran will defer such an option. While there are quarters that seek to stretch the facts to fit their political objectives, one can not deny that the Iranian nuclear program is a rational and very real concern for the state of Israel. However, this concern or threat is not a monolith, it is a debate.

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