By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA , Israel — In a major new development an Islamic force has arisen to challenge the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and support a more moderate regime in that country. This is a surprising opponent but the only one that could be of significance: al-Azhar University. Why is Egypt’s Islamic establishment taking on [...]
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — In 2003, I and the publication I edit, the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal, became the world’s biggest story for two or three days. Last week I became a “story” without knowing it until later. First, the 2003 experience. An Iraqi-American author submitted a good article [...]
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — A reader asks whether there are any defensible borders in the modern world because it is possible to fire missiles or rockets across a border. Well, yes, but even in ancient times it has always been possible for an army to cross–or try to cross–a border. That isn’t what [...]
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — There is a small detail at the end of Obama’s big Middle East speech that everyone has overlooked up until now but which shows how inept this administration is at understanding the Israel-Palestinian issue and why it continually makes Israel mistrustful. In doing his balancing act on Israeli and [...]
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — In the wake of bloody Muslim attacks on Egyptian Christians the New York Times informs us: “By lifting the heavy hand of the Mubarak police state, the revolution unleashed long-suppressed sectarian animosities that have burst out with increasing ferocity….” No kidding! Did you think a single Egyptian Christian didn’t know this in [...]
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — I merely transcribe the lead paragraph inSaturday’s (May 7) Washington Post: “Syrian troops used heavy machine guns and artillery to quell anti-government demonstrations in the key city of Homs on Friday in a sharp escalation of their crackdown against regime opponents, as tens of thousands of Syrians again defied [...]
DOROTHY: “I thought you said she was dead.” GLINDA: “That was her sister–the Wicked Witch of the East. This is the Wicked Witch of the West. And she’s worse than the other one was.” –“The Wizard of Oz” By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — It’s astounding that Hamas, Fatah al-Aqsa Brigades, and the Egyptian Muslim [...]
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — Usama bin Laden is dead. But revolutionary Islamism is very much alive and stronger than ever. Thinking that bin Laden is the main problem and his death is the solution is very dangerous indeed and might well intensify the policies that have been leading toward the victory of his [...]
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — Remember when we were told that the Muslim Brotherhood was moderate and weak? Why it was so benign that the Brotherhood had even promised only to contest one-third of the seats. And a revolutionary Islamist, antisemitic and genocide-oriented, anti-American, anti-Western, and anti-Christian organization would never lie to us, right? [...]
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel –The Obama administration no longer considers Syria a potential peace partner for Israel because of its repression against its own people. This is according to media background interviews with government officials. But wait a minute! What do we know about that regime now that we didn’t know–I should say, should [...]
