Editor’s Summary: In studying the contemporary Middle East, one of the most controversial and complex challenges is comprehending Syria’s regional strategy and policy toward the peace process. The author believes that Syria is stuck between its traditional hardline stance and attempts to develop a more flexible approach. This article provides a detailed analysis of Syrian foreign minister Faruq Al-Shara’s January 2000 speech before the Arab Writers’ Union conference in Damascus, which exemplifies the key issues regarding Syria today.
Israel and the Maghreb at the Height of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: 1950s-1970s
Editor’s Summary: This study highlights Israel’s contacts with Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia from the 1950s to the 1970s, at a time when such contacts were conducted very secretly. The author uses archival materials and interviews to detail these developments and explains the motivations and constraints of various Arab and Israel actors.
Higher Education and the Development of Palestinian Islamic Groups
Volume 4, No. 2- June 2000 HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC GROUPS By Reuven Paz Editor’s Summary: As was the case in the development of the Palestinians? nationalist identity, institutes of higher education throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip were crucial to the development of Palestinian Islamic groups throughout the 1980s. […]
Russian-Iranian Relations in the 1990s
Volume 4, No. 2- June 2000 RUSSIAN-IRANIAN RELATIONS IN THE 1990s By Robert O. Freedman Editor’s Summary: Iran is Russia?s most important ally in the Middle East. Moscow supplies Tehran with arms and nuclear reactors. They are allies against the Taliban government in Afghanistan, as well as in countering Azerbaijan and Turkey. Russia has also […]
Weapons of Mass Destruction: A New Dimension in U.S. Middle East Policy
Volume 4, No. 2- June 2000 Weapons of Mass Destruction: A New Dimension in U.S. Middle East Policy By George Tenet Editor’s Summary: A new and extremely important issue has emerged in U.S. Middle East policy concerning the threat of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Washington?s intelligence community is worried about the use […]
The View From Jerusalem: Israeli-American relations and the Peace Process since Camp David
Volume 4, No. 2- June 2000 Israeli-American relations and the Peace Process By Jonathan Rynhold Editor’s Summary: There is a general consensus that Israel, as a �client� of the United States, uniformly seeks to maximize its leverage over American policy. But, in fact, different Israeli governments have pursued conflicting approaches to the United […]