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THE LEBANESE SHI’A AS A POLITICAL COMMUNITY

Omri Nir was a lecturer in the Department of Middle Eastern History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Tragically, Dr. Nir was killed in December 2016, while attempting to shield his 10-year-old son Illai who had lost his footing during a hike in the Negev. Illai also died a few days later from his injuries. Omri Nir was a distinguished expert in the politics of modern Lebanon and in particular the Shi’a community in that country. Dr. Nir collaborated …

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SYRIA’S CIVIL WAR: STAGE FOR GREATER CHINESE INVOLVEMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

Since early 2016, China has increased its mediation efforts to help Syria achieve peace and stability. This study evaluates Chinese mediation efforts in the Syrian conflict by examining its motivations for becoming more involved in the peace process, as well as the implications of China’s longstanding non-interference policy …

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IRANIAN REFORMISTS: BETWEEN MODERATION AND REVOLUTION

gallClick here for PDF Iranian moderates made significant gains in the country’s February 2016 legislative elections. The reformists won 85 out of 290 seats compared with 75 seats for the conservatives. However, the reformists represented in the new parliament have no historical continuity with the reformist camp of the former President Mohammad Khatami; those reformists […]

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THE RESURRECTION OF SYRIAN KURDISH POLITICS

PDF version available here This article examines the current political landscape of the Kurdish region in Syria, the role the Kurds have played in the ongoing Syrian civil war, and intra-Kurdish relations. For many years, the Kurds in Syria were subjected to discrimination at the hands of the Ba’th regime and were stripped of their […]

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POLITICAL ISLAM IN MOROCCO: IS THERE AN “EXCEPTION MAROCAINE”?

PDF version available here Contrary to other Arab countries, Morocco has not experienced an “Arab Spring.” Those who wish to see systemic change have not been able to get a degree of popular support and mobilization similar to that which brought an end to the dictatorships of Ben Ali in Tunisia, al-Qaddafi in Libya or […]

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THE NINETEENTH ISRAELI KNESSET ELECTIONS: LACKLUSTER ELECTION, SIGNIFICANT RESULTS

For the first time since the 1970s, there was no serious dispute as to who would emerge as prime minister from the 2013 Israeli elections campaign. Despite the lackluster campaign, the election results and the government that emerged from them do represent a certain change. Most notably, the election campaign focused on internal issues. This […]