MEF staff
Jonathan Spyer
Director of Research & MEQ Editor
Opens an email to info@meforum.org with the request details laid out.
Profile
Jonathan Spyer is the Forum's director of research and editor of the Middle East Quarterly, and oversees the Forum's content. A journalist, he reports for Janes Intelligence Review, writes a column for the Jerusalem Post and reports frequently from Syria and Iraq. He holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and wrote The Transforming Fire (2010) and Days of the Fall (2017).
Summarized from the MEF bio of Jonathan Spyer, read October 4, 2026.
Writes on: Iran's proxies and militias; military affairs and strategy; Israeli politics and security; terrorism and counterterrorism; Syria; Iraq; Lebanon; Iran; Israel; Palestinian territories; Kurdish regions.
Topics are this site's tags, assigned from the subjects of Jonathan Spyer's bylined MEF pieces, the MEF bio and the topics MEF lists on its Speakers Bureau page.
MEF Work (548)
Bylined pieces published by the Middle East Forum, newest first, 2007 to 2026. Titles are quoted as MEF published them and link to the original on meforum.org.
Showing 548 of 548
2026 (57)
- Inside the Houthi Advance: How Iran’s Allies Are Helping Tighten Tehran’s Grip on the Red Sea
- The Kurds Rose as Syria and Iraq Collapsed; Now, Their Fortunes Are Reversing
- Trump’s Stalemate With Iran Looks Set to Limp On
- Hamas Is Playing for Time in Gaza
- The New Crescent: Mecca Pact Gives Rise to a Sunni Bloc, Posing New Challenges for Israel
- Lebanon Can Negotiate with Israel, But It Cannot Control Hezbollah
- As Defense Ties Deepen, Serbia Becomes One of Israel’s Closest Allies in Europe
- Iran's Grip on Its Arab Proxies Remains Powerful
- Israel’s Buffer-Zone Military Strategy
- At Beaufort Castle, the IDF’s 36th Division Prepares for Hezbollah’s Next Move
- Turkey’s ‘Strategic Triad’ Gains Sway in Trump’s Middle East Policy, Posing Challenges for Israel
- How Beirut Signed a Deal Legitimizing Israeli Military Presence on Lebanese Soil
- Can Israel Fend off Hezbollah Without Alienating America?
- Cold War Brewing in Syria as Druze, Kurds, and Alawites Resist Al-Sharaa’s Rule
- Anatomy of a Gamble
- Israel Must Bear the Brunt of Fighting Iran Alone
- Why the Emerging U.S.-Iran Deal Is Bad News for Israel
- Donald Trump, Iran and the Art of a Peace Deal
- To Bring Down Iran, America and Israel Must Change Tack
- Why Iran Is Escalating Against Israel to Protect Its ‘Resistance Axis’
- The Illusion of Change in Iraq: Baghdad’s Militia Shake-up Masks a Deeper Iranian Strategy
- Why Israel Will Struggle to Achieve Peace with Lebanon
- The October 7 Election: Israel Goes to the Polls
- Gig Economy Terrorism: Ashab Al-Yamin’s Rise Brings New Terror Threat to Europe
- The Road Ahead in the Middle East
- Trump Has a Choice to Make on Iran
- Inside the Vortex: Why Israel Keeps Getting Dragged Into the Lebanese Mud
- Inside Israel’s Buffer Zone in Lebanon Shielding Border Communities from Hezbollah
- In Lebanon, Israel Defense Forces Set Position in Ait a Shaab
- Israel Won’t Stop in Lebanon Until Hezbollah Is Crushed
- Iraq’s Militia State: Shelly Kittleson’s Kidnapping Exposes Who Runs Baghdad
- The Winners and Losers of the Iran Ceasefire Deal
- The Fate of the Iran War Lies in the Strait of Hormuz
- Break the Stalemate, or Iran Wins
- Why Israel Is Carving Out a Buffer Zone in Lebanon
- Will Iran Give Benjamin Netanyahu a Wartime Boost?
- Trump vs Islamic Republic: Who Controls the Escalation Ladder?
- In Iraq, Iran’s Proxy Militias Open a Third Front in War Against the US and Israel
- Why Israel Is Pushing Further Into Lebanon
- Israel, Iran, and Targeted Assassinations
- Beirut-Jerusalem Peace Talks Plans Rest on an Old Fiction: Lebanese Sovereignty
- Calculus for Israel Is Different: Jewish Nation’s Survival Depends on Reducing Iran’s Lethal Capacity
- Why the Islamic Republic May Survive This Campaign
- Will Kurdish Insurgents Help America in Iran?
- Even Khamenei’s Death Might Not Finish the Iranian Regime
- Syria’s Sunni Islamist Regime Consolidates Power, Ending Kurdish Autonomy
- Trump Must Help Iranians Bring Down the Islamic Regime
- As Syrian Forces Push Northeast, Kurds Mobilize Against New Jihadi Assault
- ISIS May Prosper From Syria’s Dangerous Turn
- The West Stays Silent as Its Kurdish Allies Face Attacks by Syria’s ‘Reformed’ Islamist Government
- Syria's Islamic State Camps Could Fall
- Iran's Islamic Republic Has Lost Legitimacy Across All Dimensions: Interview with an Iranian Kurdish Leader
- How America Could Help Bring Down Iran’s Islamist Regime
- Wars Within Wars: Yemen’s Battlefield Reveals Deeper Power Struggle Between Saudi Arabia, UAE
- All the Mullahs Have Left Is War on Their Own People
- It’s a Matter of When, Not If, Israel Steps up Its War on Hezbollah
- A Few Thoughts on the Alleged New World Order
2025 (66)
- Aleppo Clashes Reflect Deepening Deadlock Between Damascus and the SDF
- Why October 7 Didn’t Ignite the West Bank
- Iran-Backed Militias Reassert Power in Iraq, Proving the Islamic Axis Is Still Standing
- Israel Is Turning the Screws on Hezbollah
- ISIS Is Stirring Once More
- As IDF Holds Gaza’s Dividing Line, Hamas Reemerges from the Shadow of War
- Why Israel Fears Turkey’s Involvement in Gaza
- As Hezbollah Rearms and Lebanon’s Government Stalls, Israel Looks to Its North
- Will the Gaza Ceasefire Hold?
- The Mideast Cease-Fire Is Both a Defeat and a Victory for Islamists
- U.S. Backs Syria’s New Regime, but Risks Ignoring Sectarian Violence
- Journey’s End: Two Years of War in the Middle East
- Supporters of Palestine Action: Who Backs the U.K.’s Proscribed Anti-Israel Organization?
- Qatar: The Arsonist and Firefighter
- Is the War in Gaza Ending?
- What Israel Has Learned from Two Years of War
- Syria’s Fragile Peace: Will Sharaa Be Able to Keep Quiet in His Country?
- The Middle East’s Power Game: Nations Hedge Bets in Volatile, Shifting Landscape
- The Final Act of Israel’s War in Gaza Is Under Way
- Playing Arsonist and Firefighter: How the West Is Falling for Qatar’s Deadly Game
- Sweida’s Druze Defy Damascus in a Fight over Self-Determination, Their Fate in Syria
- Inside Yemen’s Endless War: Frontlines, Houthis, and the Battle for Bab El-Mandeb
- Israel Ends Qatar’s Immunity
- Uniquely Malevolent: Understanding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
- Hezbollah Defies Disarmament Push as Israel Maintains Border Buffer
- Iran Is Down, Not Out
- What Is the Aim of Israel’s Gaza City Operation?
- Sharaa's Islamist Army Fuels Syria's Descent into Sectarian Slaughter
- General of Yemen’s Anti-Houthi Forces: Iran’s Axis ‘Can Be Stopped Here'
- The Limits of Iran’s Proxy Strategy: How Soleimani’s Vision Failed in Recent Conflicts
- Israel Has Weakened Iran, but Not Destroyed It
- Iran Is Isolated Against the U.S. and Israel
- Only Regime Change Will Solve the Problem of Iran
- IRGC Alive and Well in Syria: Terror Proxies Could Flourish After Damascus
- Iran Is Too Weak to Wage a Ground War Against Israel
- Israel and Iran: A War 40 Years in the Making
- Israel’s War with Iran Is About to Truly Begin
- Why Hamas Won't Accept Witkoff's Gaza Ceasefire Offer
- Neo-Ottoman Power: Erdoğan Positions Turkey as Israel's Main Middle East Challenge
- The Capital Jewish Museum Murders: A Grim Milestone
- Israel on the Cusp of Finishing the War That Hamas Started
- How Islamist Militant Groups in Pakistan’s Foreign Policy Affected the Kashmir Conflict
- Israel’s Multi-Front War, and What Comes Next
- Escalate or Concede Defeat? U.S. Faces Dilemma over Houthis in Yemen
- Cutting off Hamas: 'Post' Visits IDF's 'Morag Corridor' in Gaza
- Iran Is Playing for Time in the U.S. Nuclear Talks
- Collision Course: Are Israel and Turkey Headed for Confrontation?
- Who Will Break First in War of Attrition, Israel or Hamas?
- In Its Attacks on Houthis, the United States Is Missing the Russian Connection
- No One Should Be Surprised About the Syrian Massacres
- What Does the PKK Ceasefire Declaration Mean for Turkey, Syria, and the Kurds?
- What Is Israel's Plan for Syria?
- ISIS Is Filling the Vacuum in Syria
- Is Israel Preparing to Strike Iran's Nuclear Sites?
- Netanyahu Stuck Between Trump Ultimatum and a Hard Place
- The Case for Ending the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire
- Syria Has a New Government, or Does It?
- Syrian-Kurdish Foreign Affairs Chief to 'Post': 'Syria's Security Needs Israel Involved', Interview
- Syria in Transition: A Photo-Essay
- Trump Has Exposed the Hypocrisy of Gaza's Allies
- Syria Feels Close to a Zone of Anarchy
- The Last Jews of Damascus: A Journey Through Memory and Ruins
- On the Road to Damascus: Battle for Peace Continues
- Hamas Has Exploited Israel’s Weaknesses
- As Iranian Power Recedes, Turkey and Its Sunni Allies Are Filling the Vacuum
- Israel’s War Efforts Made Great Strides in 2024, but Much Remains Ahead
2024 (73)
- Assessing Turkish Intentions After Assad’s Regime Fall
- We All Knew Syria Was Hell
- Winners and Losers: Who Will Benefit in Assad Regime’s Fall?
- What Al-Jolani’s Past Can Reveal About Syria’s Future
- How Assad Fell
- Assad Falls Thanks to a Weak Tehran
- The Fighting in Syria Is a Microcosm of the Middle East’s Dynamics
- Success for Syria's Rebels Is Far from Guaranteed
- Reasserting American Power in the Middle East: A Blueprint for the Trump Administration with Gregg Roman, Michael Rubin, Jim Hanson, Winfield Myers, Benjamin Baird, Sam Westrop, Eric Navarro, Dexter Van Zile, Alex Selsky
- Israel’s Ceasefire with Hezbollah Is a Terminal Blow to the Hopes of Hamas
- Israel Sends Iraqi Gov’t into Panic with Letter to U.N. Security Council
- A Ceasefire Deal Won't Finish Off Hezbollah
- Iran, Hezbollah Strongholds Make Syria a ‘Hunting Ground’ for Israel
- Turkey Seeks to Drive a Wedge Between Syrian Kurds and Their U.S. Allies
- The Long Roots of Iran’s Hatred for the Jewish State
- Israel and Iran Are Unlikely to Escalate War Against Each Other, For Now
- Israel Won’t Be Distracted by Ceasefire Talks
- In the Heart of Darkness
- How Yahya Sinwar Rose and Fell
- Where Does Lebanon Go from Here?
- Was Hamas’s Massacre the Middle East’s Franz Ferdinand Moment?
- A Yazidi Woman Is Liberated from Slavery in Gaza
- Israel Likely to Hit Back Hard Against Iran
- Why Hezbollah Miscalculated, and Israel Attacked
- Notes from a Long War: Israel One Year on from the October 7 Massacre
- How Will Iran Respond to Nasrallah’s Assassination?
- Farewell Baghdad? Iran Shifts to Consolidate Its Power in Iraq
- Can Israel Avoid Provoking All-Out War with Hezbollah?
- Exploding Pagers Signal Dilemmas for Both Hezbollah and Israel
- The World Turns a Blind Eye to Sudan
- The West’s Reluctance to Confront Iran and Its Proxies Fuels Further Aggression
- Israel Is Turning Its Sights on Hezbollah
- Israel Faces an Unenviable Dilemma on Gaza
- Israel's Hodeidah Strike Briefly Deterred Houthis
- Iran and Hezbollah Don't Want a War with Israel
- Netanyahu Won't Hand Hamas an Easy Victory
- In Jerusalem, We Wait for Tehran to Play Its Hand
- What Will Iran Do Next?
- Why Turkey's Erdoğan Threatened Israel with a Proxy War
- Here's How Israel Can Win
- The Reason Behind the Houthis and Shi'ite Militias Threatening Saudi Arabia
- Israel Is at a Crossroads; It Must Act Now or Risk Being Bled to Death by Its Enemies
- Tracking Iran's Weapons Route into the West Bank
- Netanyahu Must Make a Swift Decision on Hezbollah
- No Time to Fiddle as Hezbollah Burns Northern Israel
- Abdallah Aljamal: 'Prisoners' Rights' Activist Held, Abused Israeli Hostages
- It's Decision Time for Israel in the North as Hezbollah Escalates
- Will Netanyahu Declare War on Hezbollah?
- Pressure Is Piling on Netanyahu Over Rafah
- The Dispensable Statesman: What Impact Does Raisi's Death Have on Iran?
- 'Post' Takes a Look inside Hamas's Jabalya Tunnels That Hid Hostage Bodies
- Bibi's Plan for a Post-War Gaza
- Hamas Is Playing for Time
- U.S. Shows No Apparent Strategy to Counter Kataib Hezbollah's Attacks
- What Israel Should Do about Hezbollah
- Will Israel Continue Its Strikes on Iran?
- Iranian Regional Strategy Moves Forward While the West Sleeps
- Why Israel Must Hit Iran
- Iran's Attack Was Just a Taste of What Could Be to Come
- Attack Marks a Turning Point in the Long Campaign of Tehran's Leaders
- Iran's Four Options for Revenge against Israel
- While World Focuses on Gaza, Related Syria Conflict May Explode
- ISIS Has Implemented Their Rule of Terror: A Report from the Al-Hawl Camp in Syria
- A World without the Islamic Republic of Iran with Jim Hanson
- The U.K. Has an Islamist Problem
- Israel Must Preempt Hezbollah
- Tactics and Strategy in the War with Hezbollah
- The Situation in the West Bank: Joining an IDF Raid
- Who Killed the Three U.S. Soldiers at Tower 22?
- Biden's Iran Policy Has Backfired
- Hezbollah's Exposed Position Following IDF Bombardment
- The Long Fight to Disarm Hamas
- 'Closing the Circle': On the Ground with the IDF in Southern Gaza
2023 (46)
- Why Is the Gaza War Different?
- Three-Front Conflict in the Middle East
- Hezbollah Has Already Opened the Northern Front
- 'Slowly, Slowly,' the IDF Is Winning Its Gaza War on Hamas
- Iranian-Backed Houthis Intensify Provocations in the Red Sea
- Driving Out Darkness with the 36th Division in Shejaia
- Israel-Hamas War: How a Legendary IDF Commando Was Killed on October 7
- Iran's Controlled Escalation Against Israel, U.S.
- Israel's Gaza Offensive Progresses, but Obstacles, Competing Timetables Remain
- Why Are the Houthis Attacking Israel?
- Clock Ticks for Israel on Hostages, Hamas, and Diplomatic Grace
- Iran's "Controlled Insurgency" against the U.S. in Syria and Iraq
- Uncertain Future: Implications Of Israel's All-Out Assault On Gaza
- Arsonist and Firefighter: Understanding Qatar's Role in the Region
- Tehran Makes Its Moves on the Border of Israel Amid Gaza Standoff
- Political Islam Now Commands the Middle East
- Amid Israel's War with Hamas, the North May Be the Most Important Front
- October 7 and the War for the Middle East
- Obstacles Ahead: What Will the IDF Encounter as It Moves into Gaza?
- War in Israel: The First 72 Hours
- Shattered Illusions on the Gaza Border
- Ain Al-Hilweh Fighting Reflects Palestinian and Sunni Arab Weakness
- Syria: The Israeli Interest
- Biden Courts Iran as It Wages a Multifront War on the U.S.
- Druze Protests Expose the Assad Regime's Achilles' Heel
- U.S. Calls Out Turkey's Syrian Proxies for 'Extensive Human Rights Abuses.'
- Is Israel Willing to Strike Iranian Effort to Destabilize the North?
- Tsurkov Kidnapping Shows Who Really Runs Iraq
- Iran-Russia Alliance and U.S. Collide in Syria
- The Ukraine Counteroffensive and the Middle East
- Revolution in Iran: The State of Minorities, Uprising Against Tehran
- Erdoğan Wins Again in Turkey: What Does It Mean for the Middle East?
- Saudi-Iran Deal Tested in Yemen and Syria
- War Against ISIS and the Future of Syria: A Conversation with Sinam Mohamad
- Is Israel Facing the Iranian Threat on Its Own?
- Iran-Led Bloc Senses an Opportunity to Threaten Israeli Life
- Israel Faces a Two-Front Ramadan War with Hezbollah and Hamas
- Iran-Led Axis Takes Bold and Reckless Action -- Battle over Syrian Skies
- America Exchanges Fire with Iran's Syrian Deep State
- How Much Substance Is Behind Hezbollah, Palestinian Rhetoric on Israel?
- China's Role in Russia-Ukraine War Will Impact Middle East
- Israel-Sudan Agreement a Success for Abraham Accords, Setback for Iran
- Turkey's Twisted Anti-NATO Tango with Clifford Smith
- Iran's IRGC Is Under the Western Spotlight
- Key Factors Behind the Improvement in Israel-India Relations in Recent Years
- Iran, Syria, Palestinians: A Preview of 2023
2022 (30)
- Erdoğan Seeks Rapprochement with Assad, under Russian Auspices
- Iran Protests: Inside the Kurdish Uprising Against the Iranian Regime
- 'The Regime Will Lose Control': Interview with an Iranian Revolutionary
- 'The Fear Has Gone': Iranian Protestors in Iraq
- The Burgeoning Israel-India Strategic Alliance
- The IRGC Will Stop at Nothing to Punish Iranian Protesters
- Iran Protests Approach Inflection Point
- Is Turkey Backing a Former al-Qaeda Affiliate in Syria?
- Iranian Kurds Fear Regime's Threat of Incursion
- A Dangerous New Generation of Militants Is Rising in the West Bank
- Tehran Imports Arab Proxies to Fight Growing Protests
- Increased Air Activity over Syria: Why Now?
- In-Depth: The Significance of Revived Contacts between Damascus and Ankara
- The Iranian Hand Behind the Knife That Stabbed Salman Rushdie
- Sadrist Protests Against Iranian Influence: Iraq's Testing Moment
- Weirdly, Lebanon Signs Deal to Import Gas from Israel
- Israel Is Hedging Between Ankara and Athens
- The Latest Killings in Iran May Indicate a Notable Shift in Israeli Strategy
- Will Turkey Invade Northern Syria Again?
- First Lebanon War 1982: A Turning Point for Israel
- Israel's Shadow War With Iran Goes Nonnuclear
- Lebanese Leader Defies Hezbollah, but Is It Enough?
- Syria's Bashar Assad Sticks with His Friends in the Region
- Non-Western US Allies on Ukraine: It's a Problem, but not Our Problem
- Turkey's Secret Prisons in Syria
- Is the New Wave of Terror in Israel Part of a Return to Jihad?
- Putin Destroys the Rules-Based International Order
- Turkish Ethnic Cleansing Strategy in Syria Uses Israeli-Arab NGO
- Houthi Attacks on UAE are Iran's Response to Losses in Yemen
- Iranian Attacks in Iraq Reflect Weakness, Disarray
2021 (31)
- Did Turkey Use Chemical Weapons in Northern Iraq?
- It's Too Soon to Write the Obituary of the Anti-Iran Alliance in the Middle East
- Beijing's Belt and Road Buys Influence in the Middle East
- Who Bombed Iraq's Mustafa al-Kadhimi?
- Sudan Coup Follows Prevailing Arab World Trend
- Growing Relations between Turkey, Russia Are Concern for Israel
- Is There an Alliance between Iran and China?
- What Does the Deraa Surrender Mean for Iran and Russia in Syria?
- The Pakistani Angle on the Taliban Victory
- Iran Goes on the Offensive as the U.S. Retreats From Afghanistan and Elsewhere
- Does Killing of Iranian Dissident Foreshadow What Is to Come for Others?
- Unrest Grows in Iran, but Is the Regime in Danger?
- US Investigates Qatar over Claims that It Finances Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps with Benjamin Weinthal
- Lebanon is Dying a Slow Death
- Iran Digs Deep in Hollowed-Out Syria
- Strategic Incoherence Continued: US Policy Towards Syria Under Biden
- The Growing Threat Facing Israel from Iraq
- How Hamas' Assault Serves as Iran's Testing Ground
- How a Property Conflict in Jerusalem Ignited a War
- Why Hamas' Attempt to Start a Third Intifada Will Likely Fail
- Hatred and the Old City: A Letter from Jerusalem
- Turkey Creates a Humanitarian Catastrophe in Occupied Syria
- Yemen's Place in the Mideast Strategic Equation
- Russia in the Middle East: Great Ambitions, Meager Resources
- Who Bombed the Saudi Oil Storage Yard at Ras Tanura?
- Obscure Fighting in Yemen Has Vast Mideast Implications
- Turkey, Pakistan: Inside the Ankara-Islamabad Axis
- Israel Should Stay Wary of Turkey's Gifts
- Erdoğan's Private Armies with Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak
- Pompeo Designated Iranian Ally Houthis as Terrorists. How Effective?
- Biden Inherited Immense Leverage over Iran. Will He Use It?
2020 (40)
- Shia Militias Threaten US, Israel in Iraq
- Shifting Sands of Arab Alliances Tell a Tale of Two Israels
- The Genius of Israel's Foreign Policy: Mixing Normalization and Silent War
- How Was an Iranian Dissident Lured from France to His Execution?
- How Can Iran Retaliate against Israel for Fakhrizadeh's Assassination?
- What's Behind Iran's Terror Campaign in Europe?
- The Incendiaries: How Pakistan and Turkey Fan the Flames of Islamic Anger
- America Should Not Sell F-35 Fighter Planes to the Qatari Regime with Benjamin Weinthal
- Russia's Attempts to Move Closer to Egypt Are Made Possible by US Absence
- Israel Should Reject Syrian Peace Overtures
- U.S. Bans Me for Committing Journalism
- US Is Beefing Up Forces in Eastern Syria to Counter Russian Harassment
- Europe Out of the Loop in New Middle East
- I'm Banned from the US for 'Association with a Terrorist Organization'
- Local Alliances Remade as Regional Foes Flex Muscle
- Is Turkey Moving into Northern Lebanon?
- Following Beirut Blast, Hezbollah's 'Deep State' Investigates Itself
- Can Hezbollah and Israel Avoid War?
- Who Were the Entebbe Hijackers? The Full Story
- What's at Stake in Libya as Turkey and Egypt Face Off
- Turkey, Erdogan's Arc of Destabilization in the Middle East
- Trump's Syria Policy Is Working
- Sudden Annexation of the West Bank Not on Wary Netanyahu's Agenda
- Syria's Dictator Faces Renewed Challenges at All Levels
- An Emergent Nexus in the Islamic World
- Is the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Back from the Dead?
- Israel Lacks a Strategy in Syria
- Iran's Satraps in Lebanon Face Crisis
- ISIS Resurges in Syria, Iraq amid COVID-19 Pandemic
- Assessing the US Strategy in Iraq
- Why Israel's Anti-Netanyahu Coalition Fractured
- The Situation in Iraq: Policy Implications for the West
- Mullahs & COVID-19: Iran's Failing Response Reflects Regime's Priorities
- Don't Expect a Turkey-Russia War in Syria
- Israel's New Diplomatic Moment
- Iran, Hezbollah Stir Chaos in Syria's Southwest
- Do Syria-Turkey Clashes Presage a Wider Confrontation in the Middle East?
- First-Ever Hezbollah-Controlled Government Takes Over in Lebanon
- The Precarious Lull in Northeast Syria
- Iran Lacks Good Options
2019 (29)
- US-Iran Showdown Begins in Iraq
- Who Is Attacking American Troops in Iraq?
- Turkey's Burgeoning Nuclear Ambitions Raise Concerns
- The Fighting Continues in Northern Syria
- Revolt against Iran's 'System' in Iraq and Lebanon
- Rojava Sundown: A Retrospective
- Putin is the New King of Syria
- U.S. Pullout Is a Boon for Assad
- Iran Opens a Second Front along Israel's Border
- Islamist Archipelago: The Turkey-Qatar Nexus
- Saudi Arabia Is Losing Yemen to Iran
- The Iran-Israel War Is Here
- Why the UAE Is Hedging Its Bets with Iran
- No Peace, No War in the Gulf
- Turkey's Gas Wars
- Israeli Jets Appear to Have Struck Iraq for the First Time Since 1981
- The Syrian Sideshow
- Getting Iran Out of Syria Is No Easy Task
- Iraq's De-militiafication Is a Sham
- Evidence Grows that Iran is Stationing Missiles Directed at Israel
- Iran's Grip on Gaza and Israel's Dilemma
- Arab Spring: The Second Coming?
- Generals vs Islamists in Libya
- Syria's Civil War Is Now 3 Civil Wars
- Iran-Backed Militias Step Up the Battle in Iraq
- The Fall of the Caliphate
- How Tehran Plans to Control Syria
- A Cautious Alliance
- Will Turkey Invade Northeast Syria?
2018 (27)
- Betrayal on the Euphrates
- A New Order Emerges in Southern Syria as Assad Regains Control
- Turkey Shells Kobani and Tel Abyad in Eastern Syria. What Are Its Next Moves?
- The Return of ISIS
- Leveraging Murder for Political Ambition: The Turkish and Qatari Way
- Iran's Imploding Strategy
- Iraqis Protest Growing Iranian Influence in the Country
- Syrian War: Uneasy Calm in US-protected Kurdish Enclave
- Israel's Secret War Against Iran Is Widening
- Erdoğan's Dilemma
- On Developing a Coherent US Regional Strategy Towards Iran, and Iran's Likely Response
- The Future of Eastern Syria and the Israeli Interest
- Is Southern Syria Heading For 'Lebanonization'?
- Iran's Response: The 'Strategy Of Tension'
- Putin's Endgame in Syria Has Arrived
- Game on: The New Strategy of the US and its allies in the Middle East
- Whoever you vote for, Hezbollah Wins
- The Waiting Period
- The Great Distraction of Punitive Airstrikes
- Erdogan's Shadow Army
- The Sultan's Pleasure: Turkey Expands its Operations in Syria and Iraq
- What a Crown Prince Wants
- A Turning Point in the Kurdish-Western Alliance?
- Welcome to Syria 2.0
- Iraqi Kurdistan's Post-Referendum Isolation Boosts Iran
- Where Is the Latest Iranian 'Revolution' Headed?
- Beware Iran: The Current Middle East Lull Is Transient
2017 (24)
- Who Is Qais al-Khazali, and Why Should You Care?
- Jerusalem Deals in Reality
- Tehran Is Winning the War for Control of the Middle East
- Iran Completes Its Land Bridge to the Golan
- The Disastrous Results of the Iraqi Kurds' Referendum
- The Fall of Kirkuk: Made in Iran
- Turkey Plans Move to Box in Kurds in Northern Syria
- Israel Prepares for War in Syria against Iran
- 'Second Turkish Republic' Looks East for New Alliances
- Et le vainqueur en Syrie est... l'Iran
- And the Winner in Syria Is ... Iran
- Is Washington Ceding Syria to Russian Influence?
- A Match Made in History
- Israel and Hezbollah: The Battle before the Battle
- Will U.S. and Russian Forces Clash in Syria?
- US Strategy and Israel's Stake in Eastern Syria
- A Pro-American Arab Alliance that Fights?
- Why Eastern Syria is Essential to Containing Iran
- Syria Has Effectively Ceased to Exist
- Assad's Hollow Crown: A Journey through Regime-Held Syria
- Who Will Dominate Iraq and Syria after ISIS?
- Dispatch from Mosul
- The Battle for Mosul: A Frontline Report
- Only Washington Can Forge a Moderate Mideast Axis
2016 (25)
- After the Fall of Aleppo
- Iranian Kurds Join the Fight with Benjamin Weinthal
- Hezbollah vs. ISIS. vs. Israel
- Syria's Interlocking Conflicts
- Iran and Turkey Jostling for Power in Iraq
- Disunity as Kurds, Turks, Shia, and Sunnis Fight over Mosul
- What Follows the Defeat of ISIS in Mosul?
- What's Ankara Doing in Syria?
- Who Should Rule Syria?
- Israel's Virtual Security Zone in Syria
- U.S., European Elites Just Not Equipped to Deal with Islam's Insurgency
- Reflections on the Second Lebanon War, 10 Years On
- Islamic State Shifts Strategy
- Hezbollah Sinking in the Syrian Quagmire
- Islamic State Moves to Libya
- Ready for the Storm: Protecting Israel's Border with Syria
- War and Madness
- Will the Syrian Ceasefire Last?
- How Israel Navigated through the Hurricane of the Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Cauldron Boils Over
- Is Assad's Russian-backed Offensive a Game-changer in Syria?
- In Syria, Locals Take the Fight Back to Islamic State
- Eclipse of the Caliphate
- ISIS Is Not the Main Problem in the Middle East
- Teheran vs. Riyadh
2015 (40)
- Putin vs Erdogan
- The Kurds Can Defeat ISIS if We Provide Incentives
- Is It Iran's Middle East Now?
- Last Month, Hamas Murdered My Friend's Father
- Israel is Avoiding the Abyss, For Now
- Russian Intervention in Syria Isn't a 'Game Changer'
- Houthi Retreat in Yemen Shows the Limits of Iranian Power
- Russia in Syria: Putin Fills Strategic Vacuum in the Middle East
- Tehran's Servants: Iraq's Shia Militias Emerge as the Key Armed Force Facing Islamic State in Iraq
- Is Syria Becoming a 'Frozen Conflict'?
- The Bear Steps In: Russia's Expanding Military Presence in Syria
- Rival Peace Plans Won't Save Syria
- Erdogan's Bait and Switch in Northern Syria
- Dispatch from Iraq: the Stealth Iranian Takeover Becomes Clear
- Sunni Arabs: Iran Deal Opens the 'Gates of Evil'
- ISIS Surges in Sinai
- Dispatch from Iraq: The Ghosts of Old Baghdad
- Turkey's Syrian Kurdish Problem
- Dispatch from Iraq: Iran-Backed Militias Keep ISIS at Bay, for a Price
- Hizballah Deepens Its Involvement in Syria
- How Obama Lost Ramadi
- A Tremor in Iranian Kurdistan
- Assad Not Finished Yet
- The Saudi-Iranian Proxy War in Yemen
- Islamic State Comes to Damascus
- The Mideast Battle Lines Are Drawn
- Losing Ground in Iraq, ISIS Pushes Farther into Syria
- The Middle East: In the Shadow of the Gunmen
- A New Chapter in the Sunni-Shiite War
- The Kobani Precedent
- Heartbreaking Times for Syrian Kurdish Refugees
- Four Rival Factions Pick Over Syria's Bones
- Iran's Second Front Against Israel with Benjamin Weinthal
- The Iran Axis Strikes Back in Golan Region
- Islamic State Defeat in Kobani Will Be Hard to Replicate
- The Other Side of Autocracy: State Collapse in Yemen
- Game Not Over: Israel's Quneitra Attack in Context
- In Israel, Jewish Victims of Paris Terror Attack Find Peace
- Reflections on the Murders in Paris
- Qatar Seeks Reconciliation with Saudi-Egypt Axis
2014 (47)
- Islamic State Fighters are Moving Ever Closer Towards Israel
- Battle Lines Emerge in Israel's Election Campaign
- Iran and the Shia Militias Advance in Iraq with Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
- Sunni Political Islam: Engine of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Fear and Loathing in Jerusalem
- A Sunni Hezbollah?
- Iran-Backed Shia Rebels Push Forward in Yemen
- The Jihadi Connection between Sinai, Gaza and Islamic State
- The Shia-Sunni war Reaches Lebanon
- Did ISIS Use Chemical Weapons Against the Kurds in Kobani?
- ISIS: Can the West Win Without a Ground Game?
- Western Fear of Angering Turkey Leaves Besieged Kurdish Town at Mercy of Islamic State
- The Defense of Kobani
- The Guns of August
- At the Kurdistan Front
- Despite Setbacks, Islamic State Faces no Danger to its Existence
- The IS-Kurdish War
- Netanyahu's 'Long War' Doctrine
- Under Gaza's Shadow, Islamic State Advances
- Desperately Seeking Relevance
- The Fire This Time
- Fractured States
- Kurdish Advances
- Second Front Opens in the Sunni-Shia War
- An 'Islamic State' Is Born
- Disaster in the Levant: the Syrian Civil War in its Fourth Year
- A Most Discreet Israeli Intervention in Syria
- Syria's ISIS Crucifying Opponents, Justifying Horror with Quran Passages with Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
- Wars Within Wars
- Saudi Shuffle
- Islamic extremists fighting brutal war against Kurds in Syria
- Palestinian Magical Thinking
- Waging 'war by other means'
- Assad's Boasts
- The Peace Process is Dead. Let it lay in Peace
- War Across the Borders
- Israel-Syria border escalation
- With Iraq on the Brink, a New Sunni Insurgency Emerges
- Shifting Mideast Sands Reveal New Alliances
- Not quiet on the Northern Front with Benjamin Weinthal
- Kurdistan Emerges
- The End of the 'Wrong Side of History'
- Holding back al-Qaeda
- Salafi insurgency fermenting in northern Sinai
- Do 'Syria,' 'Iraq' and 'Lebanon' Still Exist?
- The Syrian peace process: An exercise in futility
- Confidence Game: Losing American Support, the Gulf States Scramble
2013 (11)
- Is the US changing sides in the regional conflict between Iran and its enemies?
- U.S. Blindspot Shows on the Iran Nuclear Deal
- Fear and loathing in Riyadh
- With Help From Tehran and Moscow, and Inaction by the U.S., Assad Is Poised To Stay
- After the Pax Americana
- Kurds defending autonomous 'Rojava' enclave in Syria
- Assad's North Korean Connection
- Egypt's Continuing Turmoil
- Sisi to Egyptian Islamists: surrender or die
- Quietly, Israel and the Gulf States Draw Closer Together
- Despite Nobel Prize, Full Removal of Syria's Chemical Weapons Unlikely
2007 (1)
- How UNRWA creates dependency with Asaf Romirowsky
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