MidEast Brief

However, I still have a hard time buying the idea, floated among some observers, that Ahmadinejad is actually in total control now, and that Khamene'i is merely his puppet.

Mapping the Arabic Blogosphere

Bruce Etling, John Kelly, Rob Faris, John Palfrey

Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society - June, 2009

The one political issue that clearly concerns bloggers across the Arab world is Palestine, and in particular the situation in Gaza (Israel's December 2008/January 2009 military action occurred during the study). Other popular topics include religion (more in personal than political terms) and human rights (more common than criticism of western culture and values). Terrorism and the US are not major topics. When discussing terrorism, Arab bloggers are overwhelmingly critical of terrorists. When the US is discussed, it is nearly always critically.

Tehran, June 2009

Kaveh Ehsani, Arang Keshavarzian and Norma Claire Moruzzi

MERIP Middle East Report - June, 2009

The stakes are nothing less than these: Should the protesters persevere, the limited traditions of political and civil rights and citizen participation in the Islamic Republic may be considerably strengthened. Should Ahmadinejad and his supporters prevail instead, the political system in Iran may lose all remaining meaningful traits of a republic.

Geoffrey Aronson

Foundation for Middle East Peace - June, 2009

Settlement evacuation, not a freeze, is a more credible and necessary objective, more closely attuned to the essential long-term interests of both parties and firmly rooted in past Israeli practice, most recently in Gaza. Placing a freeze at the center of a U.S. diplomatic effort that calls for confidence-building measures from all parties invites failure, and risks eroding the credibility of a much-anticipated U.S. effort to end the conflict.

Democracy Promotion in the Middle East: Restoring Credibility

Marina Ottaway

Carnegie Endowment - June, 2009

U.S. democracy promotion efforts in the Middle East should focus on realistic political reform goals that correspond both to regional realities and the limited degree of actual U.S. influence.

Book Review: Divided Iran on the Eve

Malise Ruthven

NY Review of Books - June, 2009

Saddam's use of chemical weapons turned the tide of war, and it was the trauma of this event that underpins Iran's policy of developing a nuclear capability.

An Artist as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran?

Shiva Balaghi

MERIP Middle East Report - June, 2009

Though he was a member of the Cultural Revolution's council, which hardly bodes well for those invested in artistic and intellectual freedoms, he has by some accounts taken a very passive role in recent years. Certainly, his fiery denunciations of Ahmadinejad suggest there will be a break from the status quo.

Changing the Discourse: First Step toward Changing the Policy?

Phyllis Bennis

Foreign Policy in Focus - June, 2009

The shift in discourse, away from justifying reckless imperial hubris, unilateralism, and militarism, and toward a more cooperative and potentially even internationalist approach was potent. The actual policy shifts were much smaller.

How Not to Support Democracy in the Middle East

Stephen Zunes

Foreign Policy in Focus - June, 2009

President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo to the Muslim world marked a welcome departure from the Bush administration's confrontational approach. Yet many Arabs and Muslims have expressed frustration that he failed to use this opportunity to call on the autocratic Saudi and Egyptian leaders with whom he had visited on his Middle Eastern trip to end their repression and open up their corrupt and tightly controlled political systems.

Lebanon's Elections: Avoiding a New Cycle of Confrontation

International Crisis Group - June, 2009

Old Wine in Older Skins: Lebanon Elects Another Parliament

Heiko Wimmen

MERIP - June, 2009

Assessment of Restrictions on Palestinian Water Sector Development

World Bank - April, 2009

10 Comments on Obama in Cairo: Still Accumulating, Not Expending Capital

Daniel Levy

Prospects for Peace - June, 2009

U.S.-Iranian Engagement: The View from Tehran

International Crisis Group - June, 2009