For Canada, jumping aboard the sinking American ship in the Middle East is shortsighted. Perhaps worst of all, though, it runs roughshod over what many Canadians perceive to be our collective interest. 87% of respondents polled by the CBC with regards to the Palestinian non-member observer status vote declared that Canada should not vote against the Palestinian Authority resolution ... Read More »
In watching the calamitous events of the Syrian civil war unfold before my very eyes, I am starkly reminded of the horrors of the Bosnian War which claimed an estimated 110,000 lives, according to the UN Prosecutor’s Office at the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. While it is impossible to draw precise parallels between Bosnia and Syria due ... Read More »
Mark your calendars for March 11 at 3pm—Dr. Jonathan Rynhold, specialist in Israeli diplomacy, US-Israel relations, and Middle East-Far East relations, is flying in from Bar-Ilan University in Israel to speak to Glendon about recent events. Come in for great discussion and a chance to ask your questions. This event will be followed by a reception for students and ... Read More »
2013 will be an auspicious year for elections in the Middle East. On Tuesday, January 22, Israelis head to the polls in a snap parliamentary election to in all likelihood re-elect Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, with the only real change being the composition of his ruling coalition. A day later, on January 23, Jordanians hold their own parliamentary elections, ... Read More »
In the entirety of its complexity, the Middle East finds itself at the centre of the world’s attention. It is discouraging to see the conversation surrounding the topic here on campus become reduced to such a meaningless perpetuation of falsities, simply stemming from a lack of balanced perspective, hidden behind the haze of media bias. With a multitude of ... Read More »
Going strong for nearly two years now, the changes wrought by the Arab Spring on the Middle East and beyond continue to reshape the region’s geopolitical landscape in wholly unpredictable ways. Just over a year ago, nobody could have predicted that Arab autocrats in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen would be ousted, while several more struggle to survive. The ... Read More »
Operation Pillar of Defence (November 2012) represents the most serious military confrontation between Israel and its Arab neighbours since Operation Cast Lead (December 2008 – January 2009). Coincidentally, just like Cast Lead, Pillar of Defence also took place in the Gaza Strip and also pitted Israel’s Defence Forces against militant Palestinian factions led by Hamas and their armed wing, ... Read More »
Author’s Note: This is the third and final part of a mini-series on the Iranian nuclear program. Part one discussed contemporary U.S.-Iranian relations and steps that the U.S. has taken in attempt to halt the Iranian nuclear program. Part two focused on Iran’s national interest in persisting with nuclear enrichment despite international condemnation. From here, some observations can be made ... Read More »
The tides are turning, the sun is setting, the sands are shifting – whatever expression describes it best, the reality is that the Middle East as a geopolitical and sociological theatre of action is undergoing its most profound transformations in generations. These transformations are distinguishable because of their universalizing features, crossing what were previously rigidly demarcated national boundaries and ... Read More »
Author’s Note: This is the second post of a three-part mini-series. Part one gives a background of the Iran-West nuclear conundrum, while part three will situate the Iranian nuclear program within the scope of current international relations. Most discussions on the Iranian nuclear program articulate U.S. and Israeli interests in halting Iran’s nuclear enrichment, but what are Tehran’s interests in ... Read More »
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