MIDDLE EAST STUDIES

Dr. Moshe Terdiman
(Director of Green Compass Research & expert on Islam in Africa, the Caribbean Basin, Islamic social issues and the environmental policy in the Middle East)

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As a result of climate change and global warming, the Middle East and North Africa, including the Sahel, face five main environmental security challenges: water security, food security, energy security, land degradation, and desertification. Combined with huge population growth and other political, economic and social stresses, the impacts of climate change and global warming may exacerbate existent issues and, thus, undermine the survival of longstanding regimes all over the region and cause the breakout of conflicts within several countries, such as Syria, Sudan, and Mali.

Dr.  Alobeid Aref
(Εxpert in Middle East Affairs)

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The Syrian crisis is approaching two years and the reality is tragic as the deaths have exceeded fifty thousand officially but unofficially the number is much bigger, tens of thousands have been arrested and thousands missing, the injured cannot be counted because they do not dare to go to hospitals because of the regime's reprisals. Today, violations of human rights, torture, rape, extortion, bombings and the lack of essential goods are the everyday life of the Syrian citizens.

Dr Glen Segell
(FRGS, is Researcher at The Institute for National Security Studies Tel Aviv and Lecturer at Bar-Ilan University)

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This year, 2013 marks 40 years since the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and her neighboring states. It was the last major Arab-Israel inter-state war in the Middle East that was symmetrical between the conflicting states. Since then there have been numerous asymmetrical military operations by Israel into Lebanon, and even more military operations involving the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Interspersed have been two Palestinian Intifada (uprisings) and substantial counter-insurgency, anti-terrorist and anti-weapons of mass destruction strikes. These have included the 1976 rescue of hostages at Entebbe Airport, and the 1981 destruction of the Iraqi nuclear reactor under construction. Despite this large accolade of military successes and political stalemates, it is the 1973 Yom Kippur War that dominates history as Israel's military nightmare in intelligence failures as well as standing out as the start of her political dream of a peace-treaty with a Muslim country, Egypt. .....  Read more

Professor Anis H. Bajrektarevic
(Geopolitics of Energy Editorial Member, Chairperson for Intl. Law & Global Pol. Studies
& University of Applied Sciences in Krems, Austria)

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There is a claim currently circulating the EU, both cynical and misleading: ‘multiculturalism is dead in Europe’. No wonder, as the conglomerate of nation-states/EU has silently handed over one of its most important debates – that of European identity – to the wing-parties, recently followed by the several selective and contra-productive foreign policy actions. Europe’s domestic cohesion, its fundamental realignment as well as the overall public standing and credibility within its strategic neighborhood lies in the reinvigoration of its everything but institutions transformative powers – stipulated in the Barcelona process of the European Neighborhood Policy as well as in the Euro-Med partnership (OSCE)....  Read more  

Aya Burweila
(RIEAS Senior Analyst)

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On October 23, 2011, only a few days after the sodomization and subsequent execution of Gaddafi,  NTC chairman Mustapha al-Jalil declared the country ‘liberated.’ In the very same breath, he also promised that Sharia law would now be "the basic source of legislation, and so any law which contradicts Islamic principles is void" while previous "legislation putting restrictions on polygamy is contradictory to Islamic legislation and so is annulled." .....  Read more

Zhyldyz Oskonbaeva
(RIEAS Senior Advisor & Eurasian Liaison)

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Power - defined as access to national assets and possession of territorial integrity has to be always ensured by someone. It is always ready to be guarded by force if needed and by the civil order of the people in order to perpetuate it. Whether it is purely religious, political dogma or indoctrination, all facets of society have to be uniquely harmonized in order to be effective. The unity of ruling power often assures this either through ethnical, religious, professional, even tribal congeniality or their combination.  Even the most narcissistic ruler needs close allies in the military corps and intelligence so he will not lose this power. Although there are too many historical examples where kings or dictators were assassinated by those entrusted with their safety, it is still expected for those ruling within an elite minority to retain this unity.  In return, the safety of one assures the rise of the other within the clique, at least professionally. With the rise of one of their own to the top, patronage dictates that a brother, cousin, member of the tribe or even sect will benefit as well.... Read more