As former top State Department intelligence specialist Wayne White points out for Lobe Log, in the absence of a tenable ceasefire agreement, the quagmire that is the Syrian civil war will likely intensify, thereby only worsening post-Assad scenarios. “The bottom line is that a… Continue Reading
The vote in the United Nations General Assembly on the Palestinian application for non-member status is a foregone conclusion. They’re going to win and it’s not really going to matter much, at least in the short term. Nonetheless, the decidedly warped… Continue Reading
From the London Review of Books: But the price of war is higher for Israel than it was during Cast Lead, and its room for manoeuvre more limited, because the Jewish state’s only real ally, the American government, has to… Continue Reading
Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator, provides seven takeaways from the Gaza ceasefire in the Daily Beast. From Number 5, “Denying Palestinian political realities just got (much, much) harder”: Let’s keep this short. Hamas-run Gaza in the midst of… Continue Reading
Mark Perry — who recently explained that the “chance for calm” has been assassinated by Israel in the past — on the current potential for a ceasefire (via CNN’s transcript): MARK PERRY, MIDDLE EAST EXPERT: I would have said six hours ago if you had… Continue Reading