Qifa Nabki
Syria
New ICG Report On Syria
I try to read everything pertaining to the Middle East published by the International Crisis Group, and wanted to alert QN readers to its latest report on Syria, published today. The executive summary is posted below. Download the full report as a PDF here. Update: Part 2 can be found here. Reshuffling the Cards? (I): … Continue reading
Syrians Unveil New Secret Weapon
The influential Middle Eastern politics blog, Syria Comment, has the scoop on a new development in the Syrian security apparatus that has “the potential to change the strategic balance of power in the region.” Here’s an excerpt: However, on the heels of the Der Spiegel article, new evidence has emerged from Syria suggesting that the … Continue reading
Egypt Selling Lebanon Down the Nile?
An astute reader of this blog sent me the following commentary, which speculates about the significance of several curious little signals coming out of Egypt. ** In a sudden cloud burst of optimism, the Cabinet Alert Level was raised to orange Monday evening, only to come crashing down on the rocks of further demands by … Continue reading
Syria, Turkey, and the Four Seas Strategy
Haaretz correspondent Yoav Stern has written an interesting article for Syria Comment called “Syria’s Four Seas Strategy“. It’s worth a read, but if you’re too busy to click over, here’s the executive summary. Turkey’s cancellation of a joint air force exercise with Israel last week is just the latest nail in the coffin of the … Continue reading
When Bashar Met Abdullah
The news is full of speculation about the potential consequences of yesterday’s meeting between King Abdullah al-Saud and President Bashar al-Assad. The Saudi king paid a landmark visit to Syria this week, commandeering two of Damascus’s largest hotels for his entourage, and sitting down with the Syrian president to discuss important matters such as the … Continue reading
Qifa Nabki 
And the people say…