http://www.rusi.org/ web@rusi.org en-us Copyright 2013 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C50FE8C438BBC3/ On the road to his inevitable re-election, Benjamin Netanyahu has pursued a policy that politically isolates Israel further and ends hopes for a two-state solution. It will be the Israeli Prime Minister, not the surrounding Arab states, who threaten the very existence of the state itself. 2013-01-22 13:01:16 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C50AF727536291/ Turkey’s grander regional ambitions have been thwarted by its alienation of important regional players. Now a more inward looking Turkey has adopted a supporting role as Erdogan positions himself for a run at the Turkish presidency. 2012-11-23 12:58:52 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C50AF6FF92537D/ The latest crisis between Israel and Palestine highlighted the utility of the Israel Defence Force’s Iron Dome system. It emphasises once again the importance of missile defence and has gained the attention of the United States. Still deemed as a key US priority, it sees cooperation with Israel as integral to developing future capabilities. 2012-11-23 12:49:02 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C50AF41C1EBDA7/ In the latest Gaza conflict, neither side has 'won'. The ceasefire as it stands does no more than restore a fraught status quo, one that will almost certainly crumble again in the absence of dramatic political shifts in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank. 2012-11-23 09:31:25 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C50AA5A67BE8FB/ The ongoing Operation Pillar of Defence is the latest manifestation of Israeli efforts to disarm Hamas of its supply of long range missiles and to demonstrate to Hamas’ leadership the strategic miscalculation of using force to pursue its objectives. 2012-11-19 16:14:19 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C50AA04DA9D064/ The engagement with Hamas and the subsequent escalation of force after Hamas’s response represents a strategic gamble by the Netanyahu government. While on the tactical level the operation has parallels with Operation Cast Lead, the wider strategic context has changed since 2009. 2012-11-19 10:12:08 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C50AA01A284FF6/ The regional strategic context stands in contrast to 2008-2009. The government in Cairo is now much more sensitive to popular sentiment, which has been enflamed by the violence. Egypt’s reaction to the conflict will be of keen interest to regional observers. 2012-11-19 09:54:23 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A5076DF72D3AC5/ The Arab uprisings have affected Israel's security environment, but rather than merely presenting challenges, they may also provide opportunities for the future 2012-10-11 16:04:47 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C50588504D9465/ The recent protests in the Middle East may have been sparked by the anti-Islamic film produced in the US, but Middle Eastern opinion has been shaped to a much larger degree by US foreign policy rather than its cinematography. 2012-09-18 15:30:07 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A5020023BE4BD5/ Brazil's activities in the Middle East are part of a wider quest to demonstrate itself to be a responsible global power – and earn a Security Council seat 2012-08-06 18:43:37 http://www.rusi.org/news/ref:N4FDEF8B9DCBFA/ His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan visited RUSI on Friday 15 June and led an off-the-record briefing on the latest developments in the Middle East. 2012-06-18 10:47:27 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4F3A3B78218D2/ The attacks against Israel diplomatic targets in India and Georgia may well usher in a new chapter in the covert war between Iran and Israel. The Jewish state may feel emboldened to retaliate decisively on an Iran that is becoming increasingly isolated in the Arab world. 2012-02-14 10:48:50 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4EEA41041E169/ If this year brought us an earthquake, then 2012 will be a year of aftershocks and transitions. Speculate as we might, we must still prepare for the predictable but watch for the surprises. 2011-12-15 18:56:54 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A4E8EE4F916C94/ Israel has little to gain by scuppering a Middle East nuclear meeting, and disarmament efforts much to lose 2011-10-07 12:39:38 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4E5F89C75A55E/ The expected veto of Palestine's request for statehood in September could spur impetus amongst Palestinians towards a third intifada, if not catalyse it. This potentially has serious implications for the United States and Israel who, in light of the Middle East's current volatile climate, may be better off accepting the imminent bid. 2011-09-01 14:47:06 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4E26B037138D6/ Since the fall of Mubarak, there has been much concern about the viability of the 30-year peace between Israel and Egypt. Egypt will certainly be a less pliable partner to Israel, but however threatened it may feel by its neighbour's changing social and political dynamics, the Jewish state need not panic about the peace treaty breaking. 2011-07-20 11:40:59 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4DDB6D8970D85/ For Israeli policymakers, President Obama's major Middle East speech on 19 May 2011 has been met with alarm. An American president has for the first time broken with the traditional US approach to Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. The end result may harden attitudes on both sides of the conflict. 2011-05-24 09:34:22 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4DDB6D8970D85/ For Israeli policymakers, President Obama's major Middle East speech on 19 May 2011 has been met with alarm. An American president has for the first time broken with the traditional US approach to Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. The end result may harden attitudes on both sides of the conflict. 2011-05-24 09:34:22 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4D9DDD0CAD725/ If all parties involved in the Israeli-Palestinian are to avoid bruised reputations and bloodied hands, they need to change their approach. Embracing co-operative solutions to communal problems would be a start. 2011-04-07 17:00:47 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4D4885BE2D208/ An assessesment of the impact the Egypt protests will have on the wider Middle East and how this will effect Western policy towards the region. 2011-02-01 22:14:49 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4CF8FCC3BDD1D/ Israel-Turkey relations have steadily deteriorated since the 2009 war in Gaza and have remained at an impasse since the flotilla incident. If Turkey wants to be a global player, both economically and diplomatically, it must become Israel's ally once again. 2010-12-03 14:44:14 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4CE3E15FF40BD/ Advocates of pre-emptive attacks on Iranian nuclear related facilities and/or regime change should recognise that the risks and costs of such an attack remain prohibitive. 2010-11-17 14:10:57 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4C4969109746B/ Boycotting Hamas is not a sustainable option for the international community. There are currently several factors which could persuade Hamas to play by international norms and the European Union is well placed to enforce this. 2010-07-23 11:16:06 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4C160A834CE8C/ Israel's use of force against the aid Flotilla has triggered increasing regional and international tension. As relations deteriorate, Israel must reconsider its defence policy if it is to avoid international conflict. 2010-06-14 11:56:17 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4C0921A698C37/ The Israeli attack on the so-called ‘Freedom Flotilla’ may well weaken President Obama’s stated intention to engage more actively with the Middle East Peace Process. While he is attacked domestically for not coming out more strongly in favour of Israel, in the Arab world, his position as an honest broker has been weakened. 2010-06-04 16:58:07 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A4B5ECB646C986/ Divisions between ‘Old’ and ‘New’ Europe about Israel are undermining the EU’s potential as an effective regional mediator in the peace process 2010-01-26 11:01:23 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:A4B28F530853A8/ Saudi Arabia pursues a dual strategy in the fight against terrorism. The West could learn from the security and rehabilitation programmes of the Kingdom 2009-12-16 14:58:39 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4AD6FC9F41077/ Speaking at RUSI's Qatar office on 12 October 2009, RUSI Council member and Shadow Security Minister Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones discussed the role the Middle East and the Gulf region could play in Britain's fight against terrorism over the next few years. 2009-10-15 11:52:26 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4AC61746EA3A7/ Barack Obama must dial up the diplomacy and provide more policy detail if he is to make progress on peace in the Middle East 2009-10-02 16:14:33 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C4A27FE9CA400C/ Obama’s Cairo speech has fulfilled the Obama administration’s determination to change in tone and substance the US dialogue with the Muslim world. It revealed an understanding of current political realities and the core beliefs of all parties. Through personal engagement he emphasised that violence should be rejected as a political tool. While Obama will have won credit to manage the challenges ahead, he must still show the moral authority to act in the face of criticism. 2009-06-04 18:06:44 http://www.rusi.org/news/ref:N4A26AB1E9B754/ His Excellency Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri gives an overview of Morocco’s position in international security 2009-06-03 17:58:09 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C49F6D4479F1E8/ Obama's presidency has been greeted with abundant goodwill in the Middle East and his rhetoric thus far has only bettered relations. Much depends on the concrete steps that will follow his fine words. 2009-04-28 11:08:43 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C497D9F21ECFCD/ However disheartening the current war in Gaza has been, it can become the catalyst for such productive peace negotiations that will lead to the two-state solution. The latest conflict in Gaza has demonstrated to both sides that war can no longer improve their position over each other substantially enough to justify the cost involved. 2009-01-26 11:34:51 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C496F1DC545E4B/ Hamas has repeatedly stated that it has an army of 20,000 men that are willing to defeat their ‘Zionist enemy’ regardless of the cost, echoing the rhetoric of the second intifada (2000-2005). However, there is a crucial difference between the Hamas of the second intifada and the Hamas we see in Gaza today. 2009-01-15 11:35:54 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C496C7AEB68B4A/ Israel’s actions in Gaza are designed to deal with more than the present challenge presented by Hamas – there are long term existential issues at stake. If Israel is to deter its neighbours from becoming involved in wars in the future, it must set back the strategic penetration of Iran and its radical axis. 2009-01-13 11:32:37 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C496B4E1762972/ The culture of resistance in the Arab world has become more uncompromising and more anti-European as a result of the attacks on Gaza and the round of international diplomacy that has followed it. Israel and its supporters have already suffered a major strategic defeat. 2009-01-12 14:06:01 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C495E44985A8AB/ The underlying logic to the current Israeli military response in Gaza is that Hamas can somehow be destroyed. Instead, the strategy will fuel support for Hamas and will feed the single narrative of suffering that sustains Al-Qa’ida and its global ideological affiliates. 2009-01-02 16:48:16 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C44E5877FD7759/ After a month long war, perhaps the most significant in the Middle East in its recent history, are we now witnessing a new regional order? 2006-08-18 10:38:44 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:P4214BC35CCFB9/ Aside from the threat of being attacked, this suggests that there are other reasons why Israel appears so concerned about the possible development of an Iranian nuclear warhead. 2005-02-17 15:45:57 http://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C41B5DFC5E0839/ Arafat is dead. Across the Arab world, the news was greeted with an outpouring of shock and mourning that dwarfed anything we have seen in the West since the generation of WWII leaders died. 2004-12-07 00:00:00 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f7b51370b/ 2004-06-18 12:23:44 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f766359eb/ 2004-06-18 12:23:41 http://www.rusi.org/publications/journal/ref:J40c1f74d1ac3f/ 2004-06-18 12:23:40 http://www.rusi.org/publications/newsbrief/ref:A47596C7CC224B/ Despite the prevailing pessimism, the chances of negotiations being restarted between Israel and the Palestinian authorities are in reality much improved. 2002-04-01 15:00:00