Copyright 1980-2009 Daniel Pipes Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:25:07 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Columns by Daniel Pipes on Militant Islam, the Middle East, and U.S. foreign policy. http://www.danielpipes.org MeqMef@aol.com (Daniel Pipes) webmaster@danielpipes.org en-us Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6422/american-boldness-in-iran Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST In a striking coincidence, two very different expressions of Iranian dissent took place exactly simultaneously on two continents on Saturday, June 20. Between them, the Islamic Republic of Iran faces an unprecedented challenge. In a vast exhibition hall just north of Paris on June 20, about 20,000 people attended an event organized by the largest and best organized Iranian opposition group, the Mujahedeen-e Khalq (or the People's Mujahedeen of Iran). Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6406/middle-eastern-cold-war Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST A cold war is "the key to understanding the Middle East in the 21st century." So argue Yigal Carmon and three of his colleagues at the Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI) in a recent study, "An Escalating Regional Cold War." Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (left) with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah in Mecca in December 2005. They have identified a major confrontation that the media has somehow missed – and which is the more important for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's just having been re- Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6389/rapid-and-harsh-turn-against-israel Thu, 4 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST The much-anticipated meeting between Barack Obama and Binyamin Netanyahu on May 18 went off smoothly, if a bit tensely, as predicted. Everyone was on best behavior and the event excited so little attention that the New York Times reported it on page 12. As expected, however, the gloves came off immediately thereafter, with a series of tough American demands, especially U.S. Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6365/obama-netanyahu-meet Mon, 18 May 2009 09:00:00 EST The meeting on May 18 of two newly elected leaders, Barack Obama and Binyamin Netanyahu, raises a basic question about U.S.-Israel relations: Will this long-standing alliance survive its 62nd year? Here are three reasons to expect a break from business-as-usual: (1) Many areas of difference exist – the Iranian nuclear build-up, relations with Syria, Israeli adherence to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and Jews living on the West Bank – but the "two-state solution" Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6364/caught-on-tape-middle-east-culture-of-cruelty Fri, 15 May 2009 09:00:00 EST Some of the bravest and most distinguished analysts from the Middle East emphasize that region's culture of cruelty. Kanan Makiya titled his 1994 book about Arabs Cruelty and Silence. Fouad Ajami writes about Beirut being "lost to a new reign of cruelty," about Iraq's "plunder and cruelty and sectarian animus," and about the region's "cruelty, waste, and confusion." Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Bassam Nabulsi. Issa shooting around Shah Poor. Issa stuffing sand down Shah Poor's mouth. Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6346/standing-with-steven-j-rosen Tue, 5 May 2009 09:00:00 EST Unquestionably, hiring Steven J. Rosen to become part of the Middle East Forum was the most difficult decision since I founded the organization in 1994. Steven J. Rosen (left) and Keith Weissman. On the one hand, this 23-year-veteran of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, where he served as director of foreign policy issues, offered an unparalleled opportunity to give the Forum a presence in Washington policy-making circles where we hitherto had been absent. Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6295/limits-of-terrorism Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST Does terrorism work, meaning, does it achieve its perpetrators' objectives? With terror attacks having become a routine and nearly daily occurrence, especially in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, the conventional wisdom holds that terrorism works very well. For example, the late Ehud Sprinzak of the Hebrew University ascribed the prevalence of suicide terrorism to its "gruesome effectiveness." Robert Pape of the University of Chicago argues that suicide terrorism is growing " Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6269/does-turkey-still-belong-in-nato Mon, 6 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST Smack on its 60th anniversary, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization finds itself facing a completely novel problem – that of radical Islam, as represented by the Republic of Turkey, within its own ranks. Ankara joined NATO in 1951 and shortly after Turkish forces fought valiantly with the allies in Korea. Turks stood tough against the Soviet Union for decades. Following the United States, Turkey has the second-largest number of troops in the alliance. Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6258/avigdor-liebermans-brilliant-debut Thu, 2 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST Avigdor Lieberman became foreign minister of Israel yesterday. He celebrated his inauguration with a maiden speech that news reports indicate left his listeners grimacing, squirming, and aghast. The BBC, for example, informs us that his words prompted "his predecessor Tzipi Livni to interrupt and diplomats to shift uncomfortably." Avigdor Lieberman yesterday. Too bad for them – the speech leaves me elated. Here are some of the topics Lieberman covered in his 1,100-word stem-winder: Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6257/arabs-israelis-and-underdogs Wed, 1 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST "Who, a century back, would have imagined Jews making the better soldiers and Arabs the better publicists?" I asked back in 2005. A foremost example of the Arabs' p.r. prowess lies in their ability to transform the map of the Arab-Israeli conflict. In the early decades, maps of the Arab-Israeli conflict showed Israel in a vast Middle East, a presence so small, one practically needed a magnifying glass to locate it. Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6244/palestinians-who-helped-create-israel Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST Palestinians have so loudly and for so long (nearly a century) rejected Zionism that Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini, Yasir Arafat, and Hamas may appear to command unanimous Palestinian support. But no: polling research finds that a substantial minority of Palestinians, about 20 percent, is ready to live side-by-side with a sovereign Jewish state. Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6225/netanyahu-as-prime-minister-deja-vu Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST Forgotten by many, Binyamin Netanyahu (r) signed the Wye River Accord with Yasir Arafat (l) in October 1998. With Binyamin Netanyahu, head of the Likud Party, about to become Israel's next prime minister, one wonders whether he will stick to his more controversial campaign promises – not that of confronting the Iranian threat, which is widely backed, but such as ending Hamas control of Gaza or keeping the Golan Heights. Two indicators suggest what may lie ahead: Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6215/the-voice-of-america-silenced-on-radical-islam Fri, 6 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST For the past year, there's been a concerted push within the U.S. government to ban frank talk about the nature of the Islamist enemy. It began with the Department of Homeland Security, then moved to the National Counter Terrorism Center and the departments of State and Defense. Already in May 2008, I heard an excellent analysis of the enemy by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Thomas Mahnken in which he bizarrely never once mentioned Islam or jihad. Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6204/surreal-gaza-reconstruction-conference Tue, 3 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST Was I the only one rubbing my eyes in disbelief yesterday, as the Egyptian government hosted an "International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Economy for the Reconstruction of Gaza"? Husni Mubarak of Egypt addresses the Gaza donors' conference. It took place in Sharm El-Sheikh, attended by delegations from 71 states, plus 16 regional, international, and financial organizations. Its stated goal was to raise US$2.8 billion, of which $1. Daniel Pipes http://www.danielpipes.org/6190/dubais-dramatic-drop Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST As the Muslim world settled into ever-deeper decline over the past decade, mired in political extremism, religious sickness, economic irrelevance, WMD, anarchy, dictatorship, and civil wars, Dubai stood out as a happy anomaly. Burj Al Arab claims to be the world's only 7-star hotel.