United States Will Pay a Heavy Price for the Gaza Flotilla Incident
Asserting its need to be secure from future terrorism launched from Gaza, Israel used force last week to maintain a blockade that has been creating a humanitarian cataclysm for the people of Gaza. In the early days following the attack on the aid flotilla, the Israeli military interpretation of events dominated much of the popular media coverage in the United States. Gradually, though, attention shifted to the incident’s negative impact on Israel’s international standing and the security implications of continued international and regional uproar.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host journalist and author Nicholas Blanford. With fears running high of a fresh war between Hezbollah and Israel, Blanford will discuss the prospects of a second encounter between these two enemies. He will examine the military developments undertaken by Hezbollah and Israel since the July 2006 conflict and analyze how the next war might be fought on the ground. Blanford will also explore the political implications of such a conflict on the region.
Lebanon and Syria: The Challenge of an Evolving Relationship
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Andrew Tabler and Mona Yacoubian for a discussion about the current state of Lebanese-Syrian relations. Bitterly strained by the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Lebanese-Syrian relations started to mend following French mediation leading to the exchange of ambassadors between Beirut and Damascus in 2009. Prime Minister Saad Hariri's visit to Damascus at the end of 2009 marked yet another phase in this evolving relationship.
Turkey and the Middle East: Ambitions and Constraints
Hugh Pope, Turkey/Cyprus Project Director for the International Crisis Group (ICG), discussed the issue of recent speculation regarding Turkey’s “shift away from the West.”
Turkey and Israel: What Lies Behind the Recent Volte Face
In recent months, the Israeli-Turkish relationship, strong and stable during the 1990s, has been placed under severe pressure. Tensions began in January 2009 when Israel launched military operations in Gaza, later prompting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to walk out of a televised debate with Israeli President Shimon Peres following a heated exchange over the issue.
This Commentary first appeared as an op-ed on BitterLemons-International.org, October 22, 2009
Syria could not be more ecstatic at the row that has recently developed between Turkey and Israel. Turkey, once among Israel's staunchest allies, now sees eye-to-eye with Syria regarding the difficulties in dealing with Israel and Israel's abusive treatment of Palestinians.
Bilateral relations between Turkey and Iran have been marked by relative peace and stability for the past four centuries. Since the founding of the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923 and the creation of an absolutist monarchy in Iran in 1925, the ruling regimes of both countries have sought to consolidate their domestic power and to pursue an independent foreign policy. Neither Turkey nor Iran has viewed one another as an immediate threat to the attainment of these vital objectives.
