Six men, vetted by religious leadership, are in the running, but only half are considered to be serious contenders
Middle East
Forget PRISM: Global Cyberchiefs Say They Need to Pry Even Further
The exposure of the PRISM data-collection program might not fall squarely under the heading of the third annual International Cyber Security Conference, which concluded on Wednesday at Tel Aviv University. The secret …
Iran Election: Reformers Gain Momentum in Final Days of Campaign
With three days of campaigning left, Iran’s presidential election suddenly gets interesting
How Standing Tough on Syria Helps Putin at Home
Have a look at Vladimir Putin’s day planner over the past month, and you could be forgiven for thinking the Russian President has become the most powerful man in the world. Since the start of May, a parade of political giants …
Would Syria’s Assad Even Want to Use Chemical Weapons?
With Western leaders weighing whether to intervene in the Syrian war with a Libya-style bombing campaign or by arming the Syrian rebels with heavy weaponry, it would seem logical that President Bashar Assad would try to avoid …
The Fall of al-Qusayr: Capture of Strategic Syrian Town Marks a New Phase in the War
The battle of al-Qusayr carries significance beyond its position as a crucial crossroads and battered symbol of the staying power of Syrian President Bashar Assad
Syria’s Air-Defense Arsenal: The Russian Missiles Keeping Assad in Power
Boasting about one’s weaponry is nothing unusual in war, where there’s little way of confirming the veracity of the claim. In that, Syrian President Bashar Assad was following a long tradition of wartime leaders, when he told …
The Syrian Chessboard: Behind the Game Played by Russia, Israel, the U.S. and Other Powers
The umbrella group representing Syria’s rebellion on the world stage announced on Thursday that they would not attend peace talks proposed to take place in Geneva during June, a flat rejection that might appear to sideline the …
Arming Syria’s Rebellion: How Libyan Weapons and Know-How Reach Anti-Assad Fighters
The beefy Libyan revolutionary field commander turned politician rose from the beige couch to greet his new Syrian guest, who pulled up a chair to join the two other Syrian men seated in a semicircle around the couch in the café …
Kerry Promotes $4 Billion Investment Plan to Boost the Palestinian Economy
In search of the leverage to reopen the deadlocked Israel-Palestinian peace process, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived over the weekend at the lowest point on earth
Influential Palestinians Say It’s Time for a One-State Solution
It will be 20 years ago this September that Israeli and Palestinian leaders reached a historic Declaration of Principles, the forerunner to the Oslo Accords, which were intended to lead to a permanent peace deal between Israel …
The Shadow War Behind Syria’s Rebellion: Foreign Backers Jockey for Influence in Turkey
While the diplomatic grouping known as the Friends of Syria met in the Jordanian capital Amman on Wednesday to discuss a U.S.-Russian plan for peace talks, a low-key yet perhaps equally important gathering was being quietly held …
The Battle for Qusayr: What Victory in Syria’s Latest Front Means for the War
Fighting continued for a fifth straight day in the strategic Syrian city of Qusayr, as opposition forces fighting the regime of President Bashar Assad sought desperately to maintain their slipping grip in a battle that could …