CENTRE for MEDITERRANEAN, MIDDLE EAST & ISLAMIC STUDIES

  • Ελληνικά
  • English
  • Home
  • About us
    • CEMMIS
    • The team
  • Publications
    • Middle East Flashpoints
    • Middle East Bulletin
    • Policy Papers
    • Points of view
    • Book Reviews
    • Interviews
    • Kurdish Report
    • Turkey Report
    • Society and Culture Review
    • CRPME Reports
  • Resources
  • Multimedia
  • Events
  • Announcements
  • Contact

  • Middle East Flashpoints
  • Middle East Bulletin
  • Policy Papers
  • Points of view
  • Book Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Kurdish Report
  • Turkey Report
  • Society and Culture Review
  • CRPME Reports

Subscribe

captcha 

*Please note that articles are written either in Greek or in English and are not translated.

*CEMMIS collects personal information for the sole purpose of informing the newsletter subscribers about new publications. You may unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time.

  • Home
  • Publications

Middle East Flashpoints

 

Middle East Flashpoint was introduced in October 2008, in an effort to provide an up-to-date analysis of current developments in the Middle East and the Islamic World.

Thursday, 24 December 2015 02:00

Oman’s succession crisis

Written by Aliki Sofianou
Qaboos bin Said al Said is the absolute monarch of the Sultanate of Oman reigning the small Gulf state for more than forty years. Most recent rumor has it that Qaboos has been suffering from terminal cancer and thus a succession speculation crisis has been looming for some time. Oman holds one of the most bizarre ways of passing down the reign. The crisis that may occur in the royal family, as well as in the Majlis al Shura (local parliament), might exacerbate the already obscure—according to economic estimations and figures—future of the citizens of the heretofore powerful Sultanate.  
Read more...
Friday, 04 December 2015 02:00

Palestine: Back to the first Intifada?

Written by Giannis Liakos
Nowadays, the Palestinian protests are mainly another reaction to the long-standing oppressive Israeli policies implemented against the Palestinian people. Although one cannot tell yet, whether this unrest will evolve into a third Intifada, several similarities to the first Intifada (1987-1993) are being noticed, as well as some differences. Specifically, the similarities are the Israeli government coalition’s synthesis and its objectives on the eve of the revolts: namely, the economic circumstances of the Israeli economy and its influence on Palestine, due to the interconnection of the two economies; the social, educational and economic status of the Palestinian youth and its role in the revolts; and finally, the stance of the Palestinian leadership. As for the differences, the most noteworthy is the Israeli settlers’ influence on the policy making and its execution.
Read more...
Friday, 27 November 2015 02:00

Afghanistan, Back to the forefront: The Taliban, al Qaeda and the difficult neighbor

Written by Iris Pappa
While the United States revise their troop withdrawal plans from Afghanistan, the future of the country remains precarious. Violence still flourishes on the ground, the Afghan government seems unstable in contrast with the Taliban movement which looks stronger than ever, and, at the same time, al Qaeda tries to rebuild its presence in the region by opening the way for young Islamic extremists to join. In the meantime, thousands of Afghan refugees leave their country and enter Europe, while others, living in Pakistan, are being forced to return to their homeland.
Read more...
Friday, 13 November 2015 02:00

Nuclear Deal 101: Domestic and Regional Changes

Written by Charitini Petrodaskalaki
The successful negotiations of the Nuclear Deal are strengthening the Iranian government domestically and are repairing the country’s reputation internationally. The forthcoming removal of sanctions is aspiring to bring economic prosperity in the country, even if this benefits Iranian elites rather than the wider population. The overcoming of distrust between Iran and the West might lead to wider negotiations on other issues in the future, especially the resolution of the Syrian Crisis and the countering of ISIS, although it is unlikely that Iran will abandon its traditional allies in the Middle East, such as Bashar al-Assad.
Read more...
Wednesday, 04 November 2015 02:00

Tough and Demanding Times: How the Syrian crisis affects Jordan

Written by Costas Faropoulos
The Syrian war has been affecting Jordan directly and indirectly for the past few years. The refugee crisis and the rise of jihadism in the region has challenged both its political system and its social cohesion. The inability to cope with the constantly growing needs of the refugee population, along with the simmering political unrest, is threatening the social cohesion of the country, while the rise of Salafism poses a threat to the stability of the regime. The way with which the state reacts to these challenges will shape Jordan’s future for the next years to come.
Read more...
Tuesday, 27 October 2015 02:00

The MENA Foreign Policy of Egypt under Sisi

Written by Evangelos Diamantopoulos
The rise of chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in power signaled some major strategic shifts in Egyptian foreign affairs. The main goals which dictate the current government’s foreign policy are domestic stability and regime survival. These targets are best served by Sisi’s anti-Islamist and pro-status quo approach in an era of growing anti-terrorism concerns across the region. In general, Sisi wants to portray his regime to the world and his people as a safe, moderate and reliable island of stability in the midst of turmoil.
Read more...
Wednesday, 06 May 2015 03:00

The U.S. in the Middle East: Exercising Patience in an Impatient Environment

Written by Spyros Katsoulas
The 2015 National Security Strategy states that the United States will face world’s complex challenges with “strategic patience”. As the United States has been stepping back from the Middle East and pivoting to the Far East, the current article examines how the doctrine of strategic patience is exercised in practice, and presents the risks that this policy is running through.
Read more...
Wednesday, 08 April 2015 03:00

Boko Haram or: how I learned to stop worrying and love the Islamic State

Written by Stavros Drakoularakos
Boko Haram famously came to the forefront in 2009 with a string of attacks in Northern and Central Nigeria. At its early beginnings in 2002, it was merely identified as a Sunni religious anti-western movement attempting to fill the void left by the progressive parties of Nigeria. However, successive Nigerian administrations, through a series of misguided political decisions, eventually turned the movement into an insurgent, radical and brutally violent group that would demand the spotlight in the African continent for the better part of the 21st century. Often regarded as sub-Sahara’s greatest security threat, the name “Boko Haram” translates as “forbidden book” or “western education is a sin” in the Hausa language, and represents the will to reject any and all “westernization” of Nigerian society and culture.
Read more...
Thursday, 02 April 2015 03:00

Contested Spaces: the Saudi response to Yemen’s escalating crisis

Written by Spyros-Vlad Oikonomou
Saudi Arabia and the Middle East have yet again attracted the globe’s attention, as the ongoing crisis in nearby Yemen, which has virtually left it ungoverned and its population in despair, seems to be evolving into an all-our war. 
Read more...
Monday, 09 March 2015 02:00

Hezbollah’s shifting paradigm: From resistance movement to regional military power

Written by Costas Faropoulos
Hezbollah’s growth in the past years has been evident on many levels. It is the dominant political force in Lebanon and has been using its growing confidence to spread its influence beyond Lebanese borders. Hezbollah has been assisting Shiite movements across the region, and has taken an active role in the Syrian civil war on the side of Bashar al-Assad, shaping developments on the ground. The increasing importance of non-state actors, like Hezbollah and the al-Nusra Front in the shaping of the reality on the ground cannot be ignored. Regional politics are transforming and the Middle East follows suit. 
Read more...
  • Prev
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • Next
  • End
Page 8 of 15
  • logo with shadow

The Centre for Mediterranean, Middle East & Islamic Studies posts a multitude of positions in the context of free academic debate. These do not necessarily reflect the positions of the CEMMIS. The use and reproduction of the multimedia material displayed in the CEMMIS website has non-profit character and serves academic and educational purposes, with full respect to copyright and intellectual property laws, and in accordance with the Greek Laws 2121/1993 and 2557/1997.

Copyright © Copyright © 2016-17 CEMMIS 2025 All rights reserved. Custom Design by Youjoomla.com