Morsi Versus the Military Council Despite the SCAF’s ever tightening grip on key Egyptian political institutions, President Mohammed Morsi still has room to lay the groundwork for democracy, writes Yezid Sayigh. Morsi needs to both challenge the SCAF and forge a working relationship with any new parliament in order to consolidate meaningful civilian authority. Egypt
In Iran, Anti-Semitic Outbursts Rise Under Ahmadinejad At a ceremony marking the International Day against Drug Abuse in Tehran this week, Iranian vice president Mohammad Reza Rahimi delivered an unprecedented, public anti-Semitic tirade, writes Meir Javedanfar. The comments broke with the Islamic Republic's usual practice, which demonizes Zionists while purporting to respect the Jewish religion. Iran
Saudi Professor Faces Charges After Fighting for Free Speech What are the limits of open dissent in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? They are often unclear and seemingly arbitrary, writes Thomas W. Lippman, but there is no doubt that Dr. Mohammad al-Qahtani went well beyond them. He had predicted it, and in the context of Saudi Arabia, he was asking for it. Saudi Arabia
Rights Defenders Uneasy About West Bank Wall Disparity On the tenth anniverary of the the Israeli West Bank wall, both the United Nations and the leading Israeli rights NGO B'Tselem, estimate that once completed, only 15% of the barrier will actually be on the Green Line while 85% will encroach into the West Bank. Listen to Al-Monitor’s interview with B'Tselem spokeswoman Sarit Michaeli. Palestine
Former Turkish Official: Assad Fall May Lead to Chaos in Syria Yasar Yakis, Turkey's Former Foreign Minister, said the situation between Turkey and Syria could get worse if Assad falls because chaos will hit Syria first and Turkey second, in an interview with Al-Monitor's Barbara Slavin. He went so far as to say that the Syrian shoot-down of a Turkish plane could could lead to more communication. Syria
Dozens Defect From Syrian Army, But Impact Is Limited The ranks of defectors from the Syrian army who streamed into southern Turkey recently included a brigadier general, two colonels and two majors. While these are dramatic developments, writes Rania Abouzeid, they may not have much of an effect on the larger battle since the rebel ranks suffer from fissures in their own structure. Syria
Extradition of Libyan PM is a Distraction From Deeper Crisis The Tunisian government's cloak-and-dagger extradition of Libya's former prime minister may have caused a political maelstrom in Tunisia, writes Mustafa Fetouri, but he will be just another prisoner held without charges or a chance for a fair trial in Libya. To add to the chaos, another bomb went off in Tripoli's busiest street Tuesday. Libya
US Hardens Stance In Iran Nuclear Talks Iran was prepared to discuss halting 20% enrichment in Moscow, but refused other conditions that could have meant an end to the nuclear standoff. Laura Rozen and Barbara Slavin write that the western members of the P5+1 insisted that Iran meet all the conditions in their proposal, which may indicate that the US has hardened its position. Israel
Lack of Progress on Iran Is No Cause for Panic World leaders shouldn’t be all that concerned about the possibility of a war with Iran, writes Aaron David Miller. Both the Obama administration and the mullahs share a common objective: to prevent an Israeli strike. The fact is that nobody — not the Israelis, the Iranians nor the Americans — wants a war or a deal right now. Egypt
NATO Backs Turkey But Mute on Response Over Downed Plane NATO ambassadors expressed strong solidarity with Turkey over Syria’s downing of a Turkish military reconnaissance plane last week, writes Laura Rozen. But the military alliance remained notably quiet on the looming question of what further action it may be willing to contemplate. Syria
Rising Iraqi Oil Output Greases Iran Sanctions Iraq’s once-battered oil sector is further eclipsing production in Iran, relieving pressure on world oil markets and facilitating the imposition of draconian new sanctions on Iran. While Iranian officials say they are ready for the sanctions, writes Barabara Slavin, American experts wonder if the assurances are exaggerated. Iraq
How the Syrian Opposition Can Court the Kurds Replacing its previous leader with a Kurdish academic is a good step towards co-opting the Kurds into the Syrian National Council, writes Denise Natali. But Kurdish nationalists will need assurances like Kurdish-language schools and parliamentary committees, otherwise, they will likely remain a thorn in the side of opposition politics. Syria
Lebanon Should Stop Spectating and Join the Arab Spring Instead of wholeheartedly embracing and riding the wave of the Arab Spring, Lebanon turned into a spectator, writes Bilal Y. Saab. Many Lebanese claim there is no battle to fight in Lebanon, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The reality is that the system is rotten and sectarianism is preventing the country from prosperity. Lebanon
Egypt: Moving Forward Despite the cheers in Tahrir square, Egypt's new president, Mohamed Morsi, finds himself surrounded by increasingly hostile state institutions, while many of his countrymen fear for their nation now that an Islamist leader has come to power. Bassem Sabry writes that Morsi and other Egyptians must move quickly to overcome the many challenges facing Egypt. Egypt
Syrian Downing of Turkish Plane Adds to Strain on Both Regimes Tulin Daloglu writes that Turkey and Syria will not go to war because of a downed Turkish warplane, but that this is not the first time Turkey has lost citizens to its neighbors’ actions. The AKP government's attempts to maintain stability in its relationship with Tehran threaten Turkish credibility as the number of incidents with Iran also rises. Syria
Despite Gloomy Forecasts, Turnout Rose in Egypt Runoff Though bloggers had called for sitting out the runoff to protest the poor choice of candidates, and pundits predicted a low voter turnout, Egyptians disagreed, turning out in even greater numbers than they did in the first round of voting, Ahmed Nawar reports. One possible reason: voters found themselves presented with a much clearer choice. Egypt
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