Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.
By Middle East Policy
Full-text analyses and book reviews covering issues from energy and innovation to civil war and security are available to everyone, even without subscription, until November.
Middle East Policy is excited to announce that all Fall 2023 articles are now available to everyone, including those without a subscription or access through a subscribing institution! This publication, the 157th of the journal’s 40-year history, covers a wide range of topics, from conflict in Israel and Palestine to the development of green energy production and innovation across the Mediterranean to the outbreaks and outcomes of civil wars.
The free-to-read window will close October 31, 2023.
Middle East Policy is consistently rated among the top publications covering Middle Eastern & Islamic studies. Since 1982, the quarterly journal has provided policymakers and the public with credible, comprehensive analyses of political, economic, and cultural issues pertaining to US-Middle East relations. We combat disinformation by publishing high-quality research by top scholars and public officials.
This article analyzes the General Staff’s bid to change the way the armed forces fight and to redefine battlefield victory.
The evolution of nonstate, irregular threats like Hamas and Hezbollah, the potential of facing multiple fronts, and experience with asymmetric warfare is driving the transformation.
Decisive Victory focuses on achieving a quick end to a potential conflict with the use of overwhelming force to destroy enemy capabilities. It requires a restructuring of military leadership.
The European Parliament member argues that the continent has been inconsistent in its support for Palestinians: The EU and member states have consistently called for a two-state solution, but are not willing to sacrifice increasing trade and cooperation with Israel.
She castigates Israel for blocking outside observers, including the EU delegation on Palestine, from entering the occupied territories.
O’Sullivan contends that actions like cutting research funding and cooperation, civil-society boycotts, and bans on weapons sales could force policy changes in Israel.
This article examines the three recent wars (2008, 2012, and 2014) between Israel and Hamas to understand whether either side can claim victories on tactical, operational, strategic, or systemic levels.
The analysis reveals that the conflicts have yielded only the strategic status quo:
Hamas, though it claims that survival is a strategic victory, has not been able to overcome Israel’s military superiority and effect systemic change, including Islamic rule and more governing autonomy.
Israel is not willing to pay the cost of eliminating Hamas in Gaza and taking responsibility for two million Palestinians living there.
This article evaluates the potential for a partnership between the EU and Morocco, arguing that the kingdom’s ability to produce green hydrogen pairs well with Europe’s drive for new energy sources.
Morocco’s production advantages include lower costs, close proximity to Europe, and a history of energy cooperation with the continent.
Many obstacles remain, as previous investments in clean energy have fallen short of their goals or failed altogether.
While scholars focus on R&D in Western powerhouses like the United States and Europe, cases in Israel, Turkey, and Cyprus demonstrate that innovation is possible at the local and regional levels.
Regional hubs like Israel’s Silicon Wadi take advantage of relationships across firms—as well as with global hubs like Silicon Valley—to allow knowledge to be created and used more quickly.
The authors argue that cooperation between these subnational systems could be valuable in reducing conflict in the region, where new discoveries of energy resources have stoked tensions.
After more than a decade, the Arab League has recognized the durability of the Assad regime and readmitted Damascus.
This article traces the process of normalization, arguing that a weak opposition to the regime coupled with regional concerns about Iran’s influence inspired states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE to rebuild ties.
However, challenges remain: Syria still faces territorial fragmentation, and Assad may not deliver on demands like cutting ties with Tehran.
Yavuz argues that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has built and perpetuated his power by capitalizing on polarization.
Turkey is characterized by a division between its “conservative, Islamo-Turkish sector and the secular-Western citizenry.” Erdoğan has sought to exploit that divide, especially by using the media to exacerbate grievances.
The article contends that the country suffers from “deep-rooted moral bankruptcy,” which no single election can change.
Russia’s 2022 invasion presented nations of the South Caucasus and Central Asia with a dilemma: Maintain ties with Russia and face backlash from the West, or turn away and face potential retaliation from Moscow.
Russia, weakened by sanctions, has turned to these former Soviet states to buoy its economy.
These countries are experiencing significant economic growth due to the war, but ironically now rely more on Moscow as its power wanes.
This article follows the paramilitary group’s rise from a militia offshoot to the most powerful faction in the country as it capitalized on corruption and cronyism in the armed forces to become a key power broker.
D’Agoôt calls for the African Union to take the lead in forging a coalition across ideological camps and help build the goodwill of neighboring states.
This article contends that UN missions since 1948 have been ineffective in bringing about solutions to the conflicts in which they intervene.
Peacekeepers are not given the resources necessary to reward or punish warring factions, limiting their effectiveness.
Jett argues that the international community must threaten consequences, including withholding humanitarian assistance, for actions that threaten peace and stability.
Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.
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By Middle East Policy
Full-text analyses and book reviews covering issues from energy and innovation to civil war and security are available to everyone, even without subscription, until November.
Middle East Policy is excited to announce that all Fall 2023 articles are now available to everyone, including those without a subscription or access through a subscribing institution! This publication, the 157th of the journal’s 40-year history, covers a wide range of topics, from conflict in Israel and Palestine to the development of green energy production and innovation across the Mediterranean to the outbreaks and outcomes of civil wars.
The free-to-read window will close October 31, 2023.
Middle East Policy is consistently rated among the top publications covering Middle Eastern & Islamic studies. Since 1982, the quarterly journal has provided policymakers and the public with credible, comprehensive analyses of political, economic, and cultural issues pertaining to US-Middle East relations. We combat disinformation by publishing high-quality research by top scholars and public officials.
To read the latest issue of Middle East Policy, please use this link through October 31: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14754967/2023/30/3.
Here is a look at the articles included in the Fall 2023 issue:
SECURITY IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
‘Decisive Victory’ and Israel’s Quest for a New Military Strategy, by Jean-Loup Samaan
This article analyzes the General Staff’s bid to change the way the armed forces fight and to redefine battlefield victory.
The evolution of nonstate, irregular threats like Hamas and Hezbollah, the potential of facing multiple fronts, and experience with asymmetric warfare is driving the transformation.
Decisive Victory focuses on achieving a quick end to a potential conflict with the use of overwhelming force to destroy enemy capabilities. It requires a restructuring of military leadership.
The EU and Justice in Palestine: An Interview with Grace O’Sullivan, by Roger Gaess
The European Parliament member argues that the continent has been inconsistent in its support for Palestinians: The EU and member states have consistently called for a two-state solution, but are not willing to sacrifice increasing trade and cooperation with Israel.
She castigates Israel for blocking outside observers, including the EU delegation on Palestine, from entering the occupied territories.
O’Sullivan contends that actions like cutting research funding and cooperation, civil-society boycotts, and bans on weapons sales could force policy changes in Israel.
The Winner Does Not Take All: Lessons from the Israel-Hamas Conflict, by Gadi Hitman and Alona Itskovich
This article examines the three recent wars (2008, 2012, and 2014) between Israel and Hamas to understand whether either side can claim victories on tactical, operational, strategic, or systemic levels.
The analysis reveals that the conflicts have yielded only the strategic status quo:
Hamas, though it claims that survival is a strategic victory, has not been able to overcome Israel’s military superiority and effect systemic change, including Islamic rule and more governing autonomy.
Israel is not willing to pay the cost of eliminating Hamas in Gaza and taking responsibility for two million Palestinians living there.
DEVELOPING GREEN POWER AND HIGH TECH
Hydrogen: Fueling EU-Morocco Energy Cooperation? by Friedrich Plank, Britta Daum, Johannes Muntschick, Michèle Knodt, Christian Hasse, Ingrid Ott, and Arne Niemann
This article evaluates the potential for a partnership between the EU and Morocco, arguing that the kingdom’s ability to produce green hydrogen pairs well with Europe’s drive for new energy sources.
Morocco’s production advantages include lower costs, close proximity to Europe, and a history of energy cooperation with the continent.
Many obstacles remain, as previous investments in clean energy have fallen short of their goals or failed altogether.
From Silicon Valley to the Levant: Innovation in the Eastern Mediterranean, by Ioannis N. Grigoriadis and Olgu Dervişler
While scholars focus on R&D in Western powerhouses like the United States and Europe, cases in Israel, Turkey, and Cyprus demonstrate that innovation is possible at the local and regional levels.
Regional hubs like Israel’s Silicon Wadi take advantage of relationships across firms—as well as with global hubs like Silicon Valley—to allow knowledge to be created and used more quickly.
The authors argue that cooperation between these subnational systems could be valuable in reducing conflict in the region, where new discoveries of energy resources have stoked tensions.
REASSERTING THE REGIMES
What Drove Syria Back into the Arab Fold? by Saban Kardas and Bulent Aras
After more than a decade, the Arab League has recognized the durability of the Assad regime and readmitted Damascus.
This article traces the process of normalization, arguing that a weak opposition to the regime coupled with regional concerns about Iran’s influence inspired states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE to rebuild ties.
However, challenges remain: Syria still faces territorial fragmentation, and Assad may not deliver on demands like cutting ties with Tehran.
A Torn Country: Erdoğan’s Turkey and the Elections of 2023, by M. Hakan Yavuz
Yavuz argues that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has built and perpetuated his power by capitalizing on polarization.
Turkey is characterized by a division between its “conservative, Islamo-Turkish sector and the secular-Western citizenry.” Erdoğan has sought to exploit that divide, especially by using the media to exacerbate grievances.
The article contends that the country suffers from “deep-rooted moral bankruptcy,” which no single election can change.
REGIONAL CONFLICTS AND THEIR EFFECTS
The War in Ukraine: Risks and Opportunities for the ‘Post-Soviet South’, by Emil A. Souleimanov and Yury Fedorov
Russia’s 2022 invasion presented nations of the South Caucasus and Central Asia with a dilemma: Maintain ties with Russia and face backlash from the West, or turn away and face potential retaliation from Moscow.
Russia, weakened by sanctions, has turned to these former Soviet states to buoy its economy.
These countries are experiencing significant economic growth due to the war, but ironically now rely more on Moscow as its power wanes.
How the Rise of the Rapid Support Forces Sparked Sudan’s Meteoric Descent, by Majak D’Agoôt
This article follows the paramilitary group’s rise from a militia offshoot to the most powerful faction in the country as it capitalized on corruption and cronyism in the armed forces to become a key power broker.
D’Agoôt calls for the African Union to take the lead in forging a coalition across ideological camps and help build the goodwill of neighboring states.
Why Peacekeeping Does Not Promote Peace, by Dennis Jett
This article contends that UN missions since 1948 have been ineffective in bringing about solutions to the conflicts in which they intervene.
Peacekeepers are not given the resources necessary to reward or punish warring factions, limiting their effectiveness.
Jett argues that the international community must threaten consequences, including withholding humanitarian assistance, for actions that threaten peace and stability.
BOOK REVIEWS
Searching for Peace: A Memoir of Israel, by Ehud Olmert; review essay by Jerome Slater.
The British and the Turks: A History of Animosity, 1893–1923, by Justin McCarthy; reviewed by Jeremy Salt.
Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison, by Ahmet T. Kuru; reviewed by Ramazan Kılınç.