A Champion of Non-violence on Palestine's Tactics As hundreds of Palestinians jailed in Israel go on hunger strike to mark "Prisoners' Day" on April 17, Al-Monitor talks to Mustafa Barghouti, an MP, the leader of Al-Mubadara and a long-time advocate of civil resistance about the effectiveness of the non-violent movement. Are boycotts working? Will Hamas renounce the armed struggle? And is a two-state solution possible? Palestine
Are the Iran Nuclear Talks Finally Headed in the Right Direction? Six world powers emerged from the first talks with Iran in over a year on a positive note. Officials agreed to hold another meeting in Baghdad May 23, where they hope to devise a concrete plan to address Iran's advancing nuclear program. Iran also held bilateral meetings with Russia, China and the EU's Foreign Policy Chief, but declined to meet one-on-one with American diplomats. Turkey
Iran Picks Awkward Time to Escalate Gulf Tensions With his provocative visit to the contested island Abu Musa, Ahmadinejad has demonstrated that even after seven years he is still a political novice. United Arab Emirates
Prominent Publisher Kassem Calls Egypt's Pres. Candidates 'Amateurish' An interview with Egyptian journalist and analyst Hisham Kassem on Egypt’s troubled political scene. Kassem spoke to Al-Monitor's Sophie Claudet about the candidacies of former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and the two Muslim Brotherhood nominees, and about the implications of the constituent assembly's suspension. Egypt
How Turkey Beats Iran on Energy Iran may be an oil and gas giant, but it has failed to play much of an official role in Iraq’s energy industry because its companies are technically and financially weak. Turkey, on the other hand, is emerging as a tough, strategic competitor. Business
A Fine Balance: Can Barzani Help Syrian Kurds? Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, stopped short of a more active role in regime change in Syria recently, reflecting the complexities of the Iraqi Kurdish leadership’s predicament in managing the pressures — and opportunities — of dealing with both Baghdad and Ankara, while trying to assist Kurds in Syria. Turkey
New Institute in Saudi Arabia Seeks Deeper Knowledge of US Shocked by Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti's statement that the churches in the Gulf should be destroyed, Christians are turning to Fahad Alhomoudi and his Western Studies Institute, recently created “to bridge Saudi Arabia and the Arab world with the United States and Western world in areas of mutual interest.” Caryle Murphy reports. Saudi Arabia
Iran: Romney's Foreign Policy Ace? New polls suggest Obama would win the national security debate against presidential hopeful Mitt Romney if elections were held today. While Afghanistan and Iraq are likely winners for the president and losers for Romney, Iran is still a toss up—and may prove to be the international issue that provokes the most consequential debate of the presidential campaign. Iran
Enrichment Freeze at Fordow Key to Progress in Iran Nuclear Talks The West’s current goal in dealing with Iran is not to resolve the crisis but to manage it by preventing the development of Iranian nuclear weapons. The best way to reassure the P5+1 that Iran cannot “dash to a bomb” is by freezing its stockpile of 20% enriched uranium, especially at the well-protected Fordow facility. Barbara Slavin reports. Iran
Can Turkey Avoid War? Syria’s firing on refugees in Turkey this week is increasing pressure on the Turkish government to take military action before more fighting spills across the border, but that may only make a bad situation worse. So far, the Turkish government has only responded with words, as it adamantly tries to avoid getting bogged down in a crisis potentially rife with ethnic and sectarian complexities. Syria
Has US Forgotten Lessons Of its First War With Iran? America has already fought one war with Iran, writes Bruce Riedel, and we should remember the lessons we learned from it. We can expect to be blamed for anything that goes wrong. Iran will not be easily intimidated by America, and ending a conflict is harder than starting one. Finally, we should be careful to weigh even close allies' advice. Iran
US Returning to Security Council To Protect Syrians, Says Burns Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns is deeply engaged on Middle Eastern issues, in particular the challenges and opportunities of the Arab Spring. In an interview with Al-Monitor's Barbara Slavin, Burns called the Egyptian Revolution "a moment of opportunity." Syria
Is it Finally Time for Dialogue Between the US and Hamas? This week’s [April 2-6, 2012] visit to Washington by Islamist political parties shows dramatically changed US-Arab relations, but Hamas is still unwelcome. Its continued shunning is counter-productive, writes Khaled Elgindy. Palestinian reconciliation would increase prospects for peace. Originals
Mideast Leaders Visit US, Seek Support and Understanding US influence on a rapidly changing Middle East is questionable. Nevertheless, several politicians from the region visited Washington this week in hopes of attracting support for their causes, showing that regional figures still care about US opinion and find embarking on such charm offensives worthwhile. Barbara Slavin reports. Iraq
With Much at Stake, GCC Wants to Participate in Iran Negotiations The Middle East has been left out of the P5+1's negotiations with Iran, and the GCC states want in. At a conference on nuclear non-proliferation in the Gulf, participants raised concerns of double standards for Iran and Israel. Gulf states view military action against Iran as a last resort, but also see the Iranian threat as a global one. Anne Penketh reports. Gulf
Syrian Opposition Must Prove It Can Handle Foreign Funds In the aftermath of its latest meeting with international supporters, the opposition Syrian National Council faces a crucial test: whether it can spend millions of dollars in foreign aid efficiently and without corruption. Syria
