Middle East in Focus: From the Arab Spring to the Gulf Crisis
Vol. 16 No. 3 - Fall 2017

From the Desk of the EditorThursday, December 14, 2017
This issue of TPQ takes up a myriad of issues that the Middle East is grappling with today: from protracted conflicts and the increasing complexity of proxy wars, to changing regional blocs and emerging powers. The Arab uprisings of 2011 remain an...

• Süreya Martha Köprülü

Palestinian Realities and the Peace ImperativeThursday, December 14, 2017
What is your greatest concern today vis-a-vis the Palestinian question? One thing that really worries me is the possible end of the two-state solution and the lack of any other alternatives. This is primarily because of Israeli policies –...

• Hanan Ashrawi

The Trump Administration and Global SecurityThursday, December 14, 2017
In many respects, the Trump administration is the most unique American government since 1932 – both on a domestic and foreign policy level.  In the domestic sphere, a president is at best “first among equals;” under the US...

• James F. Jeffrey

The Arab Spring Seven Years On: Failure or Just the Beginning?Thursday, December 14, 2017
When Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi announced the creation of the Islamic State on 29 June 2014 in Mosul, it came as a shock to every observer of the Arab world. Experts failed to predict this major event, just like they failed to foresee the coming of the...

• Koert Debeuf

Turkey’s Forays into the Middle EastThursday, December 14, 2017
Once oriented mainly toward Europe and no more than a (wary) bystander in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Turkey became one of the region’s aspiring heavyweights in just over a decade. The country is bound to the neighborhood through...

• Dimitar Bechev
• Joost Hiltermann

EU-GCC Relations and the Risk of IrrelevanceThursday, December 14, 2017
Important changes have been ongoing in the broader Middle Eastern region since the 1980s with the first Gulf War (1980-88), the invasion of Kuwait by the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein (1990-91), the 2003 US-led invasion to topple the Iraqi dictator...

• Silvia Colombo

The GGC Crisis: Regional Realignment or Paralysis?Thursday, December 14, 2017
The current crisis in the Gulf began on 23 May 2017, when the Qatar News Agency was hacked – allegedly orchestrated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) using hackers based in Russia – and a news story was posted that cited comments...

• Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

The Gulf Crisis and a Pariah’s Fling with IslamismThursday, December 14, 2017
On 5 June 2017, state news agencies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt published stories accusing Qatar of financing terror and interfering in the internal affairs of its neighbors. As a result, the quartet took it...

• Ola Salem

Islamist Actors After the 2011 Arab UprisingsThursday, December 14, 2017
The Arab Spring engulfed most of the Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) starting in 2011. After first erupting in Tunisia, the social uprisings spread to most of the Arab countries. Although the uprisings particularly resonated...

• Nur Köprülü

Iran’s Post-ISIS Regional StrategyThursday, December 14, 2017
In a book titled, Letter of the Fish, by Gul-Ali Babayi, slain Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander Major General Hussein Hamadani explains the pretexts behind the Iranian decision to intervene in Syria. Hamadani says: “The Supreme...

• Ali Hashem

Syria at a Crossroads: “A Peace to End All Peace”?Thursday, December 14, 2017
The intensity of fighting between the Syrian regime forces and both moderate and Islamic opposition factions has diminished thanks to the ceasefire agreements in several geographical areas. This has derived from the Astana peace process sponsored by...

• Ibrahim Hamidi

What Would a US Withdrawal from the Iran Deal Mean for the Regional Order?Thursday, December 14, 2017
For many months, US President Donald Trump and his advisers have been trying to formally withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the...

• Saeid Jafari

Cyber Defense at NATO: From Wales to Warsaw, and BeyondThursday, December 14, 2017
In 2014, while reflecting upon the decision made by NATO Allies to bring cyber defense under the umbrella of NATO’s collective defense – whereby an attack on one is considered an attack on all – NATO’s Secretary General Jens...

• Neil Robinson

The Right to Respond? States and the Cyber ArenaThursday, December 14, 2017
The digital revolution has transformed human societies. The Internet, and more generally computer networks, have become ubiquitous and indispensable for humankind to function, affecting every aspect of modern life. Several significant threats and...

• François Delerue

Navigating the Cyber Storm Thursday, December 14, 2017
On 23 October 2017, Turkish Policy Quarterly (TPQ) hosted a discussion on cybersecurity, titled, “Navigating the Cyber Storm: Implications for Governments and Businesses.” With Ambassador Matthew Bryza as moderator, the event was...

• TPQ Event Analysis