Michael Jackson effect on the Middle East - For the rest of the world, the problems of the Middle East recede into obscurity and are replaced by more interesting infotainment, but the reality remains.

Where is Iran going? - Iranian unrest is the subject of a lot of speculation, but the truth is that nobody has real answers.

Handing Netanyahu a victory Palestinian reaction to the Benjamin Netanyahu speech was unwisely harsh and harped on themes that are not going to bring peace.

Iranian elections: It could have been worse! - If the elections had been "fair" the bad guys would have enjoyed more international legitimacy.

El Rais Obama? - Barack Obama is trying to become a popular Middle East leader in the style of Gamal Nasser.

Obama, Abbas, Netanyahu: Much ado about nothing - The break might come sometime, but we are not there yet. Peace won't break out even if Netanyahu says "Two state solution."

Book Review: Benny Morris, One State, Two States - An important, if flawed, look at why peace solutions are all doomed to failure at present.

Israel. USA and the peace initiative: So dumb it has to be smart? - Israel and USA are both pursuing policies that don't make sense. There has to be a plan, right?

Iraq: State of denial, again? - As casualties and bombings mount, a US official insists Iraq is on the right track. Sound familiar? Same script, different actors.

Lieberman and Annapolis: Reason versus wishful thinking - Regardless of the unfortunate language used by Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman, any objective person has to admit that the Annapolis peace process is a failure. The intelligence thing to do is to try another way.

Responsible Journalism: Let the buyer beware- Barbara Sofer explains the perils of trying to portray the real truth about the Middle East. 

Israelis without posts to sue Netanyahu Government - April 1 - but reality is not far behind.

PA stomps out candle of hope for peace and understanding - Greed and fanaticism conspired to put a swift end to the one good little thing that happened here in a long time.

Israeli-Palestinian peace: Youth show the way - A prematurely optimistic account of people doing something right in the Middle East.

Netanyahu's right wing bloc block and Barak's labor of love (of power?)- Will the nightmare government really happen?

Selling out the Palestinian people and the cause of peace - The resignation of Salem Fayyed removes the last honest man, but nobody cares.

The Middle East is not all bombs, violence and fanaticism. Wonderful people live here, people with dreams and hopes about democracy and peace and decency. The Middle East was once the birthplace of the world's great ideas. It was the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of the three monotheistic religions. "Greek" science was born in Asia minor. After the decline of the ancient world, civilization and intellectual curiosity were revived and maintained by the Arab civilization, born once again in the Middle East.

Those achievements, and not wars and conquest, are the real enduring legacy of the Middle East, that we must revive and pass on to our children. The Middle East is our home. It is time for our home to become ours, not the playground of alien, evil and dogmatic ideologies, cynical dictators and religious fanatics. We will not have a bright future in the Middle East until we stop letting extremists manipulate us.  A brighter future for the Middle East is up to us.  Can we build a better future for the Middle East?

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Israel and Palestine: The time for serious peace action is now  - As usual in the Middle East, there is too much talk about grandiose peace negotiations, which may be impractical right now, and not enough meaningful action on either side. 

Lebanon - "La Vache Qui Rit" (laughing cow or mad beast) is the local nickname of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahud.

Pilots' Ward Abu Salam Al-Arabi  June 23, 2003

I was a reserve lieutenant serving in an Arab army during the 1973 war. I was positioned at a big military hospital. The adjacent ward was assigned to the injured Israeli pilots whose jet fighters were shot down by air defense missiles. Many of them ejected from their planes just seconds before being hit by SAMs.  More  Arabic Version

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