US ELECTION: 2012 (by Monroe Newman). The re-election of Barack Obama is noteworthy for what it says about the United States. It is important for both Americans and non-Americans to understand what it reveals. Faced with a daunting array of obstacles and an opponent who had actively sought the … MORE

WHY OBAMA IS GOOD FOR THE MIDDLE EAST (by Shlomo Avineri). The next years in the Middle East will be tumultuous, and this calls for a nuanced American approach vis-à-vis the different regional players. While Obama’s Mideast policies during the first term were occasionally misguided and unfocussed, he … MORE

THE NATIONAL SECURITY THREATS IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA (by Efraim Inbar). The turmoil in the Arab world is changing the strategic landscape in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (the regions east of Meridian 20⁰), where elements of radical Islam are gaining control, turning it into an … MORE

ARMENIANS IN ALEPPO: BETWEEN A ROCK AND HARD PLACE (by Arda Jebejian). In the lore of the Armenians, Aleppo symbolizes survival. They arrived here after spending months walking under the scorching desert sun of Deir Zor. During those long marches from Turkey to Syria, they witnessed the death… MORE

THE THIRD CLUB: THE STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE OF CYPRIOT NATURAL GAS (by Theodoros Tsakiris). The discovery of the around 200 billion cubic meters (bcm) capacity Aphrodite field in December 2011 heralded the participation of Cyprus in an exclusive club and constituted the first major … MORE

THE CONTESTATION PROCESS OF THE ARABIC SPRING (by Odysseas Christou). On June 30, 2012, Mohammed Morsi assumed the office of the Presidency of Egypt, after Egyptians went to the polls to vote for a president to succeed ousted long-time leader Hosni Mubarak, seventeen months after … MORE

ENERGY (IN)SECURITY AND THE IMPACT ON SECURITIZATION RELATIONSHIPS IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (by Constantinos Adamides). The term ‘energy security’ primarily refers to the ability of states to have uninterrupted access to energy at affordable prices without … MORE