Electronic Archive
MEI Issue 761 requires subscription
October 26th, 2005 --
President Bush welcomes Mahmud Abbas to the White House, but has little in the way of practical assistance for him in the face Israel’s renewed campaign in the West Bank. Ariel Sharon, meanwhile, maintains a ponderous balancing act designed to promote his long-term objectives in the Occupied Territories, as well as his short-term domestic agenda. In Iraq, with little crossover voting between ethnic and sectarian communities, the constitution is approved, but by the narrowest of margins and in Syria, the preliminary report into the murder of Rafiq al-Hiriri leaves the regime in a decidedly precarious situation. As Iran offers big contracts for countries that promise it support, Tehran's hopes of avoiding referral to the Security Council over its nuclear programme are improving. In Egypt, the stage is set for parliamentary elections which could well see gains for the opposition while in Sudan, Salva Kiir appoints a new interim government, but concern grows that the failure to achieve a truly comprehensive peace deal could undermine progress made in the South. 
MEI Issue 760 requires subscription
October 12th, 2005 --
Worsening factional violence spreads from Gaza to the West Bank, leaving Mahmud Abbas facing the most serious crisis of his leadership. His scheduled talks with Sharon are called off at the last minute. They appear to have little to talk about. Netanyahu, meanwhile, disappears from view as Ariel Sharon emerges from the Likud Central Committee vote with a dominance unusual even for a serving prime minister. Iraqis prepare to vote on the draft constitution, but despite last-minute tinkering basic divisions persist and Britain accuses Iran of supplying Shi�ite insurgents. In Lebanon there is rampant speculation over the outcome of the UN investigation into Hariri�s assassination and Sinyura launches negotiations with the main Palestinian factions over the fate of their weapons. Meanwhile in Sudan, conditions on the ground across the South continue to deteriorate while the crisis in Darfur deepens.
MEI Issue 759 requires subscription
September 29th, 2005 --
Israeli forces are quick to retaliate after Palestinian militias fire mortars at an Israeli town. Hamas is just as quick to back down, calling a halt to such operations. Ariel Sharon may have succumbed to the yonetz phenomenon, but his response to the missile attack leaves little doubt he remains more hawk than dove. The UN’s 60th anniversary summit declaration introduces the doctrine of humanitarian intervention, but falls short on Security Council reform, while the IAEA accuses Iran of a “policy of concealment”, paving the way for referral to the Security Council. The British raid on a Basra jail does not appear to have fundamentally altered the situation in the south of Iraq while in the US, the anti-war movement may finally have reached its “tipping-point”, with more Americans doubtful of the Iraq effort than confident in it. In Spain, verdicts are released in the al-Qa’ida case and six Moroccans handed over by Algeria after apparently crossing the border to join a Salafist group allege torture by the Moroccan security services. Syria faces mounting pressure on its currency, as Damascus attempts to lure Syrians away from the black market in US dollars and in the US a Yemeni immigrant to the US is convicted of operating an illegal money transfer business. Millions turn out in elections in Afghanistan, marking the final stage of the Bonn Agreement’s implementation.
MEI Issue 758 requires subscription
September 15th, 2005 --
Israel completes its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, leaving behind enough unresolved problems to dampen the optimism of even the most hopeful Palestinians. Netanyahu’s lead in the Likud leadership race drops and Sharon remains enigmatic about his future in the party. Despite a campaign featuring opposition candidates and unprecedented openness, Mubarak win’s re-election in Egypt’s presidential election by an embarrassingly large margin. Afghans, meanwhile, prepare to go the polls, but among the thousands standing for office are many names associated with human rights abuses. The Volcker committee report on the oil-for-food programme minimizes US failures and exaggerates UN faults, while Kofi Annan assesses what remains of his ambitious reform proposals. US and Iraqi forces launch their biggest operation against an Iraqi town since the attack on Falluja, while Americans themselves appear to focus their attention on the domestic condition in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. UAE officials deny rumours that Israel has opened a secret trade and political mission in Dubai.
MEI Issue 757 requires subscription
September 2nd, 2005 --
In the aftermath of the settlers’ removal from Gaza, few in the Strip are unaware that Israel is concentrating its efforts on further colonization of the West Bank. Cindy Sheehan continues her anti-war vigil outside Bush’s Texas ranch while Iraqis finally have a constitution to vote on, although the Sunni Arab minority is not pleased. Erdogan launches a new initiative to win over Turkey’s Kurdish minority and in Yemen the long-running war between the authorities and the press continues with the abduction of an independent newspaper editor. After August’s coup, the junta in Mauritania may now be firmly entrenched, but is optimism about its commitment to democratic reform justified? Sudan’s new vice president offers more inclusivity than his predecessor, but his commitment to Garang’s vision of a united, secular Sudan remains to be seen.
MEI Issue 756 requires subscription
August 3rd, 2005 --
The US defence secretary talks about pulling troops out of Iraq but concedes they will be unable to defeat the insurgents. The Pentagon faces more problems as Uzbekistan orders it to quit its base there and inmates at Guantanamo go on hunger strike. Iraq’s constitutional committee pushes ahead to meet the 15 August deadline, while in Palestine the mood is bleak following one of the worst bouts of factional infighting in years. Sinyura’s government receives presidential approval in Lebanon and Egypt’s security forces turn their attention to the Sinai’s Bedouin after three bombs rip through Sharm al-Shaykh. Already Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Abdullah will take power after the death of King Fahd, while the death of John Garang leaves an immediate vacuum at the heart of the Southern leadership.
MEI Issue 755 requires subscription
July 21st, 2005 --
Insurgents in Iraq step up the killing of civilians with a series of bomb attacks but the constitutional process carries on despite sharp differences over a number of issues. Egypt’s NDP leadership rushes through a raft of political measures before parliament goes into recess while in the US Capitol Hill looks set to approve a reported Israeli request for $2.2bn even as it threatens funds directed at the Palestinian side. Sharon’s government continues to harness Israeli domestic discontent to his diplomatic agenda, and the de facto Palestinian cease-fire looks to be in jeopardy. Lebanese insecurity is heightened by the attempted assassination of Eliyas Murr, while in Turkey the PKK denies responsibility for a bomb attack in the Aegean resort of Kusadasi that kills five. Coordinated suicide bomb attacks in London are carried out by four British Muslims and in Afghanistan the first major investigation is published into the crimes of the civil war period. Security Council reform tops the General Assembly agenda.
MEI Issue 754 requires subscription
July 7th, 2005 --
Ahmadinejad trounces Rafsanjani in the second round of Iran’s presidential election. His victory threatens to shake up the political establishment and is likely to present some serious challenges to the Ayatollah Khamenei. Fuad Sinyura is selected to head Lebanon’s first post-Syria cabinet while efforts stall in Iraq to draw Sunni Arab political leaders into efforts to draft a constitution. The US suffers its single heaviest loss in combat in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban while at home, the messy confluence of foreign and domestic politics is making the Bush Administration’s story a very hard sell. Hamas looks set to reject participation in a Palestinian national unity government as management and ownership of the Gaza withdrawal emerges as a key factor in the struggle for popular support. Sharon’s plan to sacrifice Gaza in the interests of reinforcing major settlement blocs in the West Bank, meanwhile, fails to impress the hard core of the settler movement, which turns its attention to direct action. The Israeli Electric Company finally seals a deal for the purchase of Egyptian gas as a massive reshuffle takes place in Egypt’s state-owned press and the trial of Ghad leader Ayman Nur gets under way.
Share this page:  | | | MEIONLINE.COM |
| Middle East International magazine has been a respected source for news, analysis , and commentary on the Middle East since 1971. [more]. |
| USER CENTER |
Subscribers can sign up for access to the Full-text Electronic Archive at meionline.com/signup.
Already have access to the electronic archive? Edit your account details or retrieve their password in the
User Center |
|
