February 2011 – Issue III
Editorial
Wikileaks: Truth, Freedom and other values for the Near East
Is truth the ultimate value that trumps all others?
Iraq
Restoring a credible Iraqi army
As Iraq attempts to get back on its feet the issue of security remains the foremost question for both Iraqis and the wider region.
Israel
Understanding Israel’s NGO debate
Attempts by MPs to change laws governing have been turned back, but are these vital pillars of Israeli society at risk?
Lebanon
Is Lebanon on the brink once more?
In this interview Michael Young says the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is not a question of justice versus peace and that Saad Hariri remains the country’s most important Sunni leader.
Palestine
Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Definitions of what ‘terrorism’ means are completely subjective but holding off on rhetoric may benefit both Palestinians and Israelis.
Syria
Syria, the EU and international relations
Francesco Cavcatorta writes that Syria has had requirements placed on it not asked from other Mediterranean countries, but that Syria’s president has done well to move on.
Interview
Mary Kaldor – Civil society in the Middle East
As the Middle East erupts in a wave of popular protest and much of the Arab world struggles to figure out where to go from here, Professor Mary Kaldor of the London School of Economics is hopeful for the future of civil society in the region.
Review
Rafik Schami’s The Calligrapher’s Secret
Love and betrayal captured in 1950s Damascus skirts around the real issue of change and the Arabic script.
Photo essay
As focus moves away from Iraq, here photojournalist Zoriah Miller offers a reminder of a country through his images of Sadr city, once one of the world’s most dangerous places..
