On October 2, 2018 Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, entered the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Istanbul, Turkey and has not been seen since. Who was he? And why does his disappearance offer us a glimpse into one of the central power Middle East power struggles? Listen to my podcast to find out… Facebook Comments #wpdevar_comment_3 span,#wpdevar_comment_3 iframe{width:100% !important;}

Below please see my article  Iran Can’t Fulfill Its Hopes of a Shia Corridor Without Iraq, published by The Atlantic Council  Atlantic Council ~ IranSource | Understanding and Analyzing a Multifaceted Iran on October 12, 2018 Iran Can’t Fulfill Its Hopes of a Shia Corridor Without Iraq BY AVI MELAMED Iranian and Iraqi flag (moqavemati) Since the Iranian regime seized power in…

Below please see my article  Iran Can’t Fulfill Its Hopes of a Shia Corridor Without Iraq, published by The Atlantic Council  on October 12, 2018 Iran Can’t Fulfill Its Hopes of a Shia Corridor Without Iraq BY AVI MELAMED Iranian and Iraqi flag (moqavemati) Since the Iranian regime seized power in 1979, its goal has been for Iran to become a…

Why does Hezbollah want to head the Ministry of Health in the next Lebanese government? Facebook Comments #wpdevar_comment_6 span,#wpdevar_comment_6 iframe{width:100% !important;}

Join the discussion about the situation in Syria since the downing of the Syrian jet Facebook Comments #wpdevar_comment_7 span,#wpdevar_comment_7 iframe{width:100% !important;}

This podcast explores the latest on the investigation of The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), an international tribunal established in March 2009, whose primary mandate is to hold trials for the people accused of carrying out the attack on February 14, 2005 which killed 22 people, including the former prime minister of Lebanon, Rafiq Hariri, and injured many others. Facebook…

Given recent developments, I have decided to add a new lecture to my upcoming lecture tour to the US ~ November 5 to December 9, 2018. entitled: Identity of Paradoxes: Contextualizing Israel’s Nation State Law. In July 2018, the Israeli Knesset passed the ‘Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People.’ The bill has generated an impassioned discussion within…

  Middle East 2019 ~ Approaching A Watershed **NEW** Since the Iranian Mullah regime seized power in Iran in 1979, their goal has been to become the regional superpower. Over the last decade, Iran has increased its attempt to establish its crescent of influence, described by King Abdullah II of Jordanian as “The Shiite Crescent.” The Iranian regime has stated…

The May 2018 general elections in Iraq primarily centered on three issues: Fighting rampant corruption of government agencies; Rehabilitating Iraq, estimated at 100 billion USD; Preserving the political and geographic integrity of Iraq as an Arab state in the face of growing Iranian influence and intervention – and to a lesser extent, separatist sentiments of the Iraqi Kurds. Iraqi society…

2019 will mark a critical milestone in one of the most significant geostrategic developments in the Middle East. And therefore, I am beginning to put my schedule in place for my 2018 Fall Lecture Tour, November 5th through December 12th – entitled: The Middle East 2019 ~ Approaching A Watershed Since the Iranian Mullah regime seized power in Iran in…

Information: Since the Mullah regime seized power in Iran in 1979, their goal has been to “Export the Islamic Revolution.” The goal of which is for Iran to become the regional superpower and to restore the Shi’ites as the rulers of the Muslim world – a position which in the Shi’ite theology, was taken from them in Kerbala in the…

The Middle East Is Complicated: ITME “The Essence of Experiential Learning – Empowering Participants to Find Answers” by Ben Pontz  ’20 | ITME 5    As I peered out of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, I was not entirely sure what to expect. After all, just about every image of the Middle East I had seen was punctuated with…

Arab Persian Power Struggle   Two major historic struggles have played a central role in shaping the Muslim world and the Middle East. One axis is the struggle between Arab civilization and the Persian civilization. The other axis is the rivalry between Sunnis and Shi’ites in Islam. In the year 651 CE, a significant event took place in the Middle East; the four-hundred…

Sunnis & Shi’ites   Two major historic struggles have played a central role in shaping the Muslim world and the Middle East. One axis is the struggle between Sunnis and Shi’ites in Islam. The other axis is the rivalry between two large regional civilizations: The Arab civilization and the Persian civilization. There are about 1.6 billion Muslims in the world.  About…