Background Libya is the fourth largest country in Africa. It has the largest oil reserves in Africa, and it has the ninth-largest oil reserves on the planet. The country spans over 700,000 square miles and has a population of 6.8 million people. It is a tribal and conservative society. It is comprised of two major ethnic groups – Arabs and…

An update to my article on Zoom-In on the Middle East | December 15, 2019, In this short article, I would like to focus on Turkey’s involvement in the war in Libya. The Civil War in Libya began in 2011 following the ousting of Libyan Dictator, Muammar al-Gaddafi, in October of that year. Since then, various Libyan factors have been…

The Middle East is a chain of links. Everything is connected. Understanding the links is critical to developing an accurate picture of reality. I wanted to take the opportunity to provide a contextualized snapshot of the region along with my predictions of what we can expect in the short term. I hope you find this brief overview helpful.   Lebanon…

October 20, 2019    Background On October 9, 2019, Turkey’s army invaded northeastern Syria. As of now, the Turkish military operation is focused on a 70-km stretch between the city of Kobani (Ein Al-Arab) and East Tel Al-Abyad. This area has a mixed population of Kurds (the majority) and Arabs. The Turkish operation is officially referred to as “Operation Peace…

On July 6, 2019, Qatari-owned Al Jazeera aired the first of a three-part show called "Media haven or hell? The paradox of journalism in Turkey" highlighting Turkey's brutal oppression of treatment of Turkish journalists and thinkers. This podcast explores Qatar's reasons and illustrates the point that everything in the Middle East is linked. And if you understand the links in…

This is a recording of a conference call briefing I held on Sunday, December 23, 2018 in which I provided my immediate analysis of the ramifications of US President, Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw United States forces from Syria.   For Related Articles & Podcasts: Zoom In ~ Zoom Out | Lebanon & Iran My Enemy is My Best Asset…

On the surface, the Reopening of the Nassib Border Crossing, connecting Syria and Jordan, which has been closed since 2015 might give the impression that the situation in Syria has stabilized and that Bashar al Assad, the President of Syria, has restored his sovereignty and control over the country. However, zooming in and zooming out helps you understand that that…

  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…

Protests in Iran: The Mullah Regime’s Autumn

Click above to see Avi Melamed on I24News the Rundown with Nurit Ben and Calev Ben David   Click above to see Avi Melamed on I24News the Rundown with Nurit Ben and Calev Ben David talking about Syria, Turkey, the Kurds, US involvement and more….    

Click Here To Download a PDF of this Article September 5, 2017 My Enemy is My Best Asset by Avi Melamed Former United States Secretary of State, Dr. Henry Kissinger, published an article on August 2, 2017 entitled “Chaos and Order in a Changing World.” In his piece, Dr. Kissinger provides analysis regarding different global arenas. He opens his section…

Click here for a PDF of this Intelligence Report    On July 16, 2017 I wrote an Intelligence Bulletin – The Attack on The Temple Mount Compound: Regional Reactions. This is an extended Intelligence Report on the issue.   *** Intelligence Report *** August 8, 2017  July 2017 Crisis over Temple Mt. Compound: Regional Perspectives   Information: On Friday July 14,…

Immediate Intelligence Bulletin   July 16th, 2017 Terror attack at the Temple Mount Compound: Regional Reactions (** This is an immediate Bulletin. I will publish a more detailed Intelligence Report over the next few days **) Information: On Friday July 14, 2017, three Israeli-Arabs opened fire on Israeli Border Patrol Police securing the Temple Mount Compound in Jerusalem, called Al-Haram…

The flag of the Syrian rebellion was raised today at the Turkish-Syrian border at Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing. The raising of the flag of the Rebellion was likely coordinated with Turkey. Turkey’s acquiescence sends a number of signals to a number of players on a variety of issues including: One – the northern part of Syria is an area of…