“For the last two, probably three years, the deal we have been willing to settle for has grown significantly less good” Andrew Peek was a strategic advisor to the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan and foreign affairs advisor to two U.S. Senators. He is currently a professor and director of Claremont-McKenna College’s Washington […]
Author Archives: The Editorial Board
“Americans are so hung up on the democracy thing. Get over it.”
Roby Barrett on the Middle East
“Americans are so hung up on the democracy thing; I think they have got to get over it. You have to look at the region, not just over the past 20 years, and not just for what you want to see, but how it has functioned over the past. That is where we have been […]
Why does Turkey hesitate?
Interview with Nick Danforth
By Troels Boldt Rømer TQT: Why has Turkey decided to join the anti-IS coalition now? And why did Turkey accept an influx of fighters and weapons through Turkey and to the Syrian battlefield for so long? Danforth: Turkey’s involvement in Syria has left Erdogan in a position where he has a great deal at stake […]
“The way I see it, there are actually serious contradictions between democracy and liberalism”REFLECTIONS: Chua Beng Huat
By Jelis Bosse and Helle Asbjørn Sørensen BACKGROUND. In less than 50 years, Singapore has evolved from a poor, colonial outpost without natural resources to an economically successful hub of international trade. Today, 5.4 million people reside in the city-state and with a tenfold rise in GDP per capita, the average Singaporean is now wealthier […]
Gaza. What would a ceasefire deal look like?
Interview with Prof. Robert Brynen
“Clearly the American vision of a ceasefire is not identical to the Israeli one. I think that the United States accepts that the blockade of Gaza is excessive and that the demands that the blockade be relaxed are appropriate, regardless of where they come from, Hamas or otherwise, and that it should probably be part […]
Gaza. “The blockade is legal but not smart”
Interview with Dr. Natan Sachs
“The blockade is legal but not smart. The effects on the civilians are terrible. Israel could have allowed civilian life in Gaza to continue. But the fundamental key to change is not in the hands of Israel. It’s in the hands of the Palestinians. At the end of the day, if the Palestinians are ruled […]
Gaza. “Any peaceful settlement has to include Hamas and I think it is important for the EU and the US to realize this”.
Interview with John Dugard
“I think it is wrong to portray the present conflict as self-defense on the part of Israel. Israel is taking military action in order to maintain and enforce its occupation of Gaza. It is an occupying power that wishes to remain an occupying power and it is taking enforcement action to maintain that occupation”. JOHN […]
How does the world look at Israel’s operation in Gaza?
Interview with Jonathan Rynhold
“Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the European Union and the United States are all on the same page. Everybody thinks that Hamas shouldn’t win or come out of this looking well.” Dr. JONATHAN RYNHOLD is educated at London School of Economics, and currently works as Director for the Argov Center for the study of Israel & […]
Gaza. What does Israel hope to achieve?
Interview with Daniel Levy
“The Israeli establishment says: “How would anyone else respond to having rockets fired against them?” And the answer is: Well, no one else is maintaining this kind of an occupation”. DANIEL LEVY is an Israeli political scientist. He has previously served as a special advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and as a […]
Can ISIS hold what it has conquered?
Interview with Reinoud Leenders
“I think the success of ISIS might be the source of its downfall. From that perspective, it is only a matter of time before the Iraqi armed forces can launch an effective counterattack” Troels Boldt Rømer of TQT speaks to Dr. Reinoud Leenders, Kings College London TQT: Many people have been surprised that ISIS – […]