Dr. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, co-director of the University of Würzburg’s Institute for Fan Culture, and co-host of the New Books in Middle Eastern Studies podcast. James is the author of The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer blog, a book with the same title as well as Comparative Political Transitions between Southeast Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, co-authored with Dr. Teresita Cruz-Del Rosario and Shifting Sand ...
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Gulf Investment In European Soccer Becomes A Hot Potato
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Gulf investment in European soccer threatens to become a hot potato.By James M. Dorsey
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Tracing The Roots Of Israel’s Gaza War Strategy
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Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government is mulling a proposal for the post-war administration of Gaza that would put the battle to define moderate Islam in the 21st century on the front burner of Middle Eastern politics and allow the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to export their autocratic notion of ‘moderate’ Islam.…
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Ignoring Ingrained Anti - Semitism, Israel Backs Global Far - Right
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This year, Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli hit the road. Not to shore up Diaspora Jewish support for Israel’s war on Gaza or reassure Jews concerned about rising anti-Semitism but to forge closer ties to the global far-right tainted by its anti-Semitic roots.By James M. Dorsey
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Israel’s Self - Declared Gaza Safe Zones Are Catch - 22 Death Traps
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Israel’s self-declared safe zones trap the Jewish state in the contradictions of its nine-month-long failed campaign to destroy Hamas. It’s one and one is two that Hamas operatives seek cover in such zones.By James M. Dorsey
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Israel Kills Dozens Of Displaced Palestinians In Al - Mawasi, Khan Younis TRT JMD 130724
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An Israeli attack on the south of the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed dozens of people according to the health ministry in Gaza, while an Israeli official said the offensive targeted the head of Hamas' military wing Mohammad Daif according to the Israelis.By James M. Dorsey
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Walking A Tightrope, Netanyahu Struggles To Maintain His Balance
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The coming days and weeks will clarify whether the Biden administration has succeeded in bridging the yawning gap that has dogged the ceasefire efforts for months or whether Mr. Netanyahu and Hamas are going through the motions to ensure that the other gets the blame if renewed talks fail.Subscribe to jamesmdorsey.substack.com for more updates.http…
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Soft Power Islam - The Geopolitical Contest Over ‘Moderate Islam’
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The past few decades—since 9/11 in particular—have seen the increasing prominence of ‘moderate Islam’ in the public sphere. But who gets to define what this term means? How are these different definitions projected to wider Muslim, and non-Muslim, audiences? And what are the political implications of these varied versions of ‘moderate Islam,’ wheth…
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Widening Rift With The Military Puts Netanyahu In A Tight Spot
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Imagine Gaza if Israel were to agree today to a permanent ceasefire and a complete troop withdrawal from the Strip. One of two things would happen: Hamas would return to power and/or continued anarchy in the absence of a credible post-war administration of the territory.By James M. Dorsey
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New Soccer Stadium Seals Marriage Between Gulf Capital And Egyptian Crony Capitalism
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A one-time revolutionary Egyptian force, the storied Egyptian soccer club Al Ahly FC is today the latest Emirati trophy in regional competition between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and a potential symbol of Egyptian crony capitalism.By James M. Dorsey
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Palestine Is A Double - Edged Sword For Egyptian President Al - Sisi
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There’s a silver lining for Egypt in the Gaza war.Egyptian general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, much like his predecessors, would like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be a lightning rod that distracts from mounting frustration and anger at his regime.To be sure, Mr. Al-Sisi has to tread carefully.…
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The Gaza War Is About More Than Binyamin Netanyahu’s Political Fortunes
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Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s refusal to end the Gaza war is about much more than avoiding a reckoning that could end his political life and potentially land him in prison.By James M. Dorsey
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Is Lebanon Israeli Settlers’ Next Frontier
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Even by Israeli standards, Uri Tzafon (Awaken North) is a far-right fringe group. Amid mounting tension with Lebanese Shiite political group and militia, Hezbollah, along the Lebanon-Israel border, Uri Tzafon is calling for Israeli settlement of southern Lebanon.By James M. Dorsey
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The Israeli Military Isn’t What It Once Was
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The Dahiya doctrine that mandates the destruction of infrastructure, images of Gaza’s devastation, IDF soldiers’ social media postings, and inflammatory statements by officials, politicians, religious figures, and pundits call into question Israeli assertions that its military is among the world’s “most moral.”…
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Israeli military triumphs and exploits often produce battlefield victories that fail to garner political gains.The Gaza war has changed that paradigm.By James M. Dorsey
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Thinking The Unthinkable - Israeli Occupation Instead Of A Ceasefire
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A former Israeli hostage negotiator suggests Hamas may be willing to shift the paradigm in Gaza ceasefire negotiations.By James M. Dorsey
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Gaza is not one but multiple wars. Beyond the horrors of the kinetic war in the Strip, Israel, the Palestinians, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and multiple political groups, including pro-Palestinian students, supporters of Israel, and right-wing forces, are waging often inter-connected Gaza-related information wars.…
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Next Week Could Be Make Or Break For Binyamin Netanyahu
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The coming week or two could determine Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s political fate and reshape the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s Gaza war.That is, if Mr. Netanyahu fails to comply with war cabinet member Benny Gantz’s demand that the prime minister produce a plan for the post-war administration of Gaza by June 8 and Mr. Gantz m…
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Israel And Its Supporters Turn Palestine Into A Litmus Test Of Democracy.
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Innocent Palestinians bear the brunt of Israel’s Gaza war, but they are not the only victims of the conflict. So are freedoms of expression, the media, and academia in the West, as well as Arab autocracies.By James M. Dorsey
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King Abdullah Of Joran Caught Between A Rock And A Hard Place
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Jordan's King Abdullah is caught between a rock and a hard place.By James M. Dorsey
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Antisemitism Threatens Jews, And Occupation Threatens Judaism
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Israel’s territorial claims, West Bank policies, and Gaza war conduct shine a spotlight on problematic Jewish religious legal precepts, much like the 9/11 Al Qaeda attacks did with Islam.By James M. Dorsey
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The Quest For Religious Reform Goes Global.
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For more than two decades, jihadists took pride in place as symbols of extremism and illustrations of the need for religious reform. They made Islam the focus of post-9/11 calls for religious change and moderation.Today, Islam no longer stands alone. One of the world’s foremost faiths, Islam has been joined by most major religions that have long fl…
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The Greater Middle East Is A Ticking Time Bomb (Part 2)
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It goes without saying that the Palestinian issue touches many across the Greater Middle East. Israel and the world’s inability or unwillingness to help Palestinians secure their rights and Palestinians’ sense of not being accorded the dignity and respect accorded to others mirrors a quest for recognition and dignity across the region.…
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US President Biden Plays High - Risk Poker With Israel’s Netanyahu
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US President Joe Biden doesn’t fit the mould of a high-risk gambler.Yet, gambling is the crux of his velvet glove dealings with Israel. With one eye on Israeli politics and the other on presidential elections in the United States in six months, Mr. Biden is walking a tightrope.By James M. Dorsey
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The Greater Middle East Is A Ticking Time Bomb (Part 1)
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By James M. DorseyThe Greater Middle East is a ticking time bomb. Simmering at the surface in Gaza and across much of the Middle East and North Africa is social, economic, and political anger and frustration that could erupt at any moment but may not immediately manifest itself publicly.By James M. Dorsey
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What Jews, Israeli Palestinians, And Turkish Kurds Have In Common
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Diaspora Jews, Palestinian Israelis, and Turkish Kurds have more in common than meets the eye.By James M. Dorsey
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Netanyahu And Ultraconservatives Jeopardise Israeli Security
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Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has fractured a long-standing pillar of Israeli foreign policy that dictated it always needed to ensure the backing of the United States. Fixing the pillar may prove easier said than done.By James M. Dorsey
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Netanyahu Borrows Time By Rejecting Gaza Ceasefire
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This week’s Gazan short-lived celebration of a ceasefire that was not to be, highlights what is at stake in the seven-month-old war and Israel’s refusal to end the carnage.By James M. Dorsey
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The Politics Of ‘From The River To The Sea'
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Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s insistence on Israeli security control of all the land west of the Jordan River, coupled with his public rejection since October of the notion of a Palestinian state and Israel’s Gaza war conduct, has in Palestinian ears the same ring that ‘From the Sea to the River’ has in Israeli ears: the rejection of …
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Netanyahu Is Blinded And Cornered By The Gathering Of Increasingly Dark Clouds
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Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other leading Israeli figures appear blinded and progressively cornered by the gathering of increasingly dark clouds.By James M. Dorsey
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Israel Puts Gaza Ceasefire Ball In Hamas’ Court
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Israel’s latest Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange proposal puts the ball in Hamas’ court.By James M. Dorsey
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An Israeli ground offensive in the southern Gazan enclave of Rafah is a question of when, not if. Not because Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is oblivious to US and international pressure but because it could prove to be make or break for Israel’s embattled leader.By James M. Dorsey
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Words matter.In the Israeli-Palestinian battle of narratives, they, more often than not, either are designed to thwart solutions or, by design or default, reinforce entrenched mutually exclusive positions.By James M. Dorsey
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The Middle East Totters On The Edge Of A Cliff
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Multiple overt and covert wars have pushed the Middle East to the edge of a cliff.Increased tension between Iran and Israel complicates efforts to pull the Middle East back from the abyss.By James M. Dorsey
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Israel And Hamas See Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations As An Existential Battle
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The Gaza ceasefire negotiations have all but broken down, with Israel and Hamas pursuing mutually exclusive goals.By James M. Dorsey
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Despite its devastating human and physical cost, Israel’s effort to destroy Hamas has a whack-a-mole aspect.By James M. Dorsey
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Biden And Hamas Tie Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Up In Knots
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Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is tying himself up in knots as he grudgingly, and only to a limited degree, bows to US President Joe Biden’s demands.In doing so, Mr. Netanyahu is puncturing Swiss-cheese size holes into Israel’s Gaza narrative, making it easier for Mr. Biden to take him publicly to task.…
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The Greater Middle East Is A Ticking Time Bomb
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The Greater Middle East is a ticking time bomb.Generations in war-wracked Palestine, Syria, and Yemen have little, if anything, to look forward to. Moreover, discontent is mounting and could explode anytime in countries like Jordan, Egypt, and Iran.By James M. Dorsey
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Palestinian Security Forces Are Caught Between A Rock And A Hard Place
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Three recent attacks on Israelis shine a spotlight on the 35,000-member Palestinian security forces that the United States, Gulf countries, and much of the international community want to see in charge of on-the-ground security in post-war Gaza.By James M. Dorsey
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Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Clutches At Straws
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Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu clutches at straws as he seeks to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza while attempting to create building blocks for a compliant post-war Palestinian administration of the Strip.By James M. Dorsey
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Aid Is At The Core Of An Israeli - Palestinian Struggle To Control Post - War Gaza.
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Gaza’s population of 2.3 million are pawns in a cynical battle for control of post-war Gaza.Israel’s refusal to lift restrictions on the unfettered entry into Gaza of food, medical supplies, and other desperately needed humanitarian goods, has less to do with a stand-alone starvation policy and more with who controls distribution in the Strip.Both …
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Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s walls are caving in.Mr. Netanyahu’s multiple battles fall into two categories: keeping his increasingly fragile government in place and fighting a war he has already lost in the court of public opinion and possibly on the ground in Gaza if measured by the prime minister’s war goals.…
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Rafah - Netanyahu’s Marketing Tool And Lightning Rod
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The besieged Gazan city of Rafah is Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s yo-yo.A brilliant but ruthless politician, Mr. Netanyahu is in campaign mode.“The man is in the midst of an election campaign, Rafah is a marketing tool and (the Americans) are the whipping boy,” said Israeli columnist Yossi Verter.…
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Resolving The Israeli - Palestinian Conflict Palestinians May Be More Accommodating Than Israelis
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A just-published Palestinian public opinion survey offers pointers for what a successful transition from the devastating Gaza war to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will have to entail.By James M. Dorsey
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The Middle East The World’s Playground For The Privatization Of War
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One just has to switch on the news to realize that mercenaries and private military companies live a life of their own and shape headlines.Chaos and mayhem dominate the streets of Haiti after Colombian mercenaries killed the president. Russia's Wagner Group played a key role in the invasion of Ukraine and at one point appeared to revolt against Pre…
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Iran May Be On The Cusp Of Change. A Conversation With Arash Azizi.
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A historian and political scientist at South Carolina's Clemson University, Arash Azizi argues that Iran may be on the cusp of change. It's just that the change may come from within the regime rather than from the street.By James M. Dorsey
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Biden May Not Have Enough Rope To Push His Vision Of The Middle East
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This year’s US presidential elections are not the only potential hurdle confronting President Joe Biden’s multi-pronged vision for a Middle East peace once the Gaza war ends. So is Israeli intransigence, the prospect of a long-term insurgency in post-war Gaza, and increasing Saudi Chinese technological cooperation.…
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Innocent Gazans Pay A Heavy Price For Hamas And Israel’s Disregard For Human Life
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Failed efforts to achieve a Gaza ceasefire on the eve of Ramadan leave innocent Gazans in the lurch, highlight the gap between Israel and Hamas’ demands in negotiations, and raise the stakes for the United States.By James M. Dorsey
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Gaza War Turns Palestine Into A Potential Middle Eastern Lightning Rod
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The Gaza war has turned Palestine into a lightning rod for mounting frustration and discontent in Arab autocracies such as Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.By James M. Dorsey
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Weaponizing Food: Palestinians Lose Lives, Israelis Lose Humanity
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A long-standing Israeli-Palestinian battlefield, food has moved centre stage.For Gazans, who are on the verge of starvation, the food fight is existential.By James M. Dorsey
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