This Week at ISN

11 - 15 June 2012 This week our editorial focus turns to a region that could stake a claim to being the world's petri-dish for socio-political power transformations: the Middle East.

The Middle East and Power Transformation

The Arab Spring and Its Counterrevolutionaries
11 June 2012 / Podcast

In this podcast, Marina Ottaway argues that Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey will have little influence over the final outcome of the Arab Spring compared to domestic actors. More The Arab Spring in the Long Run
12 June 2012 / Special Feature

It was hoped that the Arab Spring would bring freedom and democracy to the Middle East and North Africa. However, continued unrest in Libya and Syria points to a potentially bleaker future for the region, writes Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou. More Economics, Migration and Demography in the Middle East
13 June 2012 / Special Feature

In this multimedia feature, we analyze the demographic and economics problems that provided the foundations for the Arab Spring and the impact of migration on the security dynamics of the Mediterranean. More Archaeology and the Israel-Palestine Conflict
14 June 2012 / Special Feature

Despite the seismic changes occurring throughout the Middle East, the Israel-Palestine conflict seems frozen in amber. The politicization of archaeology by both sides merely reinforces the status quo, argues Jennifer Wallace. More The Middle East's Decreasing Relevance
15 June 2012 / Podcast

While energy resources guarantee that the Middle East will retain its strategic importance, Trita Parsi predicts a long-term future in which the geopolitical significance of the region will decline. More

Security Watch
The Military Option in the Iranian Nuclear Crisis
11 June 2012

The prospect of an Israeli air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities jeopardizes the security of the Middle East. Ren Rieger at CAP argues that the EU should persuade Israel to refrain from exercising this option. More The "Dark Side" of the Syrian Transition and Its Potentially Dire Regional Consequences
12 June 2012

Syria stands on the brink of a civil war that may destabilize the wider Middle East, writes Philippe Droz-

Vincent. More Economic Costs, the Arab Spring and the GCC
13 June 2012

Social unrest associated with the Arab Spring prompted the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to introduce a range of social and economic policies. Nal Shahadeh at the Gulf Research Center assesses some of the main policy packages. More Unresolved Tensions in Yemen
14 June 2012

Casey L Coombs analyzes how a new al-Qaeda affiliate threatens Yemen's post-revolutionary political transition. More Nuclear Weapons in the Middle East: Here to Stay
15 June 2012

Tehran's and Tel Aviv's reluctance to give up their nuclear programs will complicate diplomatic initiatives aimed at creating a WMD-free Middle East, writes Liviu Horowitz. More

ISN Blog
Syria Drives a Wedge Between Turkey and Iran
11 June 2012

The Iranian-Turkish conflict about the future of the Assad regime has the potential to set back relations between Ankara and Tehran by decades, argues Alex Vatanka. More A Peek Inside Saudi Social Media
12 June 2012

Elizabeth Dickinson analyzes the results of an unprecedented survey of the Saudi social media sphere published recently by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy. More Youth Integration and Job Creation in the Middle East and North African Region
13 June 2012

Jad Chaaban argues that the protests and social unrest in the Middle East and North African region are mainly the result of the failure of the region's economies to provide decent living conditions for their citizens, especially the youth. More Egypt's Presidential Elections: The Economy
14 June 2012

Egypt's economy has suffered short-term pain from the uncertainty over its political transition but there is a chance for confidence to pick up after the presidential elections, predicts Jane Kinninmont. More Salafis Coming to America
15 June 2012

Following the visit to the US by a delegation from the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, the more conservative Salafis have now expressed their desire to be received in Washington as well, reports Mohamed Elmenshawy. More

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