Turkish taxpayers had to foot a 251 million Turkish lira bill for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's protective detail in January, marking a staggering increase of 151 percent compared to the same month last year, which was...
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Was the Islamic State (ISIS) behind the Crocus City Hall terror attack in Moscow that killed 139 and wounded 182 on Mar. 22, 2024, or not? Not only did the Islamic State claim the attack, but the Western mainstream is agreed that...
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The federal government handed another five million dollars to Islamist organizations in 2023, FWI research has uncovered. During the entire of Biden's term so far, between 2021 and the present, his administration has provided...
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Officials in two different school systems in New Jersey have disavowed educational materials produced by a for-profit organization that promotes anti-American and anti-Israel propaganda in the United States. The organization...
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On International Women's Day, March 8, 2024 — which, among other things, brings awareness to violence against women — a formal complaint on how Sharia (Islamic law) is inherently abusive of women was submitted to the United...
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"After the collapse of the Iranian conglomerate and the emergence of five to six ethnic states from its ruins – just like happened in the former Soviet Union, when Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia separated into individual, peaceful...
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The Houthis are riding high. They paralyze Red Sea shipping and cost Egypt billions of dollars in Suez Canal revenue as cargo ships divert around the Cape of Good Hope. Houthi militias have launched scores of drones and missiles...
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One of the oldest apologias for Islam is making the rounds again. According to a Feb. 27, 2024 report, New York City teachers were told that "jihad" means simply "struggle" — not holy war — in training sessions against...
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Spotlight: Deterring Iran
Deterrence, the act of discouraging an opponent from taking an unwelcome action by instilling fear of the consequences, has been a central goal of American Mideast policy for decades. In a region swimming with millenarian religious beliefs, political cultures that reward military defeat, and oil wealth that insulates governing elites from pubic backlash, instilling fear of consequences in rogue actors can be tricky.
But the persistent American failure to deter Iran from aggressively pursuing its regional hegemonic ambitions has little to do with the subject’s cultural or political idiosyncrasies. Distinguishing between what the Islamic Republic considers costly consequences and what it doesn’t (Iranian lives vs. the lives of its Arab proxies, for example) is not rocket science. The textbook principles of deterrence aren’t applied in the case of Iran because Washington policymakers don’t want them applied.
For more on the deterring Iran, see the selections at right from MEF staff, writing fellows, and guest contributors.
To keep abreast of this and other issues, sign up to the Middle East Forum mailing list.
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by Jonathan Spyer (Feb 3, 2024)
by Michael Rubin (Dec 30, 2023)
by Seth J. Frantzman (Sep 1, 2022)
by Marilyn Stern & Gary C. Gambill (Jun 23, 2021)
by Efraim Inbar (Aug 25, 2019)
by Efraim Inbar (Nov 13, 2018)
by Michael Rubin (Nov 5, 2008)
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The Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia-based think tank, founded in 1994 by Daniel Pipes, promotes American interests in the Middle East and protects Western values from Middle Eastern threats.
In the Middle East, we focus on ways to defeat radical Islam; work for Palestinian acceptance of Israel; develop strategies to contain Iran; and deal with advancing anarchy. Domestically, the Forum emphasizes the danger of lawful Islamism; protects the freedoms of anti-Islamist authors and activists; and works to improve Middle East studies.
It achieves its goals in three main ways:
Operationally, exerting direct influence through its projects, each addressing a specific problem.
Intellectually, providing context, information, insights, and policy recommendations through the Middle East Quarterly, conference calls, staff and fellows writings, lectures, and media appearances — clearing a path to victory over opponents.
Philanthropically, distributing about $2 million annually in separately earmarked funds through our Education Fund, to about 75 groups and individuals working to promote the Forum's goals
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