Jonathan Spyer

Director of Research & MEQ Editor

Jonathan Spyer oversees the Forum’s content and is editor of the Middle East Quarterly. Mr. Spyer, a journalist, reports for Janes Intelligence Review, writes a column for the Jerusalem Post, and is a contributor to the Wall Street Journal and The Australian. He frequently reports from Syria and Iraq. He has a B.A. from the London School of Economics, an M.A. from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. He is the author of two books: The Transforming Fire: The Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict (2010) and Days of the Fall: A Reporter’s Journey in the Syria and Iraq Wars (2017).

Articles by this Author
There Is No Example in Modern History of the Complete Destruction of a Regime or of an Organization by the Systematic Assassination of Its Leaders
A Renewed Buffer Zone Strategy Reflects Israel’s Shift Toward Physical Security Over Deterrence
Reports in Recent Days Have Suggested That Direct Negotiations Between Israel and the Government May Soon Begin
Israel’s Air Defences Are Holding, Even as Israeli and U.S. Air Power Operates Freely over Iranian Skies
What Could Change This Picture Is a Joint Us-Israeli Long-War Strategy to Bring Down the Iranian Regime by Supporting Both Armed and Civilian Opposition on the Ground
If Washington and Jerusalem Are Serious in Their Stated Ambition of Destroying the Islamic Regime in Tehran, They Need of Allies on the Ground
Tehran’s Intention Will Be to Cling on to Power and Inflict Sufficient Damage to Effect an Eventual Ceasefire Which It Will Present as a Victory
A Month Ago, Syria’s Kurds Possessed a de Facto Area of Control Comprising a Third of Syria
With Diplomacy on the Verge of Faltering, Preparations for an American Military Strike Are Proceeding Apace
With U.S. Protection Gone, Islamist Forces Move to Dismantle the Kurdish-Led Order in Northern Syria
The New Regime Seeks to Crush a U.S.-Backed Kurdish Force
We May See the Wholesale Destruction of the Forces and the Authority That Paid the Highest Price to Defeat ISIS
The Advance of the Syrian Govt. Forces Has Been Accompanied by Atrocities, Including the Execution of Prisoners and the Abuse and Tormenting of Captured Female Kurdish Fighters
Targeted Support for Protesters Could Shift the Balance Without a Full-Scale War
With Its Islamist Empire in Ruins and Legitimacy Gone, the Iranian Regime Turns Its Full Coercive Power Inward Against Its Own People
The Failed Southern Transitional Council Offensive Exposes Gulf Divisions in Yemen
The Available Choices in Lebanon Are That Hezbollah Will Be Permitted to Gradually Re-Arm, or That Israel Will Prevent It from Doing So
From the Israeli and Jewish Point of View, the Emergence of This State of Affairs Isn’t So Bad
Failed Military Integration And Competing Visions For Syria Fuel Renewed Tensions