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
While the Kurdish-Led Authority Was Dissolved on Paper, Many of Its Institutions Continued to Function in Reality
The Yemeni Example Casts in Bold Relief the Fundamental Lack of a Common Strategy from the West in the Current Set of Interlocking Global Conflicts Under Way
The Elections Are Taking Place Against a Background of Ongoing Regional Conflict, Triggered by the Worst Security Disaster in Israel’s History
Israel and Turkey Are Increasingly Finding Themselves on Opposite Sides of the Region’s Most Consequential Flashpoints
Iranian and Allied Expertise Underpins the Houthis’ Expanding Military Reach
A Decade Ago, Kurdish Forces Had Reached an Unprecedented High Point
Neither Tehran nor Washington Has Found Enough Leverage to Force a Retreat
Conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran Are Set to Continue in Altered Form
Jerusalem, and Islamic Claims There, Are Likely to Form the Symbolic Element That Knits the Emergent Group Together
Israel and Serbia’s Current Common Interests and Historic Friendship Combine to Form an Emerging Partnership Worthy of Greater Note
Iran’s Ability to Command or at Least Align with Proxy and Client Forces Across the Middle East and Beyond Remains Its Most Significant Tool of Power Projection
With the IDF Dug in at Beaufort, Its Next Challenge Is Preventing Hezbollah from Returning to the Guerrilla Tactics That Once Drove Israel from Southern Lebanon
In Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, the Jewish State Addresses the Islamist Threat from Alliances Led by Iran and Turkey
The Agreement Preserves Jerusalem’s Freedom of Action for as Long as the Sovereignty of Its Northern Neighbor Remains Fictitious and Iran’s Proxy Remains the Strongest Force There
Israel Has Sought Throughout to Detach Its Battle with the Iranian Proxy Group Hezbollah in Lebanon from the Negotiations
Syria Remains Deeply Divided Along Ethnic Lines, with a Series of Ongoing ‘Cold Wars’ Underway Between Minority Communities and the New Sunni Arab Authorities
Tehran Has Emerged from This Last Chapter Strengthened on the Strategic Level
The Current MoU Appears to Signal the U.S. Desire to Quit the Fight