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
U.S. Special Envoy Calls for Lifting Syria Sanctions, but Concerns Grow over Ongoing Sectarian Violence and the Treatment of Minority Communities Under Al Sharaa
At Its Height, in the 15-Month Period Between April 2024 and July 2025, This Was a Region-Wide, State-to-State Conflict
Loud Chanting of ‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free’ and Other Slogans Advocating the Destruction of Israel Were a Constant Accompaniment to the Events at the Square
From an Israeli Point of View, the Plan Appears to Offer Much That Israel Has Sought in Its Prosecution of the War, Though Not Without Cost
Doha Seeks to Leverage Its Support for Enemies of the West Into Greater Influence and Improved Relations with the West Itself
Israel’s Capacity, Once Roused, for the Application of Hard Power Has Been Amply Demonstrated
The Main Strategic Result of the Gaza War So Far Has Been the Drastic Weakening of the Iran-Led Bloc
The Events of the Last Two Years Have Effected a Profound Shift in the Geopolitics of the Region, Largely in Israel’s Favour
While Harbouring and Funding Hamas and Spreading the Muslim Brotherhood’s Agenda, Qatar Has Styled Itself as an Ally and ‘Mediator’
The Violence in Sweida May Have Subsided in Recent Weeks, but Nothing Has Been Resolved. It Is Almost Certainly a Matter of Time Until the Next Round
The Struggle for Primacy in This Remote, Long-Fought-over Corner of the Middle East Is Far from Completed
Qatar’s Activities in the Middle East Have Handily Been Described as Combining the Functions of the Arsonist and the Firefighter
The Lebanese Government Appears to Want to Commence a Negotiating Process with Hezbollah, Seeking to Convince It to Give up Its Arms Voluntarily
Its Remit Is the Preservation of the Regime and the Advancement of the Revolutionary Islamist Ideas Under Which It Seized Power
Complacency Would Be a Grave Error
It Is Not Possible to Negotiate with an Entity and at the Same Time Determinedly Seek Its Wholesale Destruction
In Just Eight Months of Sunni Islamist Rule in Syria, Already Three Large-Scale Incidents of Sectarian Violence Have Taken Place
Political and Military Will, and Manpower, Are Not Lacking in Southern Yemen
The Flaw in Soleimani’s Plan Seems to Be That He Assumed That Religious and Ideological Loyalties Would Win Out over Local Self-Interest