Middle East Post

In the following article Gitanjali Bakshi attempts to dissect popular blogger Juan Cole’s most recent book, ‘Engaging the Muslim World’ and suggests potential future scenarios – geo-political, national and demographic – based on his analysis of the Middle East and South Asia.

‘Engaging the Muslim World’ – A Book Review

One of the pivotal factors driving global politics in the post 9/11 world has been the growing rift between the West and Islamic countries. This new wave of Read more…

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Issues in Iraq still continue to call for urgent attention and prove to be a deciding factor in future US-South Asia processes. Gitanjali Bakshi analyzes the upcoming Iraqi national elections in 2010 and the effect that this could have on security in Afghanistan.

IRAQ DETERMINES THE FATE OF AFGHANISTAN
By Gitanjali Bakshi

It has been suggested by many analysts that after the initial efforts in Afghanistan, put forward by Operation Enduring Freedom, US focus on the Read more…

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Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations have often avoided final status issues, leaving tem for the very last. But can these issues be put off any longer? How would this affect an Israel-Palestine peace in the future? Wha are some of the long-term consequences that Israel might have to face? Gitanjali Bakshi attempts to envision the situation 10 years from now.
By Gitanjali Bakshi
October, 2009 Read more…

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Is Syria’s support for Ba’athist militants altruistic or strategic? Could this have anything to do with the US pull out in 2011? And what will this mean for the region. Gitanjali Bakshi studies these questions in her article for September.

Ba’ath Troubles Reveal External Interference in Iraq

The first few weeks of September were host to a series of mudslinging events between Syria and Iraq. The Iraqi administration accused Syria of housing Ba’athists suspected of perpetrating the August truck-blasts in Baghdad; the Syrians challenged them for concrete evidence. Iraq then Read more…

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May 2009

Growing freshwater shortage has motivated affluent nations in the Middle East to find ‘hidden water’ in other countries. But will this lead to a more efficient system of food security and water management or will it in fact lead to a new form of neo-colonialism? Gitanjali Bakshi investigates. Read more…

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April 2009

There is no doubt that religion and politics make for a potent mix and the recent UN resolution, condemning the ‘defamation of religion’ has created quite a stir in the international community. In the following article Gitanjali Bakshi analyzes the possible implications of this resolution and what it could mean for the on-going debate on religion and politics. Read more…

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March 2009

After weeks of bombardment, a ceasefire was announced between Hamas and Israel on January 18th 2009. Now efforts are being made to rebuild the battered Gaza Strip. But without certain measures in place, the generous amount of $5.2 billion from the international community may very well see poor and ineffectual results. Gitanjali Bakshi explains. Read more…

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January 2009

Israel’s continued strikes on the Gaza strip threaten to derail peace processes in Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. In this article, Gitanjali Bakshi presses upon the importance of addressing the Israel Palestine conflict if we ever want to see a more tranquil Middle East.

It seemed as though potentials for peace in what many consider to be the epicentre of the region had taken a hard enough blow with: the collapse of Hamas-Fatah peace talks in Cairo, a break down of a six month cease fire between Israel and Hamas, rioting by Israeli settlers in Hebron, a Read more…

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December 2008

The Mumbai attacks and a potential resurrection of the ‘War on Terror’ threaten to polarize the India-Pakistan, Israel-Palestine nexus. If not dealt with carefully, these attacks may exacerbate inter-state rivalries and consequently encourage the growth of terrorist networks instead of actually quelling the problem. Read more…

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July 2007
The recent split in Palestine and the subsequent hostile take over that occurred in the Gaza strip was a predictable and expected outcome if you were following recent events in the region. It seems as though efforts to sabotage the nascent alliance between Fatah and Hamas were rearing their ugly head right from the get go. Read more…

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