Tag: BESA Center

Afghanistan/Israel/Iran. The Real Lesson of the Afghanistan Debacle (Jonathan Ariel, BESA Center)

Afghanistan has proved once again that even a superpower cannot win a war against a proxy as long as it refuses to confront the...

Russia. Putin’s Anti-Navalny Law (Dr. Jiri and Leni Valenta, BESA Center)

Vladimir Putin and Alexei Navalny, image via Wikimedia Commons On June 4, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a law banning “individuals designated as ‘extremists’ from running for public...

Iran/Afghanistan. Iran and the Taliban (Erfan Fard, BESA Center)

Iranian clergymen, including Ebrahim Raisi, image via Wikimedia Commons The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to overthrow the Taliban regime and al-Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks....

Turkey. Disasters Expose Erdoğan’s Paper Tiger Sultanate (Burak Bekdil, BESA Center)

Wildfire in Turkey, summer 2021, image via Newsbook Wildfires and floods in August revealed how weak Turkey is in the face of natural disasters, and...

Afghanistan/Saudi Arabia/Iran. Afghanistan May Be a Bellwether for Saudi-Iranian Rivalry (

Globe showing Afghanistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, image via Max Pixel Boasting an almost 1,000-kilometer border with Iran and a history of troubled relations between...

Iraq. The Water Shortage Crisis in Iraq (Bahrooz Jaafar, BESA Center)

Iraqi woman on parched land in southern Iraq, image via MEMRI The Middle East and North Africa are dry, with higher temperatures, fewer rivers, and...

USA. The American House of Cards (BESA Center)

Children at a Taliban madrassa in Pakistan, image via Wikimedia Commons US policy in Afghanistan was based on lies, ignorance, and irrational thinking. Many other...

Israel/Middle East . From the Second Lebanon War to Regional War (BESA Center)

Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen The Second Lebanon War was probably the last time Israel was going to be able to focus on fighting on a...

Israel/Holy See. Israel and the Holy See (BESA Center)

Michael A. Calvo For many years, the Jewish people of Israel have been effectively paying the taxes of the Catholic Church and other churches in...

Iran/USA. Tehran Tests Joe Biden in Afghanistan and Beyond (BESA Center)

By Ofira Seliktar and Farhad Rezaei The Iranian regime views Biden as a weak president who can be safely challenged. Greatly encouraged by the American debacle in Afghanistan,...

Afghanistan/Israel. The Taliban Victory as a Victory of Faith (BESA Center)

Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen The American defeat in Afghanistan will have a direct impact on Israel. Like the pseudo-government foisted by the Americans on...

Hezbollah. Into the Heart of a Hezbollah Terror Tunnel (BESA Center)

Dr. Edy Cohen The Arabic language desk of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit marked 15 years since the Second Lebanon War by inviting Israeli media commentators...

Taliban/al Qaeda. The Taliban and al-Qaeda: What Next? (BESA Center)

Dr. James M. Dorsey The Taliban proved that they value loyalty when they rejected US and Saudi pressure to hand over Osama bin Laden no...

Palestinians/USA/Palestinian Authority. A New Palestinian Authority NGO Decree Might Halt US Aid to the West Bank and Gaza (BESA Center)

Dore Feith President Joe Biden has said he wants to resume aid to the Palestinians, but recent Palestinian laws are making it difficult for him. A...

Israel. The Reform That Will Kill Israeli Agriculture (BESA Center)

Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen Agriculture is a strategic national asset in Israel and its existence cannot be subject to short-term cost-benefit considerations. Without an extensive agricultural...

China – Greater Middle East May Force China to Project Military Power Sooner Rather than Later (BESA Center)

Dr. James M. Dorsey China may have no short-term interest in contributing to guaranteeing security in parts of a swath of land stretching from Central...