By Harvey Glickman and Emma Rodman*

Islamism in Sudan reflects both modern and older cultural-historical movements in Sudanese life. Similar to Islamist movements in the Middle East, it is distinguished by the sophisticated leadership of its ideological and strategic engineer–Dr. Hasan al-Turabi, by a period of official empowerment, and by violent campaigns of implementation during the 1980s and 1990s. Yet the character of historical Islam in Sudan, as well as the demographics of the Sudanese population, remain pluralistic, not isomorphic. The revolutionary project of Sudanese Islamism remains stalled, incomplete and divided today, but unexpired as an attempt to fabricate and impose a a national identity.

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By Barry Rubin

These two polls are very interesting especially when compared to each other, and are not so bad.

Contrary to what we think there are basically two models:

1. Strong support for Israel as against the PA: the U.S.
2. Relative evenhandedness: France, Germany, and UK.

We are not seeing results of high support for Palestinians versus Israel, even in a country like France, even after years of anti-Israel propaganda.

Note that there are no countries where support for the Palestinians is higher than that for Israel. In Germany there is greater support for Israel; in France and the UK more evenhanded.

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Watch this inspiring, short High Holiday film, from Aish.com:

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By Phyllis Chesler

Ah yes, my people, my nation, my burden, my glory, my J Street. The Jews of J Street have named themselves after an imaginary street in Washington, DC, a suitable name for the kind of imaginary but dangerous human engineering projects they have in mind both for America and for the Middle East. The J Street Jews would rather die at Ahmadinejad’s hands as long as a Democrat is voted into the White House than to live if a Republican gains control of the White House. … (Continue reading…)

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PHILADELPHIA* — Irfan Yusuf and the Canberra Times have issued an apology to Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, concerning a defamatory article written by Yusuf.

On August 18, 2008, the Canberra Times, an Australian newspaper, published Yusuf’s “Justice the remedy required to help Bosnia heal.” In it, Yusuf mentioned a speech Mr. Pipes delivered to a dinner hosted by Quadrant magazine earlier this year which was subsequently published as “Europe or Eurabia?” in the Australian newspaper. Yusuf incorrectly stated that in his speech, Mr. Pipes had

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By Barry Rubin

How does AP cover Israeli politics? Generally speaking, much better than it covers issues relating to the Arab-Israeli or Israeli-Palestinian politics. One reason for this is that the reporters tend to be people living in Israel who don’t have more knowledge and less political preconceptions, at least when covering these stories. Perhaps, too, there is less pressure from editors to push the approve line on the conflict.

On September 17, AP issues, “Next steps after Kadima primary election,” a factual summary of the situation. (AP “factual summaries” on conflict issues are often remarkably biased.) This one is reasonable:

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By Alexander Murinson*

With the conclusion of the Cold War, the trilateral axis (Israel-Turkey-Azerbaijan) in the expanded Middle East emerged. The issue of energy security as a component of this relationship has remained largely unexplored. First, this article elucidates the transformation of the concept of security in the post-Cold War period. It then places the hydrocarbon-rich Caspian region in the context of the energy security needs of energy-poor Turkey and Israel. The importance of transportation routes from the Caspian for the Jewish state are highlighted, and the potential of Caspian petrochemicals for cooperation in energy field between Israel, Turkey Israel are explored.

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WASHINGTON (September 18, 2008) — The E-Verify program, which allows employers to check the immigration status of new employees, has been steadily improving and is now 99.5 percent accurate, according to a new paper by the Center for Immigration Studies. This voluntary program is already screening more than one in ten new hires nationwide, and as of September 13, 2008, has processed 6.21 million queries.

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By Walid Phares*

Prague, September 16, 2008

As part of my current European lectures and briefings tour in Europe which began this week at the European Parliament in Brussels I presented a lecture to the Center for International Security in Prague on the war of ideas and global strategies of the Jihadist movements and regimes. I will be reporting on this tour in the near future. Following is an interview with the editor of the news center at (the US-funded) Radio Free Europe based in Prague based on a discussion centered on the ideological confrontation with the Jihadi forces worldwide. The exchanged was edited and sent to news desks in several languages to be broadcast. Below, find the interview and the link to the site.

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MEQ interview with Jeffrey Gedmin*

Jeffrey Gedmin has, since February 2007, been president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), where he directs broadcasting and Internet operations in twenty-eight languages and where, with an annual budget of just $5.3 million for RFE/RL’s Iranian broadcasts, he has revitalized Radio Farda, RFE/RL’s Persian (Farsi) service.

From 2002 to 2007, Gedmin served as director of the Aspen Institute-Berlin before which he was a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., and executive director of the New Atlantic Initiative.

He is the author or editor of two books on European and trans-Atlantic relations[1] and was executive editor and producer of the award-winning 1995 PBS television program The Germans: Portrait of a New Nation, and co-executive producer of the documentary Spain’s 9/11 and the Challenge of Radical Islam in Europe, which aired on PBS in 2007.

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By Phyllis Chesler

Yes, that man is coming back on September 22nd to address the UN. Of course, Jewish groups are holding protest rallies and politicians are being hastily invited and are dis-inviting themselves as speakers. Hillary has now declined to speak on the same platform as Palin, Palin is still planning to speak, the Democrats are trying to persuade the various Jewish groups to cancel Palin, and McCain, in his signature “anti-partisanship” style, is trying to persuade the Democrats to join the Republicans in speaking out against a nuclear and genocidal Iran. According to spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt, “Governor Palin believes that the danger of a nuclear Iran is greater than party or politics. She hopes that all parties can rally together in opposition to this grave threat.” … (Continue reading…)

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~by E.D. Kain, NeoConstant

According to The Long War Journal’s Jane Novak, the US Embassy in Yemen was attacked today by a militant group carrying machine guns, RPG’s, and setting off a series of explosions. The terrorist force was repelled after killing 16 people, and attempting to breach the US compound. After a fierce gun battle, the militants were repelled. No US citizens were killed, though many Yemeni security officers were killed or wounded in the fight.

A group calling itself Yemeni Islamic Jihad took credit for today’s attack. The group last month claimed responsbility for a July suicide car bombing at a police station in Hadramout killed one policeman and injured 18. The police station had been previously bombed with no injuries. Yemeni Islamic Jihad also threatened a future attack in the capital.

This is not the first attack or attempted attack on a US embassy or consulate this year. In July, the US consulate in Ankara, Turkey was attacked leaving several dead. Luckily both attacks proved to be failures, unlike some of the major suicide bombings we’ve seen in India and Afghanistan recently.

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by Patrick Clawson*

The Islamic Republic’s nuclear drive remains a focal point of international concern. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks of becoming a pan-regional if not world power.[1] Much of his defiance is fueled by unprecedented oil income. Iran has built a US$82 billion foreign exchange reserve.[2] But behind Ahmadinejad’s blustery confidence and defiance, decades-old systemic forces are eroding Iran’s economic stability. Iran has suffered perhaps more than any Middle Eastern country from the “oil curse.” As Iran became addicted to oil, it postponed reform and let the rest of its economy languish. While record oil prices insulate the Islamic Republic from the consequences of its leaders’ decisions, any significant decline may force an internal reckoning.

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By Phyllis Chesler

Wall Street totters and people who only yesterday were multi-millionaires are literally paupers today. Hurricanes devastate the Caribbean and Texas and people are dead, homeless, without power of any kind. Trains collide in California and people are dead, wounded. While greed and hubristic risk-taking might have played a role in the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and Bear Sterns, the lesson for most of us is this: Some devastation cannot be predicted nor can we protect ourselves from it. … (Continue reading…)

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By Barry Rubin

One evening you’re walking down a street. A robber jumps on you to steal your wallet. You fight back and after a protracted battle you injure him enough so that he flees the scene.

The next day newspapers report that you assaulted a poor innocent man to mug him. From pulpits, religious leaders denounce you as a bad moral example that should be punished. Politicians urge that the forces of the law be deployed against you. Your attempts to defend yourself are ignored and dismissed as lies and excuses. Most people never even hear your version.

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