BULLETIN No.97

Weekly Standard Illiberal Democracy on the Rise? Recent events highlight the need for liberal institutions in the Middle East; here's how to promote them.by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross & Nir Boms
CSIS - AFTER LIBERALS BACK DOWN Western-influenced liberal elites no longer are democracy's most vocal advocates in the Middle East, writes Jon Alterman, READ MORE
Replace Turkey as a Strategic Partner? by Jonathan Eric Lewis Middle East Quarterly* Spring 2006

Barry Rubin The Region: Now, the good news
Hamas Names a Militant to Security Post The move is likely to increase friction between the Hamas-led government and the Palestinian Authority's president
Hamas Picks Guerrilla To Lead a New Force Move Seen as Challenge to Abbas Over Control of Security Services
BBC Hamas reveals new security force
Haaretz Israel won't let up on militant to head PA police The Hamas-led Palestinian government announces a new security force drawn from Palestinian militant groups.
Christian Science Monitor Jordan uneasy after Hamas arms find The Palestinian militant group has denied it is scouting targets within the American-allied kingdom.
Editorial Five minutes to midnight for Hamas
Yedioth Ahronoth Egypt trying to broker Olmert-Abbas meeting
Al-Ahram Tough messages The first suicide bombing carried out by Jihad against Israel under the Hamas government outlines new realities on the ground, leaders of Palestinian resistance movements tell Amira Howeidy Hamas risk Israeli action Hamas has defied the international community and risked provoking a violent response from Israel by appointing a notorious militant as Palestinian security chief.
Gulf News Jordan says Hamas arms came from Syria
Prime Minister Marouf Bakheet told a meeting of parliamentarians that weapons seized from a secret Hamas arms cache in Jordan had been smuggled from Syria, deputies said yesterday.
Jerusalem Post Hamas FM a-Zahar meets Syria's Assad Syria on Thursday announced a series of measures to support the beleaguered Hamas government, saying it would raise funds for the Palestinians and establish
FT Palestinians warn of severe credit crunch Palestinian businesses and private sector officials are warning of severe instability and a credit crunch by local banks in the wake of attempts to pressure Hamas by cutting off budgetary support and directing aid to humanitarian purposes.
Gulf News Arab Perspective: A violent reaction to Israel's cruel actions
Monday's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv by militant group Islamic Jihad dominates this week's Arab press. The majority of Arabic newspapers have highlighted the injustice attached to the Israeli occupation, with many condemning the attack.
Ha’aretz – Ze’ev Schiff A different war outline Israel's strategic situation is no longer viewed only on two planes - a large war versus prevailing quiet - but there are also intermediate situations that can be called "limited war" or "asymmetric war."
Hamas's failure to recognise Israel will not be an issue if Palestine itself is recognized
Al-Ahram
Pushing Palestinians to the edge Suicide bombing returns to the Israeli-Palestinian scene as the Palestinians continue to be deprived by Israel of the basic necessities of life, writes Khaled Amayreh in the West Bank
Pointless blockade Economic privation has been used before as an instrument of persuasion over Palestinians, but with the rise of Hamas this may be over, reports Erica Silverman

Gulf News Risks and opportunities of Syria's regional policy
Whatever steps it has taken so far, for example efforts to secure its borders with Iraq, have been barely acknowledged in Washington.
Al-Ahram Rafsanjani in Damascus The tide has turned in the favour of Iran and Syria in the ongoing confrontation with Washington, writes Sami Moubayed
Gulf News Syria extends support to Hamas-led government
Foreign minister Muallem says Damascus will raise funds for Palestinians and set up direct phone links with them
Forbes White House Backs Lebanon in Syria Talks The Bush administration urged Syria on Thursday to negotiate with Lebanon on the future of a strip of disputed territory occupied by Israel.
Ya Libnan Brammertz to Meet Assad, Sharaa in Syria Friday Lebanese officials in Hariri's assassination. Syria denies any involvement in the murder.
UPI Hamas foreign minister received in Syria Syria will upgrade diplomatic representation with the Palestinian Authority and agreed to establish direct communication
Yedioth Ahronoth Lebanon to U.S.: Push Israel to withdraw
Daily Star Lebanon's national dialogue needn't be limited to crisis management
A neutral Lebanon will be a peaceful one By Wissam S. Yafi
The UN versus Hezbollah Nearly six years after IDF completed its withdrawal from southern Lebanon, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has taken the next required step, calling on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.
UPI Analysis: U.N. says Iran aids Hezbollah By WILLIAM M. REILLY - The United Nations has, for the first time, named Iran a supporter of Hezbollah, an Islamic Shiite resistance group based in Lebanon
Siniora insists Syria still has agents in Lebanon Daily Star - Lebanese Premier Fouad Siniora accused Syria of keeping its intelligence agents in Lebanon, saying they are exploiting the country's free and open
ChamPress
NPF Calls to Attract Investments into Syria
Gulf investors provide capital for new Islamic bank in Syria
Syria Decides to Upgrade Palestinian Representation
Syria rejects UN Lebanon border call
Expect more UN pressure on Syria
Chirac warns Syria to end 'unacceptable interference' in Lebanese affairs

Al-Ahram Beyond calculation US plans for a military strike against Iran have already been drawn up and the Bush administration is mad enough to put them into action, writes Hassan Nafaa
Gulf News Iran's nuclear quest demands deft diplomacy
Iran is extremely sensitive about its sovereignty and, therefore, suspicious of outside influence in its neighbourhood.
WSJ Bush and Iran A threat that can't be outsourced any longer
Kevin Drum Talking to Iran
Al Awsat Iran: Tactical Success Could Lead to Strategic Disaster : Amir Taheri
US & Iran Nuclear Sanctions VOA 20 Apr 2006 -- The US said momentum is shifting toward the imposition of sanctions against Iran
Washington Realist Neo-Conservative Realist on Iran?
CFR ARAB WORRIES OF A RISING IRAN
Washington Times Editorial Can Iran be deterred?
Weekly Standard Iran's War on the West Have the mullahs really stopped aiding anti-American terrorism?by Thomas Joscelyn
Iran still years away from having nukes: US intelligence chief...
In Iran, Jobless Youths Turn to Drugs While the world focuses on its nuclear ambitions, nation's young people see theirs denied.

Al-Jafari Withdraws Nomination: Reversal by Al-Jafari Raises Hope of Ending Government Stalemate
BBC Iraqi PM says party will decide
Troubled Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari says it is up to his political bloc to decide if he should stay on.
Jaafari defies opponents
Iraq faces the abyss
In depth: Life in Iraq
BBC Is it civil war? Lawrence Freedman examines historical parallels with Iraq
Newsweek Why Americans May Never Leave Iraq ‘Compassionate Colonialism' As Iraq fractures along multiple religious and ethnic lines, only one force seems to be holding it together: American involvement. So what might this future look like?
FT Iraq Shias move to end deadlock over PMIbrahim al-Jaafari has opened the way to the formation of a new Iraqi government by agreeing to let his Shia allies reconsider his candidacy for prime minister.
Dar Al-Hayat Next Iraqi Government and Shiite Militias
Hamed el-Hmoud - The absence of protection from the central authority provides silence as the only means of survival. The next Iraqi government's mission is clearly difficult. If it limits its security responsibility to no more than the removal of insurgents and extremists in Western Iraq - without ridding Iraq of Shiite militias and their sway - it will lose its legitimacy as a central authority and will push Iraq further into the abyss.