Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Marc Lynch

Marc Lynch is associate professor of political science at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

MER Article

Young Brothers in Cyberspace

In September 2007, the Society of Muslim Brothers, Egypt’s largest organized political force, released a draft political party platform to a select group of around 50 Egyptian intellectuals. The response was scathing. Planks such as those advocating formation of a “higher council” of religious scholars with what looked like

Marc Lynch • 24 min read

Current Analysis

Hypocrisy Doesn't Win Arab Friends

A prominent liberal Arab journalist who strongly supported the war in Iraq, has a long record of outspoken opposition to Islamic extremism, and has a deep appreciation for American values recently told me that he has never been more depressed or more alienated from the United States. Why? He was abs

Marc Lynch • 3 min read

Current Analysis

No Jordan Option

Could the plan of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to "disengage" from the Gaza Strip "include a Jordanian presence" in the West Bank? So Sharon told his cabinet on June 1, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz. Since then, rumors about such a role for Jordan,

Marc Lynch • 11 min read

Current Analysis

Irrelevance Lost

As the United States and its small band of supporters begin a war against Iraq without Security Council authorization or even a majority show of support, questions about the future of the United Nations seem ever more urgent. For the last several months, Bush administration officials have issued dire warnings

Marc Lynch • 8 min read

MER Article

Using and Abusing the UN, Redux

On September 12, 2002, George W. Bush delivered a forceful address to the United Nations General Assembly to rally support for an American campaign against Iraq. Challenging the UN to enforce its own resolutions, Bush warned the assembled delegates that failure to back the US war against Iraq would

Marc Lynch • 19 min read

Current Analysis

Jordan's King Abdallah in Washington

King Abdallah of Jordan came to his May 8 White House meeting with George W. Bush painfully aware of the pressures and contradictions threatening his regime's delicate position. After gambling more heavily than any other Arab state on peace with Israel and the liberalization of the Middle East,

Marc Lynch • 7 min read

Current Analysis

Smart Sanctions

Heated debate in the UN Security Council on June 26 previewed the coming showdown over the US-British "smart sanctions" initiative, designed to "re-energize" the international consensus on sanctions against Iraq. Faced with declining international support for and compliance with the current sanctions, the United States and

Marc Lynch • 6 min read

MER Article

The Politics of Consensus in the Gulf

As American and British warplanes flew into action over Iraq in December 1998, they blasted away not only Iraqi targets but also the remnants of international consensus. After the Gulf war, the Security Council authorized economic sanctions and intrusive inspections aimed at the elimination of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)

Marc Lynch • 10 min read