Five Minutes to Midnight

The Middle East in a changing world

Middle East analyst Dr Farhang Jahanpour views the current problems of the Middle East – its Arab, Israeli, Iranian and Turkish components – and its relations with the West from an historical perspective. He outlines a vision whereby Middle Eastern peoples might regain their position as “great members of the international community”.

Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict: Origins and current status

Caucasus analyst Anne Thompson sheds light on the origins and present status of the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict over the Armenian-majority enclave of Nagornyy Karabakh, which is situated inside Azerbaijan, the roles of Russia, Iran and Turkey in the conflict, and what lay behind Azerbaijan’s close military and political ties with Israel.

Iraq: Corruption, instability, and a glimmer of hope

Interview with John Davison who until October 2022 served for four years as Reuters Bureau Chief in Baghdad. He relates his experience of Iraq: how corruption affects the lives of ordinary people, instability and waning Iranian and US influence, but also a glimmer of hope.

Israel: Why scholars and activists are leaving the country

Israeli academic and author Ilan Pappe describes his most significant research finding as uncovering the “intentional ethnic cleansing” of Palestine by the Zionists — a fact. he says, that’s supported by documents he found in Israeli and British archives. He says public debate of this and other matters related to the establishment of Israel had become virtually impossible, which has prompted him and others to leave Israel.

The niqab and why it’s a danger to society

Dr Mohamed El-Doufani says the proliferation of the Muslim veil, the niqab, and its variants is an indicator of the spread of a pernicious ideology propagated by the Muslim Brotherhood and other ultra-reactionary Salafists, and why it should be of concern to everyone who values freedom and equality.

Are we obsessed with Israel?

Dr Mohamed El-Doufani argues that despite all the present worries in the world — the cost of living crisis, the Russia-Ukraine war, the energy crisis, the savagery and aftermath of the so-called “Arab Spring” — the whole world, and not just Israel’s neighbours, should worry about what it is doing and what it can do. It’s not just its persecution and oppression of the Palestinians and its illegal occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan Heights, but it is also its vast nuclear and chemical weapons arsenals, its casual and open disregard for international law and international institutions, and its deep penetration of Western political systems, especially those of the UK and US.

Israel: The road to fascism is paved with complacency

Award-winning Israeli author and Haaretz newspaper journalist Gideon Levy discusses the implications of the latest Israeli election, which took place earlier this month (1 November 2022). He says for Israeli Arabs and, especially, for the Palestinians under Israeli occupation, matters may became much worse, and he notes the total lack of interest of Israelis in the plight of the Palestinian people, let alone finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue. Much of this indifference can be attributed to the Israeli media whose coverage of the Palestinians, contrary to the assertions of various Western media guides, is anything but fair. The only hope of a breakthrough lies in pressure from the United States and the European Union but that, Levy says, is highly unlikely to happen.

Saudi and Gulf relations and influence in the Arab world

Dr James Dorsey, Adjunct Senior Fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, journalist and two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, analyses the relations between the Persian/Arab Gulf states and their influence on other Arab countries. He also explains the motives behind the United Arab Emirates’ normalisation of relations with Israel. His syndicated column and other podcasts can be found at www.jamesmdorsey.net

Iran: The protests, Islam and women

Iranian academic Dr Farhang Jahanpour analyses the extraordinary protests that have been sweeping Iran for the past month. Since the protests were triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who died while in the custody of the morality police for being “inappropriately” dressed – an incident that highlighted the status of women in the Islamic Republic of Iran – Dr Jahanpour talks about what Islam actually says about women and the hijab, and how this compares with the status of women in other religions and cultures. 

Israel: Only “severe sanctions” will bring about change – Miko Peled

The son of Israeli General Matityahu Peled, writer and human rights campaigner Miko Peled says Israeli Jews are indifferent towards the Palestinian people, their plight and the injustice committed against them. With rampant racism characterising most Israelis’ attitudes towards the Palestinian people, he says Israeli recognition of the need for justice for the Palestinians can be brought about only “by bringing Israeli society to their knees, like was done with white South African society… through severe sanctions, closure of all diplomatic missions, ending all trade and all commerce”, and making sure that Israel does not participate in any international sports, academic or cultural events.

Britain’s media: Timid, deficient and biased

Retired British media executive Grahame Perrie analyses the possible reasons for the British media’s inadequate reporting of the Palestine-Israel conflict, the Russia-Ukraine war and elsewhere, including failure to challenge the politically-motivated definition of anti-Semitism, skirting around vital issues that are critical to understanding a story, and lack of investigative journalism in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Tunisia: Back to the future?

Tunisian analyst Dr Ali Chokri looks at why President Kais Saied decided in July 2021 to suspend parliament and freeze political activities pending a new constitution, why that constitution – adopted in a low turnout referendum – is so controversial, and the present economic and security situations in Tunisia.