January 30, 2012 | 5:06 am

Must Read, January 30, 2012

Posted by Shmuel Rosner

(Photo: Reuters)

Syrian Scenarios

In an article for Agence Gobal, Lebanese journalist Rami G. Khouri examines some of the ways the current crisis in Syria could play out. 

“The most common scenario I hear is that tensions and violence will continue to the point in the coming year where economic collapse causes some influential Syrians in the Assad regime to carry out an inside coup, after despairing that Bashar Assad’s leadership can find a political solution to the crisis. ”

Arab Spring breeze swaying Hamas too

Cihan Çelik of Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper looks at the nascent alliance between Hamas and Ankara, and the motivations for it.

“Unfazed over its worsening ties with Israel, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government seems more defiant in its intention of having closer ties with Hamas since the Islamist-led movements in thepro [sic] Middle East and North Africa are gaining more ground in local politics thanks to the ongoing “wind of change” in the region.”

A real debate about Iran

In an article for Foreign Policy, Shlomo Brom, Shai Feldman and Shimon Stein define the questions which need to be answered for any serious consideration what to do about Iran.

“The central question is about deterrence. If efforts to arrest Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons fails and Iran obtains them, will it be possible to deter it from using these weapons? Will Iran’s leaders behave as rational actors so that deterrence—which is based on leaders’ ability to process and be sensitive to potential related costs—could be applied effectively? “

Understanding the BDS Movement

Writing in The Crimson, Avishai Don asserts that the boycott, divestment and sanction campaign over Israel’s policies on the Palestinians is actually a smokescreen for a movement that seeks to remove Israel from the Middle East.

“If you support the BDS movement, you are supporting an organization that is actively working to undermine the Jewish state. Utilizing the vocabulary of international norms, the movement actually systematically attempts to undermine the international consensus that recognizes Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.”

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