With Russian-American tensions at their highest since the Cold War, Moscow is keen to exploit fissures within the bloc of traditionally U.S.-led Middle Eastern states. These Sunni states are only too keen to realign so long as American influence continues to flag and an emboldened, potentially nuclear-armed Iran remains a distinct if not growing possibility.
With its latest move, the Jordanian government seems keen on ensuring that the only thing its local Brotherhood branch has in common with the greater regional organization is a slow and steady decline.
In other words, the Qatari fatwas that justify the burning to death of an individual as compatible with Islamic law (shari’a) were state-sponsored. Unless powerful regional actors like Qatar do more to stem the flow of incitement from their own backyards, Islamic extremist ideologies will continue to flourish throughout the region. Oren Adaki is a research analyst and Arabic specialist at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where David Andrew Weinberg is a senior fellow.
The IAF’s overture to Hamas may represent an attempt to revive its flagging political fortunes. Hamas, as the de facto sovereign in Gaza, remains one of the region’s most prominent arms of the Brotherhood. Regardless, the IAF’s plea to Hamas is not likely to yield practical results.