This website was first launched on October 9, 2009.

Welcome to CRETHIPLETHI.com

CrethiPlethi is a non-profit, non-partisan online magazine on Middle Eastern affairs produced by the Middle East Affairs Information Center based in the Netherlands. CrethiPlethi is run and produced on a voluntary basis by an editorial team and expanding pool of contributors committed to discussing the Middle East, Israel, the Arab World, SouthWest Asia and the (Islamic) Maghreb. The site currently publishes posts both in English and in Dutch.

CrethiPlethi provides an unique source of insight, background, opinion and independent analysis on the Middle East. Topics include Middle East Politics, Culture, Defense, Democracy, Diplomacy, Economy, Energy, History, Media, Religion, Security, (Islamic) Terrorism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Israeli-Palestinian Issues and much more.

Ongoing Middle Eastern issues involving Arab, Israeli and Palestinian issues, (Islamic) Terrorism, revolutionary Islamism, Iran’s nuclear program and other regional security and stability issues are threatening regional (and world) peace and continue to dominate the world press, where there is little optimism it will and can be resolved speedily. Many of these issues are also fueled by anti-Western and anti-Israeli ideology in the Middle East and even in the rest of the world.

Moreover, misunderstanding these Middle Eastern issues are even more threatening to our democracy and freedom as it causes our governments’ inadequate dealing with these issues and failing to understand what’s really happening in the Middle East — and as result failing to recognize errors in international Middle East policies — being unable to correct them.

The leaders of our world are facing many challenges, it is therefore essential to deal with the Middle East as a whole, since Middle Eastern issues, the Israel-Palestinian conflict, revolutionary Islamism, Iran’s nuclear threat, security, defense and energy policy can only be understood in this context.

For this reason, we believe it’s essential to be informed beyond the headlines with facts, backgrounds and analysis on Middle Eastern news as it happens. Therefore we see it as our task to help inform the public, the media, bloggers, NGO’s, policymakers and organizations around the world about the Middle East region. In this respect, we want to maintain an independent and balanced point of view.

CrethiPlethi does not receive any funding from any government or organization. At this moment, we are in the process of expanding our services into a legally constituted non-governmental organization (NGO). We are supported only by contributions from private individuals. All received funds are used to promote the mission of our website.

Write with us! If you are a writer/expert/academic on Middle East Affairs or a journalist, author or blogger and feel like sharing your views and opinions with the world about the Middle East, then consider becoming a Guest Writer for CrethiPlethi.com. You can help us to bring factual and balanced news, articles, opinion and analysis on Middle East Affairs. Contact us for more information on how you can write for us.

Work with us! We are in the process to set up a professional media and research organization focusing on Middle Eastern affairs to provide you with an accurate view of Middle Eastern issues. If you endorse our mission and want to join, support or fund our project, contact us for more information on how we can work together.