It will discuss the upheavals in Arab countries since late 2010, the establishment of Islamic regimes in Tunisia,Libya and Egypt and the impact on other Arab states ,notably Syria . It will examine the new domestic and foreign policies of the Islamic regimes and their attempts to create democratic systems. A major case in point will be Egypt where the Muslim Brotherhood government has been recently toppled by huge public demonstrations leading to a military coup. Another major case will be the continuing civil war in Syria and its domestic, regional and international repercussions with special attention to Israel. The lecture will also deal with the strategies of these new Islamic regimes toward the West and Israel against the background of Sunni -Shi'i rift and the Israeli-Palestinian problem.