A Story of Two Syrian Sieges: Manbij and East Aleppo
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The relatively even-handed Arabic newspaper Oman reports…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The relatively even-handed Arabic newspaper Oman reports…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Josh Rogin of the Washington Post caused…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Pew Research has released a report saying…
Foreign Policy
A Story of Two Syrian Sieges: Manbij and East Aleppo
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The relatively even-handed Arabic newspaper Oman reports that the Syrian Democratic Forces (a mixed Kurdish and Arab group) advanced further into the city…Iranian Fighters in Syria Hailed as Martyrs, Shrine-Defenders by Hard Liners
By Golnaz Esfandiari | (RFE/RL) | - - In late May, Iranian state and Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officials turned out in force at a state funeral in Ardebil Province. Revolutionary…Gaza: Turkey to Build Seawater Desalination Plant
By IMEMC | - - The Turkish Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs announced, Tuesday, that Turkey is to establish a seawater desalination plant to solve water crisis, estimating the coast of…Is Turkey making a 180° Turn, warming to al-Assad & abandoning Saudi & Rebels?
TeleSur | - - The two countries had been allies before the 2011 uprising in Syria. Turkey is seeking to normalize relations with its neighbor Syria, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said…Is Kerry Right? Are Freemen of Syria and Army of Islam Radical Terrorists?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Josh Rogin of the Washington Post caused a stir by noticing something Secretary of State John Kerry said at Aspen last month. Kerry…Is Religion really Driving Middle East Violence?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Pew Research has released a report saying that "As a whole, the region continued to have the highest levels of religious hostilities in…Why are Saudi-led Airstrikes Targeting Civilian Factories in Yemen?
Human Rights Watch | - - Unlawful Attacks Harm Economy, Show Need for Victim Compensation (Beirut) Saudi Arabia-led coalition airstrikes have unlawfully hit numerous factories, warehouses, and other civilian economic structures in…Israeli cabinet approves $12.8 million to ‘strengthen’ Kiryat Arba squatter settlement on Palestinian Land
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Israeli cabinet approved on Sunday a 50 million shekel ($12.8 million) plan to “strengthen” the illegal Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba in…Is Iran winning their Mideast Cold War with Saudi Arabia?
By Robert Harvey | (Project Syndicate) | - - LONDON – A cold war is taking place in a very hot place. A key component of the sectarian competition between Shia and…Kurdish Women Fighting ISIL Send Solidarity to BlackLivesMatter
TeleSur | - - "You are among the most radical voices in today's racist, sexist, capitalist world," the YPJ wrote to Black Lives Matter. Fighters from the Kurdish Women's Defense Units or…Syrian Troops foil al-Qaeda riposte in Aleppo as France warns al-Qaeda could replace ISIL
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Even as the Syrian army defeated a counter-offensive by al-Qaeda in Syria and its battlefield allies at Aleppo, French President Francois Hollande warned…Why you can’t explain the Iraq War without mentioning oil
By Bulent Gökay | (The Conversation) | - - Well before the US and UK led the invasion of Iraq, the two countries were under suspicion about their intentions for Iraq’s oil.…Palestinian mayor: West Bank water crisis worsened by decaying infrastructure
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- An ongoing water crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory has been exacerbated by neglected infrastructure, the mayor of a town in the southern…Obama to Send 4000 US Troops to Bolster NATO Force Against Russia ‘Aggression’
TeleSur | - - The western military bloc has been increasing its presence and activity around Russian borders. Polish President Andrzej Duda welcomed on Friday the decision of NATO to station a…If East Aleppo Falls to Regime, is the Syrian War over?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Reuters is reporting that the Syrian Arab Army and its Shiite militia allies have taken Malah Farms to the northwest of the city…The other Casualty of Iraq War: The Country’s Whole Health System
Ahmed Aber | (The Conversation) | - - Thirteen years ago, American and British troops launched Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Iraqis were promised freedom from tyranny, but the subsequent destruction of the…Goodbye to Abbas Kiarostami, a Filmmaking Legend Whose Vision ‘Transversed His Persian Roots’
By Mahsa Alimardani | ( Global Voices) | - - News trickled out of a Paris hospital on the evening of 4 July that Iranian cinematic auteur Abbas Kiarostami lost his battle…Israeli commander testifies: soldier unjustified in point-blank Hebron execution
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- An Israeli army commander testified on Wednesday in the ongoing trial of Elor Azarya, an Israeli soldier accused of shooting and killing a prone Palestinian in Hebron in March,…Surprise! It was a War Crime
By Rebecca Gordon | (Informed Comment) | - - So now it’s official. The British Chilcot Report confirms what the world has known for 13 years: the invasion of Iraq was a…The Iraq War Never Ended: An Interview with Anand Gopal
An Interview with Anand Gopal by Charles Davis | ( TeleSur) | - - The United States is winning the war on terror, just as it always has. The Islamic State group…