Fading ISIL in Syria lashes out, kills 128 in reprisals as Gov’t takes back Town
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The so-called Islamic State group of Syria…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The so-called Islamic State group of Syria…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump-style ignorance and faux pas are spreading,…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Hate crimes are up 30% in the…
Foreign Policy
Fading ISIL in Syria lashes out, kills 128 in reprisals as Gov’t takes back Town
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The so-called Islamic State group of Syria and Iraq, which locals call Daesh (in US, it is ISIS or ISIL), needs a new…Sen. Lindsey Graham surprised at US Troops in Niger? He could have read Nick Turse
By Jon Queally, staff writer. | ( Commondreams.org) " - - Graham Should Read More Nick Turse, TomDispatch, and Common Dreams. What U.S. Senators Don't Know (and Neither Do You) About What…Kuwait, Terrified of Gulf Depression, Frantically Mediating Saudi-Qatar Crisis
Nicolai Due-Gundersen | (The Conversation) | - - A blockade against Qatar by its Gulf neighbours is now in its fifth month. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates severed…Iraqi PM Rebukes Tillerson on Popular Mobilization Militia
TeleSur | - - "Popular Mobilisation fighters should be encouraged because they will be the hope of country and the region," Abadi said. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has defended the role…Tillerson tells Iraqi Shiite Militias to “go home.” Sad.
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump-style ignorance and faux pas are spreading, with Tillerson making missteps on Iraq. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for…Will China’s New Silk Road jump-start the World Economy?
Shang-Jin Wei | (Project Syndicate) | - - In recent years, many of the world’s most influential countries have turned inward, with politicians promising protectionism, immigration restrictions, and even border walls. But,…Extremists, So-Called Muslims, bomb Mosques in Afghanistan, Killing Dozens
TeleSur | - - Over the past week, the Taliban has led a number of attacks in the country. Suicide bombers have attacked two mosques in Afghanistan, killing at least 72 people, including…Will Egypt’s Jailed Youth Activists Ever See Justice?
Netizen Report | (Global Voices Online) | - - On 19 October, Egypt’s highest court of appeal postponed the trial of prominent activist and blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah to 8 November.…Last counties in Kirkuk fall to Iraqi Gov’t as Sistani calls for protection of Kurdish Citizens
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Iraqi military and its Shiite militia auxiliaries have completed their reassertion in Kirkuk. The last pockets of resistance fell as units advanced…Iran Deal: 67% of US Citizens Don’t Want to Pull Out
TeleSur | - - U.S. President Donald Trump said last week he wants to “decertify” the agreement. A CNN poll has found that 67 percent of U.S. citizens don’t want Washington to…Are China and N. Korea biggest Winners from Trump dissing Iran Deal?
Neil Thompson | (Informed Comment) | - - The recent move by President Trump to unilaterally decertify Iran under the 2015 nuclear agreement has predictably caused tensions between Iran and the West…Why is Saudi Arabia suddenly so paranoid?
By James L. Gelvin | (The Conversation) | - - In the past, Saudi Arabia depended upon its enormous oil wealth and the United States for its security. It used the former…Kirkuk Kurds Anguished about Future of Province
By Shalaw Mohammed | (Niqash.org) | (Kirkuk) | - - People in the northern city of Kirkuk have lived through a lot, including attacks by the Islamic State. But for many, last…Iran’s Khamenei: We’ll observe Deal if Europe does, despite “Charlatan,” Trump
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Iran's clerical Leader, Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday that he did not intend to engage in a tit for tat with Donald Trump,…Is racial bias driving Trump’s neglect of Puerto Rico?
By Lauren Lluveras | (The Conversation) | - - The morning after Hurricane Maria blasted through Puerto Rico, I emailed my aunt to ask if she was safe. That was Sept. 21.…Burma: New Satellite Images Confirm Mass Destruction of Rohingya
Human Rights Watch | - - 288 Villages, Tens of Thousands of Structures Torched (New York) – Newly released satellite images reveal that at least 288 villages were partially or totally destroyed…ISIL was ended not by Trump or Obama but by Muslims
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Raqqa, the capital of the ISIL phony "caliphate" in eastern Syria, has completely fallen, according to a spokesman for the US-backed Syrian Democratic…“Tell me how this Ends”- Gen. Petraeus has decided Forever War Doesn’t
By Tom Engelhardt | ( Tomdispatch.com | - - It took 14 years, but now we have an answer. It was March 2003, the invasion of Iraq was underway, and Major General…3 ways Trump’s nuclear strategy misunderstands Iran’s Mood
By Nancy Gallagher | (The Conversation) | - - U.S. President Donald Trump has refused to tell Congress that the 2015 nuclear deal the Obama administration reached with Iran and five other…No, It Wasn’t Iran: Top 7 Reasons Baghdad took Kirkuk
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Iraqi Army and its Shiite militia adjuncts have taken Kirkuk city and raised the Iraqi flag over the state house, taking down…