Trump, McCabe and our Permanent Constitutional Crisis
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump's conviction that being president means never…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump's conviction that being president means never…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Thousands of civilians fled the southern pocket…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Joann Muller at Forbes, in a piece…
Foreign Policy
From Dead Spies to Dead Syrian Villagers, Russian Denialism on Chemical Attacks
By Brian Whitaker | ( Al-Bab.com) | - - Russia's RT links the Skripal poisoning to British jealousy over hosting of the World Cup There's something uncannily familiar about Russia's propaganda antics…Thousands flee E. Ghouta as Regime Army Advances, Rebels ask for Talks
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Thousands of civilians fled the southern pocket of the East Ghouta suburb of Damascus on Thursday and Friday and Saturday, carrying what few…Israel’s new Jewish state bill ‘institutionalising the apartheid regime’
Middle East Monitor | - - The Israeli Knesset is fast tracking a “nation-state bill” which opposition groups have denounced as “institutionalising the apartheid regime”. Knesset members approved the final draft of…Pompeo’s rise at State will make Mideast war more likely
By Gregory Aftandilian | (The Conversation) | - - After U.S. president Donald Trump fired his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, many analysts have focused on how this high-level ouster took place:…CIA Cables detail New Director’s Role in Torture at Thailand Black Site (Redacted)
Correction: Trump’s Pick to Head CIA Did Oversee torture at Thai black site but Not of Abu ZubaydahOn Feb. 22, 2017, ProPublica published a story that inaccurately described Gina Haspel’s role in…Did United Arab Emirates lobbying instigate Tillerson’s sacking?
Middle East Monitor | - - US President Donald Trump has sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, one week after the BBC obtained emails revealing efforts by the UAE to have him…Pompeo, Big Oil and the attack on Iran Deal
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - All you need to know about Mike Pompeo, the four-term congressman from Kansas who is actually from California, is that most of his…Turkey says US & Kurds will Leave Manbij or Else, Prepares for Iraq Incursion
Middle East Monitor | - - Turkey and the US will oversee the withdrawal of forces allied to the YPG (People’s Protection Units) from the northern Syrian city of Manbij, Turkish Foreign…How Trump is losing in Syria & why Haley is Posturing
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Well, I say Trump is losing, but it isn't clear that Trump has a policy in Syria or cares whether he wins. The…1/3 of Israelis live in Poverty, especially Palestinians & Ultra-Orthodox
Middle East Monitor | - - Israel has one of the highest poverty rates of any developed country with the gap between the rich and the poor ever widening, the Organisation for…Kurdish Civilians pledge to shield Afrin from Turkish Invasion with their Bodies
TeleSur | - - The YPG and allied forces, under the umbrella organization the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), control over 60 percent of the Syrian border with Turkey. The Kurdish residents of…Trump’s US Slams Schoolhouse Door on Palestinian Refugees
By Gordon Brown | (Project Syndicate) | - - The US has decided to withhold more than half of its planned funding for the UNRWA – $65 million of the $125 million…Iranian women risk arrest: Daughters of the revolution
Homa Hoodfar | (The Conversation) | - - In the lead-up to March 8, I am sometimes asked whether we really still need an International Women’s Day (IWD). Though my greatest hope…Saudi Crown Prince Implicated: Credible reports of Torture and Murder in Ritz Carlton: NYT
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The late Saudi Maj. Gen. Ali al-Qahtani is said to have shown up at the morgue from the Riyadh Ritz Carlton where he…Iraq: Al-Sadr & Communist Party ally against Corruption, Iranian Hegemony
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Nativist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, 44, is encouraging members of his Sadr Movement to vote in the upcoming national elections for parliament. "Vote,"…Western Man jailed for “insulting” UAE online
Middle East Monitor | - - A 39-year-old teacher has been jailed and forced “to sign a fake confession” in the UAE following “an electronic insult” on social media. Christian Wilke was…Lebanon: 5 Steps to Improve Women’s Rights
Human Rights Watch | - - Parliament Candidates Should Commit to Reforms (Beirut) – Candidates running in Lebanon’s May 6, 2018 parliamentary elections should commit to five key steps to improve women’s…Surprise withdrawal of Syrian guerrillas from East Ghouta as Regime advances
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Syrian War is largely over, but the regime of Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers appear determined to mop up…Muslim Women at forefront of Science: 70% of Iranian Women Graduates come out with Science Degrees
Middle Eastern Women Leading World's Science, Tech Fields | TeleSur | - - Over half of STEM jobs in several middle eastern countries are held by female professionals. “In wealthy nations, they…Battle of the billboards as Controversial Saudi crown prince arrives in London
By Brian Whitaker | ( Al-Bab.com) | - - The roadside signs show a bearded man in Arab head-dress with the words "He is bringing change to Saudi Arabia". Passing drivers, unless…