By Nader Habibi and Harith Hasan Al-Qarawee | (The Conversation) | – – The sudden launch of Russia’s military operations in Syria late last month caught the United States and regional players by surprise. It began with an announcement that defined the primary objective of the mission as a confrontation with the Islamic State (ISIS) […]
Archives for October 2015
Al-Qaeda in Syria Leader: Kill Alawite Minority, Russians; Christians fear West Backs Him
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The leader of al-Qaeda in Syria, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, has called for an escalation in attacks on the population centers of the Alawite Shiite minority. The president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, and other leading members of the ruling Baath Party belong to this folk sect of […]
Still underestimating al-Qaeda & Taliban despite 1500 Military Analysts
By Tom Engelhardt | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | – – That figure stunned me. I found it in the 12th paragraph of a front-page New York Times story about “senior commanders” at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) playing fast and loose with intelligence reports to give their air war against ISIS an unjustified sheen of success: […]
Read their lips: Israeli leaders’ plans for the Palestinians
By: Samah Sabawi | (Ma’an News Agency) | – – History in the Holy Land seems stuck in a loop. In 2000, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, at the time leader of the opposition, visited the Al-Aqsa compound in a deliberate provocation that triggered the Second Intifada. Israel launched operation “Defensive Shield” to crush […]
Trans-Pacific partnership raises the barriers for the access to affordable medicines
By Carlos M. Correa | (Inter Press Service) | – – GENEVA (IPS) – The pharmaceutical industry from the US and Europe scored a major victory with the adoption, in 1994, of a binding agreement on intellectual property (Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights – TRIPS) in the context of the nascent […]
” ‘Homeland’ is Racist”: Showtime hijacked by Egyptian graffiti artists:
Ian Lee | (CNN Video News Report) | – – “Egyptian graffiti artists, who were asked to add authenticity to the show “Homeland,” managed to sneak in some mocking Arabic slogans. CNN’s Ian Lee reports.” CNN: “‘Homeland’ hijacked by Egyptian graffiti artists”
Iran in Syria? Reports its Troops plan Idlib, Aleppo Campaigns
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Jordanian newspaper al-Ghad (Tomorrow) is reporting that the commander of the Jerusalem Brigade of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards has been spotted near Latakia, urging on a volunteer militia of Alawite Shiites. The report comes as AP says it was told by a senior Western official […]
Education under occupation: everyday disruption at a Palestinian university
Brendan Browne | (The Conversation) | – – As the clock moves towards 12.45pm I begin to anxiously await the flurry of emails that I’ve come to expect in advance of my 2pm class. The class is on law and human rights. Students email to say that a deterioration in the security situation means they […]
Israeli forces deployed around E. Jerusalem as Tensions over Colonization Rise
Ma’an News Agency | – – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Several Palestinians were detained and checkpoints were set up at the entrances to Palestinian neighborhoods on Wednesday as Israeli officials launched punitive measures across occupied East Jerusalem following a string of attacks. Israeli forces raided the al-Issawiya and Jabal al-Mukabbir neighborhoods early Wednesday and detained 12 […]