Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On Monday, the Levant Liberation Council (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham/ HTS) guerrilla forces extended their rule to Latakia, Syria’s major port, in the northwest of the country. One Syrian source maintained that there was an uprising of anti-Assad Alawites in Latakia, and that HTS rebels had not entered the city. Other […]
Archives for December 2024
The world owes Palestine this much – please stop censoring Palestinian Voices
( Middle East Monitor ) – Social media censorship is a global phenomenon, but the war on pro-Palestinian views on social media represents a different kind of censorship, with consequences that can only be described as dire. Long before the current devastating war on Gaza and the escalation of Israeli violence and repression in the […]
Abu Mohammed al-Golani may become the face of post-Assad Syria – but who is he and why does he have $10M US bounty on his head?
By Sara Harmouch, American University (The Conversation) – The fall of President Bashar al-Assad has left a critical question: After a half-century of brutal dynastic rule has come to an end, who speaks for Syrians now? One group staking a major claim for that role is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which, under the leadership of Abu […]
Assad’s Fall is a Reminder that Russia is not a Global power but a Regional One
Trabzon, Turkey (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – When former U.S. President Barack Obama referred to Russia as a “regional power” at the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, he minimized Moscow’s global influence while recognizing its ability to a have an impact on events within its immediate vicinity. Obama further downplayed the notion […]
The sectarian Risk: Turkiye’s Syrian Mission
by Dr Binoy Kampmark ( Middle East Monitor ) – Turkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan must be delighted about what is unfolding in Syria, though it is a feeling bound to be tempered by swiftly changing circumstances. Iran’s Shia proxies have been weakened by relentless Israeli targeting and bombing. Russia’s eyes and resources are turned towards […]
Is Piers Morgan normalizing Israel’s Genocide?
( Counterpunch ) – Since October 7, 2023, white settler propaganda has ramped up through two insidious tactics targeting western audiences. The first rationalizes Israel’s brutality under the pretext of “self-defense” of a supposed “civilized” western democracy in a barbaric region, exploiting the conflation of Zionism with Judaism and dehumanizing all Palestinian people as “terrorists” […]
Syrians finally Won the Arab Spring; Can they avoid Pitfalls and Win Democracy?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Syrian Revolution of 2024 has succeeded in deposing the al-Assad dynasty, in power since 1970, throwing off the rule of the once mighty Syrian Socialist Baath Party, a feared and murderous one-party state. Rebel forces streamed into the capital, Damascus, Sunday morning, facing no significant resistance from government troops, […]
Trump is Already Rewarding Fossil Fuel CEOs; That’s not Good for Consumers or the Planet
If you think fossil fuel profits lead to better prices, then look again at the Biden administration. ( Otherwords.org ) – During his campaign, Donald Trump publicly promised to reward oil and gas executives handsomely in exchange for funding his campaign. Within weeks of winning the election, he’s making good on his promise by tapping […]
On Climate Change, the International Court of Justice faces a pivotal Choice
By Claudia Ituarte-Lima, Lund University (The Conversation) – What legal obligations do states have to fight climate change? Should high-emitting countries be held responsible for the harm they’ve caused? And should states safeguard the climate for future generations? The international court of justice (ICJ) is considering similar questions to these in hearings ahead of issuing […]