By Mansoor Moaddel Several nationally representative surveys carried out in Iraq between 2004 and 2013 provide important facts about Iraqi orientations toward secular politics, basis of identity, Americans, and Iranians. These facts have serious implications for the territorial integrity of Iraq, support for an Islamic government, and the U.S. policy toward the country. These surveys […]
Pakistan Needs Regional and Global Alliances to Fight the Extremists
By Muqtedar Khan Pakistan on Sunday launched another military operation — Zarb-e-Azb — against the extremists in Waziristan. The name of the operation means sharp and cutting or surgical. This is not the first such operation and perhaps will not be the last of its kind. But if this one is executed well, it may […]
Israeli Occupation Army harasses Palestinians on Pretext of Missing Settler Youth
Palestinian families bear brunt as Israel hunts teens (via AFP) It was the sound of the front door being kicked in that woke the Izrayqat family early Wednesday as Israeli troops barged into their home in Taffuh village near Hebron. Even the four children were sleeping because school had ended and the summer holidays… […]
It’s come to this: Fox News brings on NFL’s Terry Bradshaw for Benghazi analysis
Fox News on Wednesday continued its multi-year obsession with the terrorist attack in Benghazi by inviting NFL football analyst and former quarterback Terry Bradshaw to weigh in. Out Numbered host Andrea Tantaros began the segment by highlighting a…
Iraq is more like N. Ireland than Lebanon, Reconciliation is Possible
By Jocelyne Cesari The attack of The Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) on Mossul and its march on Baghdad has taken the international community by surprise and raised the possibility of another US intervention in Iraq, with the hope it could prevent the downfall of the country into a sectarian war. Such […]
Torture: What’s Race Got to do with It?
By Rebecca Gordon June is Torture Awareness Month, so this seems like a good time to consider some difficult aspects of torture people in the United States might need to be aware of. Sadly, this country has a long history of involvement with torture, both in its military adventures abroad and within its borders. A […]
Torturing for the Nation
By Ariel Dorfman via Tomdispatch.com According to an Amnesty International Poll released in May, 45% of Americans believe that torture is “sometimes necessary and acceptable” in order to “gain information that may protect the public.” Twenty-nine percent of Britons “strongly or somewhat agreed” that torture was justified when asked the same question. For someone like me, […]
America Has Gained Almost 1 Million Healthcare Jobs Since Obamacare Was Passed
Ask any Republican about the link between the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and job growth in America and they’ll tell you that Obamacare is ruining our economy and robbing good people of jobs. Of course, that just isn’t true. According to Forbes…
Dear GOP: Captured Benghazi Suspect Says He Was Inspired By Video
Abu Khatalla, the captured suspected ringleader of the September 11, 2012 Benghazi attack, says it was the much-discussed video that inspired him to act. What he did in the period just before the attack has remained unclear. But Mr. Abu Khattala told…