By Juan Cole | — The US Pentagon is confirming that Iranian F-4 fighter jets have flown bombing missions against Daesh or the so-called ‘Islamic State Group’ in Iraq. They helped Iraqi Shiites take the town of Saadiya back from Daesh late last week. That town is in the ethnically and religiously mixed province of […]
In Rebuke to Israel, French Parliament votes Resolution to Recognize Palestine
Euronews / France24 | — VIDEO 1 (Euronews): “French MPs vote to recognise Palestinian state The French parliament has voted in favour of recognising the state of Palestine by a large majority. MPs voted 339 in favour and 151 against. Israel had earlier urged the French parliament to vote against the resolution. It is a […]
Putin, Blocked by Europe, turns to Turkey for Gas Pipeline
By Juan Cole | — The Russian annexation of Crimea and heavy interference in the Ukraine has had a significant consequence for its hydrocarbon industry. President Vladimir Putin has been forced to cancel a planned natural gas pipeline that would bring the fuel to southern Europe, because of European Union pressure for boycotting Russia. Moscow […]
In Hebron, Palestinian women face down daily settler home invasions
By Alex Shams and Salam Muharam (Ma’an News Agency) The alleyways of the Old City of Hebron leading away from the famed Ibrahimi mosque — where the biblical patriarch Abraham and his family are buried — are almost always eerily quiet. In some directions the covered alleys are blocked off by tin barriers covered in […]
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Bush Admin. Spent Billions on an Iraqi Army with 50,000 “ghost” Soldiers
By Juan Cole | — Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi announced to his parliament on Sunday that inspectors had uncovered 50,000 non-existent soldiers in four divisions of the Iraqi Army. Their pay was presumably being diverted to the officers in the division. This ziggurat of corruption was one reason the army collapsed on June 9, […]
Cairo Erupts as Mubarak, Adly Declared Innocent in Deaths of Protesters
By Juan Cole | — An Egyptian court on Saturday found found deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak and his former interior minister Habib Adly not guilty (or rather just dropped the charges) the killing of nearly 900 young protesters by police in January-February 2011. Downtown Cairo and some provincial towns erupted in protests. Indeed, these were […]
Oil Price Fall: Saudi Arabia targets US Shale Oil, Iran, Iraq, Russia
By Juan Cole It is clear that among the major losers in the fall in the price of Brent crude petroleum from $115 a barrel last summer to about $75 a barrel today are Russia, Iraq and Iran. Petroleum sales are 50% of Russia’s income, and are also central for Iran and Iraq. But the […]
Iran Leader Khamenei: We are not Opposed to Nuclear Talks, Will Accept Just Deal
By Juan Cole | — Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the clerical Leader of Iran, told an assemblage of volunteer paramilitary (Basij) forces on Thursday that he is not opposed to nuclear talks with the P5 +1 and would accept a just and reasonable deal. I said that a breakdown in the talks, which have been extended […]
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