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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Donald Trump alleged this weekend that “of course” the Middle East would be more stable if dictators like Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi were still around or if Bashar al-Assad could be restored in Syria. The mistake Mr. Trump is making is to think ahistorically, that […]

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Facing ISIL Propaganda, Russia Denies its Syria Campaign is a “Holy War”

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Remember when George W. Bush lapsed and called his Iraq War a “crusade?” He had to back off that religious rhetoric really quickly because he needed Muslim allies. Now the Russian Orthodox Church has made a similar error. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin said that his church supports […]

Bashar al-Assad

Syria: Is there a Russian-Iranian Dispute over Fate of al-Assad?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Russia and Iran don’t see eye to eye about the future of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad after their military intervention in the civil war, according to correspondent Basil Muhammad of the Kuwaiti dailiy al-Siyasah (“Politics”). Mr. Muhammad says he interviewed a member of the Iraqi parliament […]

Bashar al-Assad

Deal with Saudis? Why does the US care if Russia bombs al-Qaeda and its Allies in Syria?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – President Obama on Friday pledged not to turn Syria into an arena for a proxy war between the US and the Russian Federation. But he went on to criticize president Vladimir Putin for attempting to prop up Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad and predicted that Syria under […]

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Mercer, targeting Christians, kills 1/3 the annual gunshot death toll in England

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The shooter at Umpqua Community college in Roseberg, Oregon, Chris Harper Mercer, had three hand guns, likely semi-automatics, and an assault rifle. He killed 9 people on campus and wounded at least 7, before he was himself shot and killed. He asked people their religion and […]

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It is Israel that abrogated Oslo Peace Accords, as Netanyahu Boasted

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Mahmoud Abbas, president of Palestine, renounced the Oslo Peace accords Wednesday, on the grounds that Israel itself has long since reneged on every key provision in that agreement. Abbas said, “Thus, we declare that as long as Israel refuses to commit to the agreements signed with […]

Afghanistan

The Final Collapse of Bush’s Nation-Building: Kunduz falls to Taliban

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – On Monday, the Taliban swept into the provincial capital of Kunduz, taking it in half a day from a large and well-equipped Afghan National Army force. Tuesday’s riposte had only mixed success, with the ANA saying it had taken back the (no-empty) prison. An attempt to […]

Barack Obama

Why Obama and Putin are Both Wrong on Syria

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – President Obama seemed awfully defensive in his speech at the United Nations on Monday. The reason is not far to seek. Russia’s Vladimir Putin has surprised Washington by volunteering to get militarily involved in Syria and by arguing that only by enlisting the Baath regime of […]

Bashar al-Assad

Syria: Is Bashar al-Assad winning the Diplomatic War? Rebels Fret

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, widely regarded as a war criminal with tens of thousands of deaths on his hands, is nevertheless on a roll. Russia and Iran, the backers of al-Assad, are not eager to see him go. Russia is now putting in more troops and […]