Iraq

By RFE/RL The Islamic State initially exhibited some restraint after entering northwestern Iraq in June, focusing on establishing control of the territories it held and gaining the trust of local Sunni communities. But as the self-declared caliphate has grown more comfortable in its surroundings, it has revealed its radical aims by destroying anything that conflicts […]

Christianity

The Persecution of Christians by ISIS contradicts idea of a Caliphate

contributors

By Erica C D Hunter, SOAS, University of London – via The Conversation ISIS conquests across northern Iraq have been comprehensive in recent weeks. Taking control of large parts of the region, they declared a Caliphate last month. And one group who have especially suffered at their hands are the Christians that have been a […]

Barack Obama

Israel’s Gaza Campaign Endangers US Security: Why Obama & Kerry are Furious

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole The United States as a great Power is facing a large number of challenges in the Muslim world, and Israel’s Gaza campaign is endangering both American diplomacy there and the very security of the US. Given the series of setbacks for the US in the Middle East, in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and […]

Iraq

Could States Rights & Decentralization Save Iraq?

contributors

niqash | Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | How can a country like Iraq – with its different sects, religions and ethnicities – be governed appropriately? Some are now suggesting that giving all of Iraq’s provinces the powers they were granted by a law amended mid-2013 could be a way out of the current crisis. Local […]

Christianity

Iraq: Christians Say Terror Drove Them From Mosul

contributors

By Abdul Hamid Zebari via RFE/RL Rawan Jinan, a 25-year-old Iraqi Christian, says when she received an order on June 18 to leave Mosul within 24 hours, she could not believe her eyes. The order came in the form of a letter delivered to every Christian home by the Islamic State, formerly known as the […]

Christianity

Mosul w/out Christians for First time in 1,900 Years as Radical Fundamentalists Threaten Minorities

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole For the first time in nearly 2000 years, there are virtually no Christians in the city of Mosul in northern Iraq. The community is reported to have fled en masse after the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) of radical fundamentalists warned them that they faced the choice of converting to Islam, paying a […]

Displaced and Refugees

Blow-Back: How Bush-Cheney Reduced Iraq to Ashes

contributors

By Dahr Jamail [This essay is a joint TomDispatch/Truthout report.] For Americans, it was like the news from nowhere. Years had passed since reporters bothered to head for the country we invaded and blew a hole through back in 2003, the country once known as Iraq that our occupation drove into a never-ending sectarian nightmare. […]

Featured

Falluja and Gaza: Why Counter-Terrorism fails when the Problem is Political

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole There are such things as small terrorist groups that do a lot of harm and lack any significant social or political support. It may well be that such groups can be defeated by counter-terrorism operations. Other so-called terrorist groups are more organic, growing out of the profound suffering and grievances of a […]

Iraq

Kurdish Diva Backs Independence Defies “Islamic State” Fundamentalists

contributors

Via RFE/RL Kurdish pop singer Helly Luv has racked up more than 2.5 million hits since she released her "Risk It All" video in February urging independence for Iraqi Kurds. The video, one of the few ever to appear in English on the subject, makes no bones about its message. "Let me out, let me […]