Arab World

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s charm offensive in New York allegedly involved meeting Oprah Winfrey, which may be the only canny thing I’ve ever heard of him doing. He also had some religious leaders over to his condominium in NYC to stress the importance of […]

Foreign Policy

Inside the US war in Yemen

contributors

By Reese Erlich | (48Hills.org) | – – The American military and complex Middle East politics create a horrible humanitarian crisis One of the most important US Senate votes in decades took place recently, and few people know it happened. On March 20, Senators voted on whether to stop US support for Saudi Arabia’s vicious […]

Kurds

A Second Palestine? Neo-Ottoman “Sultan” Erdogan Captures Syria’s Kurdish Enclave of Afrin

contributors

By Dr. Mohammed Nuruzzaman | (Informed Comment) | – – Turkey’s capture of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northern Syria has added a new dimension to the highly volatile geopolitical environment in the Middle East. Not only is it a major assault on war-ravaged Syria’s territorial integrity and political sovereignty, the event speaks of […]

Saudi Arabia

Yemen: Thousands Protest 3 Years of West-backed Saudi War

contributors

TeleSur | – – in Since the military offensive began 10,000 people have been killed, and 53,000 wounded. In Yemen‘s capital Sanaa, tens of thousands took to streets Monday to protest “three years of aggression” by Saudi Arabia and its allies in a war that has been backed by several western governments. This March 26 […]

Featured

Apocalyptic Numbers: The Saudi-Trump War on Yemen

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Three years ago this month, the then 29-year-old Minister of Defense of Saudi Arabia (now its crown prince) launched a ruinous war on Yemen. Yemen had been in Saudi Arabia’s back pocket in the 1990s and 2000s, and was a major recipient of Saudi aid, which […]

Bashar al-Assad

Trump Happy, Bolton Sad? Syrian Regime claims 90% of E. Ghouta as 105k civilians Flee

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – One of the last major rebel enclaves in Syria, East Ghouta, is near to falling back completely under the control of the Baath regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The enclave consists of three districts, Harasta, Zamalka-Irbin-Jobar, and Douma, east and south of the capital. Although […]

censorship

Before phony polls, Egypt arrests, expels Times reporter Bel Trew

contributors

Middle East Monitor | – – Egypt has deported a British journalist working for The Times, the newspaper said on Saturday, describing an “increasingly oppressive environment” for media in the country ahead of next week’s presidential election. The Times said its correspondent, 33-year-old Bel Trew who had been based in Cairo for several years, was […]

Iraq

Where did ISIL go? Is it regrouping for an Iraq Comeback?

contributors

Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – The honeymoon is over: After celebrating victory over the extremist [so-called] Islamic State group, Iraqi security forces now have to deal with a new wave of fighters who prepared to start a guerrilla war. The Iraqi army, north of Babylon. (photo: وزارة الدفاع العراقية ) Over […]

Iraq War

The Ongoing Crushing Costs for Americans of the Iraq War

contributors

By Stephanie Savell | (Otherwords.org) | – – Americans spend $32 million per hour on wars started during the Bush administration. This March marked the 15th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. In 2003, President George W. Bush and his advisers based their case for war on the idea that Saddam Hussein, then dictator […]