Arab World

Mustafa Habib | ( Niqash.org ) | – – The biggest problem in eastern Mosul, post-extremists, is security. The Iraqi army needs to move on, to fight in western Mosul, but they cannot leave the eastern city to a variety of militias, fighting among themselves. The praise for the hard fighting that Iraq’s pro-government forces […]

Africa

In Shocker, Federal Judge in Seattle Halts Trump Muslim Ban

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – When Trump issued his executive order halting immigration from seven countries, suspending the refugee program, and banning Syrian refugees indefinitely, I wrote that he might well get away with it, since the judiciary tends to defer to the executive on issues of national security and on […]

Donald Trump

Taking Iraq’s Oil

contributors

By Edward Hunt | (Foreign Policy in Focus | Originally published in Lobelog. Trump wants Iraq’s oil, and he’s not interested in sharing. The leaders of the United States have provided many reasons for their numerous interventions in Iraq. President Donald Trump has focused on one thing: the United States should take the country’s oil. […]

Donald Trump

Trumpworld Fake News: Iran attacks US Navy, Iraqis Massacre Bowling Green

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – So I was watching Chris Matthews’ Hardball on MSNBC Thursday evening and Matthews had Kellyanne Conway on to defend Trump’s disastrous first two weeks. For some reason, Matthews declines to challenge her when she flat-out lies, although he is quick to get in the face of […]

Iraq

In West Mosul, ISIL Extremists pledge ‘Divine Intervention’ will Defeat Iraqi, US Forces

contributors

Special Correspondent | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – In eastern Mosul, Iraqi pro-government forces are organizing themselves to begin to fight against the so-called Islamic State [group] [IS]. In western Mosul, civilians do their best to survive a siege and extremists step up their propaganda. On the western side of the city of Mosul, […]

Donald Trump

Trump sends heavier weapons to Leftist Syrian Kurds to Fight ISIL

contributors

TeleSur | – – A Syrian militia led by the Kurdish leftist group YPG said they received armored vehicles from the U.S. military, the first such support. The U.S. has boosted support for its Syrian ally, Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, alliance, supplying them with armored vehicles for the first time as they prepare for a […]

Displaced and Refugees

The Trump Effect: What will happen to 3 mn Syrian Refugees in Turkey?

contributors

By Katharine Jones and Esra Kaytaz | (The Conversation) | – – On Holocaust Memorial Day 2017 and amid the world’s greatest refugee crisis since World War II, Donald Trump imposed a four-month suspension of all refugee admissions into the US and indefinitely banned entry to all Syrian refugees. The president’s executive order suspends the […]

Bush

Trump Visa Denials target same countries Bush vowed to Overthrow

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Trump’s shameful halt to the admission of refugees for 6 months and his 3-month pause in allowing entry to the US from seven countries is being advertised as driven by security concerns. The countries targeted are Syria, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen. What is […]

Featured

Torture works . . . to produce Fake News (and that’s how we Got into Iraq)

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – I told this story back in 2005 but it is a good story, has held up, and bears repeating now that President Trump is again promoting torture as “effective.” Torture is a good way to get people to tell you what they think you want to […]