Arab World

By Lucy DerTavitian | (Informed Comment) | – – The battle over Mosul appears to have ignited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s expansionist Ottoman era fantasies. He gained a few more adversaries recently when he claimed that Mosul, along with Aleppo, Western Thrace in Greece, and Kosovo, are part of Turkey. Erdogan’s comments come at […]

Displaced and Refugees

In Trump’s Shadow, is East Aleppo on Verge of falling to Regime, Russia?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | – – In the wake of the election of Donald Trump, the regime of Bashar al-Assad and its Russian backer have thrown caution to the wind. No less than the Republican Congress, Damascus and Moscow know that Barack Obama is a lame duck. Understanding that Trump campaigned on giving Syria to […]

Arab World

Fidel Castro’s Top Moments in the Middle East

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Fidel Castro is dead at 90. He presided over the only pro-USSR Communist state in the Western Hemisphere, and was therefore a thorn in the side of Washington, which insists on hegemony and capitalism in the New World. Castro was the last of the Communist guerrillas […]

Displaced and Refugees

WikiLeaks Yemen Files Unmask Washington’s Bloody Role

contributors

TeleSur | – – More than 10,000 – mostly civilians – have been killed and more than 3 million have been displaced in the conflict. Whistleblowing organization Wikileaks on Friday dropped yet another batch of files, this time detailing evidence of the United States arming, training and financing Yemeni forces in the build up to […]

Displaced and Refugees

Raining Bombs: Mosul Fight hits Trapped Civilians

contributors

By a Special Correspondent | Mosul | (Niqash.org) | – – Inside their homes, a lack of food and water; outside, bombs, snipers and crossfire. Yet many Mosul locals are choosing to stay in the city, even though it’s a war zone. Despite the fact that extremists have been driven out of their Mosul neighbourhood, […]

Human Rights Watch

Iraq: Hundreds of Police bodies found in ISIS Mass Grave

contributors

Human Rights Watch | – – Witnesses Describe Executions (Erbil) – A mass grave discovered near Mosul by Iraqi Security Forces on November 7, 2016, most likely contains the bodies of at least 300 former local police officers executed by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Witnesses said that they believe that at the […]

Iraq

After ISIL, is there any hope of Iraqi National Unity?

contributors

Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – The fight against the [so-called] Islamic State [group, or IS] has united Iraqis. Details of a new Shiite-sponsored plan that will try and make that unity last leaked in Baghdad last week. If the extremist group that caused Iraq’s current security crisis starting mid-2014, have done […]

Donald Trump

Syria’s al-Assad: Trump “a natural ally”

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – In an interview with Portugal television Wednesday, according to al-Hayat, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad said that Donald Trump will be “a natural ally” for Damascus if his administration fights “terrorism.” Asked if he was prepared to work with Trump, al-Assad said, “Naturally, I say that is […]

Displaced and Refugees

Dear Mayor Giuliani: We can’t turn our backs on Syrian Refugees

contributors

Akil Awan | (Informed Comment) | – – I recently visited Jordan as part of my work on political violence and youth radicalisation for the United Nations on Security Council Resolution 2250. Jordan borders Syria to its north, and although Jordanians display a remarkable sense of normalcy in their everyday lives, visitors cannot really escape […]