Arab World

By Crofton Black and Abigail Fielding-Smith | ( The Bureau of Investigative Journalism ) | – – The Pentagon gave a controversial UK PR firm over half a billion dollars to run a top secret propaganda programme in Iraq, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism can reveal. Bell Pottinger’s output included short TV segments made in […]

Featured

Syria Quagmire: Has Russia Accomplished anything in a year of Bombing?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Alarabiya says that Russia has killed over 3,000 civilians in its bombing raids of the past year. BBC Monitoring translated an article by Mikhail Khodarenok at the Gazeta.ru site from 23 September that tries to explain why any decisive victory in Syria has eluded Russia during […]

Saudi Arabia

Saudi women demand full rights, end to guardianship system

contributors

By Sarah Aziza | ( Waging Nonviolence ) | – – In Saudi Arabia, a country many view as synonymous with gender discrimination, women are seeing signs of change. While a few top-down reforms have come in recent years — the right to vote in municipal elections, for example, was introduced by King Abdullah in […]

Featured

How the JASTA override on Saudi could Bite Americans in the Ass

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – President Obama vetoed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, but Congress has for the first time in his presidency over-ridden his veto. This is a disastrous law with potentially ruinous effects on the US economy and US policy. Individual tort suits against other countries had […]

Syria

Syro-Russian Hospital Bombings in Aleppo “War Crimes,” worse than Slaughterhouse- Ban Ki-moon

contributors

By TeleSur | – – Western media reports that the airstrikes were conducted by Syrian or Russian aircraft as part of an offensive launched by President Bashar al-Assad. At least six people were killed in airstrikes on two hospitals in rebel-controlled [East] Aleppo, Reuters reported Wednesday, and the World Health Organization confirmed that both Syrian […]

Featured

The Presidential Debate that did not really Happen

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Regular readers will know that in my view the 2016 presidential election did not happen. Likewise, the first debate between the two candidates did not take place. There was no debate as the word is usually understood, where the two take turns setting out policy positions. […]

Featured

Syria, Russia push to take East Aleppo pocket as airstrikes kill 66, wound 200

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Only a week after seeming to agree to a ceasefire, Russia and the Syrian regime in Damascus appear to have decided to throw caution to the winds and simply wipe out the pocket of rebel resistance in East Aleppo. If the regime has all of Aleppo, […]

Copts

Egypt: New Church Law Discriminates Against Christians

contributors

By Human Rights Watch | – – Authorities Fail to Prevent, Punish Violent Attacks (Tunis) – A long-awaited new law maintains restrictions over the construction and renovation of churches and discriminates against the Christian minority in Egypt. The law, passed by Egypt’s parliament on August 30, 2016, applies only to Christian houses of worship. Recent […]

Iraq

ISIL used Chem on US Troops in Iraq; but this time US Gov’t isn’t talking WMD

contributors

By Michelle Bentley | (The Conversation) | – – The group known as Islamic State (IS) reportedly used a sulpur-mustard gas against US troops in Iraq. It was detected in a black oily substance found on a rocket fired at an American airbase in Qayyarah, south of the city of Mosul. None of the soldiers […]