Arab World

TeleSur | – – The Syrian foreign minister also accused Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar of undermining the U.N. peace talks. Any ground troops who would “attack or violate” Syria’s sovereignty would return to their countries in a “wooden coffin,” the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem told reporters Saturday, a few days after Saudi Arabia […]

Archaeology

The Deep History of Iran – Arabian Relations (I)

contributors

By Khodadad Rezakhani | ( Mizan ) | – – This essay is an attempt at collecting some thoughts on an important historical event and its related historiographical questions. It is not written with the intention of providing definitive answers to the larger questions surrounding the Arab conquests or the specific case of the fall […]

Bashar al-Assad

Syria Rebels face Collapse as Thousands flee North Aleppo

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – On Friday, the Syrian Arab Army and its Hizbullah and Iranian/ Afghan allies made further progress in taking the area just north of Aleppo. They were apparently mainly fighting al-Qaeda, which had a stronghold in the city of Ratyan. The Russians subjected it to intensive bombing […]

censorship

End of Research in Egypt? The murder of my friend Giulio Regeni is an attack on academic freedom

contributors

By Neil Pyper | (the Conversation) | The body of Giulio Regeni was discovered in a ditch in Cairo on February 2, showing evidence of torture, and a slow and horrific death. Giulio was studying for a PhD at the University of Cambridge, and was carrying out research on the formation of independent trade unions […]

Bashar al-Assad

Syria: The Mother of all Battles for Aleppo is Joined

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Aided by a massive Russian bombing campaign and Hizbullah and Iranian (or likely actually Afghan) reinforcements, the Syrian Arab Army has broken out of the siege imposed on West Aleppo by rebel forces toward the north, and now seems positioned to besiege East Aleppo, which is […]

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia ‘Ready’ to send Thousands of Ground Troops to Syria

contributors

TeleSur | – – The Saudi military said it is ready to contribute thousands of troops to Syria as part of the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State group coalition. Saudi Arabia, already involved in a large aerial and ground operation in Yemen, said it would be willing to send more ground troops to Syria to fight the […]

Featured

The Final Breakup of Iraq? Barzani calls for Kurdistan Referendum

contributors

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masoud Barzani, has called for an immediate non-binding referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan over whether its people want to secede from Iraq and form an independent Kurdish state. A delegation from the KRG visited Baghdad yesterday, as well, headed by […]

Russia

Could Saudi Arabia’s grip on oil prices bring Russia to its knees?

contributors

James Henderson | (The Conversation) | – – When Saudi Arabia led an OPEC decision to end a restraint put on oil production in November 2014, it marked the beginning of a new era in oil economics. It has given us a tumbling oil price, prompted huge losses and job cuts at oil firms like […]

Climate Change

“Ai Weiwei Will Not Let You Forget About Europe’s Refugee Crisis (AJ+)”

Nicholas Kolenda

Al Jazeera+ reminds the world about the ongoing refugee crisis sparked by a mass exodus of peoples from Syria…