Arab World

By Russ Wellen | ( Foreign Policy in Focus) | – – As time passes, whatever responsibility Americans took for atrocities in Iraq, which are ongoing, has almost completely disappeared. The word “genie” comes from the Arab jinni. As every child knows, it describes a creature that, when summoned, fulfills your wishes. Doesn’t it seem […]

Featured

Erdogan Threatened Europe with Refugees, now Demanding US abandon Syrian Kurds

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Reuters reports that Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan allegedly bullied European leaders and threatened to drown Europe in refugees if his terms were not met. He wanted 6 Bn Euros to keep the 2.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey happy enough in that country to discourage them […]

Fossil Fuels

Oil Dictator Dominos

contributors

By Bill Emmott | Project Syndicate | – – LONDON – Price movements as large and rapid as those that have upended oil markets since June 2014 are sure to cause pain to some and benefit others. Though the pain tends to capture the most attention, the benefit is just as important – if not […]

Bashar al-Assad

Russia, Syria Daily using Cluster Bombs in Attacks: HRW

contributors

Human Rights Watch | – – (Beirut) – The Syrian-Russian joint military operation in Syria has included the use of internationally banned cluster munitions in at least 14 attacks across five governorates since January 26, 2016. The attacks killed at least 37 civilians, including six women and nine children, and wounded dozens. The International Syria […]

Featured

Israel frets about “Iran as Neighbor” if Aleppo falls & al-Assad Regime Wins

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – An Arabic site that aggregates Facebook and other social media postings reports that Israeli officials are filled with anxiety and consternation about the possibility that the regime of Bashar al-Assad will conquer Aleppo with Russian and Iranian help, and will go on to reconstitute itself. It […]

Saudi Arabia

Says Syria: Any invading Saudi Troops Would Return Home in ‘Coffins’

contributors

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 […]