Arab World

By Joanna Paraszczuk | ( RFE/RL) ) | – – Two Russian-speaking militant groups, including a battalion within Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate the Al-Nusra Front, claim they are preparing to fight Syrian government forces in the central province of Hama. The declarations come three weeks after Russia launched air strikes that initially appeared to help Syrian […]

Iraq War

What if the U.S. had not invaded Iraq in 2003?

contributors

By Peter Van Buren | (Tomdispatch.com) | – – What if the U.S. had not invaded Iraq in 2003? How would things be different in the Middle East today? Was Iraq, in the words of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, the “worst foreign policy blunder” in American history? Let’s take a big-picture tour of the Middle […]

Featured

First US Soldier Killed in Combat with Daesh/ ISIL as 70 Hostages Freed

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | – – A joint operation by US Delta force and Iraqi Kurdish freed 70 captives on Thursday, led to killing of 20 and the capture of 6 Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) forces, and left one US soldier dead. He was the first US military casualty in the struggle between Washington and the […]

Featured

US-Russia wrangle over Iraqi Sphere of influence: Parliament to Weigh In

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi is alleged to be under “enormous pressure” from Shiite militiamen and hardliners to seek Russian airstrikes on Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) targets. On Oct. 1, he had announced that such Russian intervention in his country would be welcome. On Wednesday, the largest […]

Russia

The Real Reason al-Assad Met Putin in Moscow

contributors

By Charles Recknagel | ( RFE/ RL ) | – – Three weeks after the start of Russia’s bombing campaign, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a surprise visit to Moscow. Here is what makes the October 20 meeting significant. First The Bombing, Now The Diplomacy Russia has been […]

Featured

The Aleppo Strategy against Daesh/ ISIL: Can it Work?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Washington Post was the first to broach the issue of Russo-Iranian grand strategy in Syria. It turns out that an Iraqi Shiite militia leader Bashar al-Sa`id, told WaPo that he thinks the road to Mosul runs through Aleppo. I am always suspicious of the assertion […]

Archaeology

Brutal Bombing of Yemen risks Destroying its Cultural Heritage along with Civilian Lives

contributors

Human Rights Watch | – – (Beirut) – Parties to Yemen’s armed conflict should take all necessary measures to protect Sanaa’s Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. International humanitarian law provides special protections to buildings and other structures that are part of humanity’s cultural heritage. Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, has been controlled for the past […]

al-Qaeda

American Hypocrisy: Against Muslim Sharia law at home, Calls it “Moderate” in Syria

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – I just watched the 5 pm news hour on CNN anchored by Wolf Blitzer, and the editors had clearly decided that the lead was that Russian bombing in south Aleppo risks creating a new wave of refugees. They also stuck to the cover story that the […]

Bashar al-Assad

Is the Syrian Crisis Nearing the point where Diplomacy Can make a Difference?

contributors

Jo Comerford and Mattea Kramer | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – Introduction by Tom Engelhardt : Whatever happened to the “imperial presidency”? In mid-September, in the midst of the serial collapse of a $500-million Pentagon program to train “moderate” Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State (ISIS), President Obama suddenly claimed, through White House Press […]