Arab World

By Mehmet Ozalp, Charles Sturt University (The Conversation) – The forgotten Syrian civil war has again flared up with the spectacular capture of Aleppo by opposition forces. A complex set of circumstances created the right time for rebels to strike, plunging Syria into an uncertain future and catching President Bashar al-Assad by surprise. The Syrian […]

Featured

Shiite Iraqi PM to Türkiye: Baghdad will not be a Mere Spectator as Sunni Radicals take Syria

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia’ al-Sudani called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday and read him the riot act about the lightning conquests in northern Syria of Sunni rebels. Al-Sudani cautioned that “Iraq will not be a mere spectator to the grave repercussions of the events taking place in […]

Hizbullah

Truce in Lebanon: Can Diplomacy Rise from the Ruins?

Medea Benjamin and Nicholas J.S. Davies

( Code Pink ) – On November 26th, Israel and Lebanon signed an agreement for a 60-day truce, during which Israel and Hezbollah are both supposed to withdraw from the area of Lebanon south of the Litani River. The agreement is based on the terms of UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the previous […]

Israel

US Arms Used in Illegal Israeli Strike on Lebanese Journalists, raising Questions of American Liability

Human Rights Watch

Three Killed, Four Injured in Apparent War Crime

Hayat Tahrir

How Hayat Tahrir al-Sham evolved from Radicalism to ruler of Northern Syria

The Conversation

By Sara Harmouch, American University A major offensive has seen rebel groups in Syria retake the country’s second city, Aleppo – and demonstrated the growing prominence of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the 13-year-long civil war. The surprise advance was led by members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, fighting alongside Turkish-backed groups opposing the […]

Bashar al-Assad

Syria as Putin’s Afghanistan: How a Radical Fundamentalist take-over of Damascus could Change the Middle East

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The collapse of the Baathist government of Syria in the north of the country, as the al-Qaeda affiliate HTS (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham or the Levant Liberation Council) advanced into Aleppo and Hama, could reconfigure the Middle East. The rapidity of the advance and the Muslim fundamentalist leadership of the fighters […]

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Lebanon Ceasefire underlines that both Israel and Hezbollah Lost the War

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – When Iran and Iraq were fighting each other in the 1980s, with neither regime being much liked in Washington, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is said to have remarked, “The tragedy is that both sides can’t lose.” Actually, of course, in most wars both sides lose, and certainly the […]

Iran

Saudi Arabia Pursues ‘Cautious Detente’ With Longtime Rival Iran despite Looming Trump 2.0

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Kian Sharifi ( RFE/ RL ) – Iran and Saudi Arabia have been bitter rivals for decades, vying to lead competing branches of Islam and standing on opposing sides of conflicts in Syria and Yemen. But Tehran and Riyadh have taken major steps to de-escalate tensions and boost cooperation, a move that appeared unthinkable […]

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Morocco to double Green Energy in Sahara in anticipation of 2030 World Cup

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The World Cup, disputed territory and green energy are three of the things that increasingly make the world go round, and they are coming together in Morocco. Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner is even in the background of it all. Morocco’s Atalayer reports that Rabat will attempt to double sustainable energy […]