Arab World

Tens of thousands of demonstrators came out in villages and along highways in Bahrain on Friday, reviving their protest of the islands’ absolute monarchy. Among the organizers was the Shiite Wifaq Party, which says it wants a constitutional monarchy. Opposition video is here: Bahrain may have been two-thirds Shiite a few decades ago, but the […]

Syria

McCain: Bomb Syria; But Iraq and Russia oppose Intervention

Juan Cole

Senator John McCain called on Monday for US air strikes on Syria, but the Obama administration pushed back. McCain said on the Senate floor, “Foreign capitals across the world are looking to the United States to lead, especially now that the situation in Syria has become an armed conflict . . . But what they […]

Iraq

Top Ten Dangers for Obama of Iran Sanctions on behalf of Israel

Juan Cole

President Barack Obama addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference on Sunday, warning against loose war talk regarding Iran but also threatening violence against that country to stop it, he said, from getting a nuclear weapon ( not an ambition in evidence). The speech is here. Obama has ratcheted up US financial sanctions against […]

Israel/ Palestine

Hamas Breaks with Syrian Regime

Juan Cole

The Muslim Fundamentalist Palestinian party-militia Hamas, based largely in the Gaza Strip has abruptly broken with its long-time patron, Syria. The leadership has scattered from its offices in Syria to elsewhere in the region, especially Egypt and Qatar. Hamas, although considered an international terrorist group by Washington, is actually just a local, organized resistance movement […]

Syria

Save Homs with Humanitarian Airdrops by Drones

Juan Cole

The Baath regime in Syria killed another 60 persons on Tuesday. About 30 were killed by troops in restive Idlib province. The Syrian military also continued to pound Homs on Tuesday, using heavy artillery against the civilian district of Baba Amr and and killing another 30 there. The assault also set the stage for a […]

Tunisia

Ayatollah Santorum Excommunicates Obama, Mainstream Protestants

Juan Cole

Rick Santorum attacked President Obama on Saturday for his theology. Although people assumed that Santorum was, like other conservatives, hinting around that Obama is not a Christian but rather a secret Muslim, Santorum denied this allegation. And, likely he meant instead to lump Obama with the 45 million members of mainline Protestant churches in the […]

Syria

General Assembly Condemns Syria as Regime Bombards Homs Again

Juan Cole

The world condemned the Syria regime’s brutal crackdown on its own people at the UN General Assembly on Thursday. What would be the response of the ruling Baath Party? We didn’t have to wait long to find out. On Friday morning, the Syrian armed forces subjected Baba Amr in Homs to one of the fiercest […]

Syria

Syrian Assault on Homs Heats up as Obama Scolds Chinese

Juan Cole

Syrian forces renewed their heavy bombardment of the Baba Amru district of Homs on Tuesday morning, in the fiercest attack in days. The attack is producing a humanitarian crisis, with food shops closed, electricity knocked out, and people fleeing (some to Jordan). The brutal Baath regime’s determination to subdue the rebellious city, even if it […]

Syria

Iraq Comes to Syria

Juan Cole

Update Brig. Gen. Issa al-Kholi who headed a military hospital, was assassinated Saturday outside his Damascus home. He is the first high-ranking officer to be killed. Because he was a physician rather than a staff or field officer, he probably lacked good security and so was a soft target. Hitting physicians and nurses is a […]