Arab World

I asked a Libyan scholar about the silly urban legend going around that an “al-Qaeda” flag flew from a government building in Benghazi recently. Here is what he said: ” I looked up the mentioned flag, it appears to be a black flag with the shahada [Muslim profession of faith] in it. A black flag […]

Syria

Arab League Sets Syria for Suspension

Juan Cole

The Arab League initiated the suspension of Syria’s membership on Saturday, giving Damascus three days to cease shooting down Syrian demonstrators or else the country would be isolated, with AL members withdrawing their ambassadors and Syria losing its voting rights in the body. Aljazeera English has video: This step is the second taken this year […]

Egypt

Pyramids Partially Closed in face of New Age “Threat”

Juan Cole

The Egyptian Antiquities authority partially closed the Pyramids to foreign tourists on Friday, in an attempt to prevent Western New Age groups from holding rituals there. Egypt has been awash in rumors that the “Freemasons” or “the Jews” have designs on the Pyramids. The brouhaha was kicked off because of Friday being 11/11/11, a number […]

Iraq

Newt’s new Crusade against the Arab Spring

Juan Cole

Newt Gingrich’s poll numbers and fund-raising have improved recently, as the GOP faithful continue their quest for an ABM (not anti-ballistic missile but “Anyone but Mitt”). Gingrich in turn has begun trying out talking points again, which is good for pundits and stand-up comedians, but bad for everyone else. In his most recent foray on […]

Iraq

Would Obama Greenlight an Israeli Attack on Iran?

Juan Cole

The Israeli press notes that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and maverick Defense Minister Ehud Barak have been talking up a possible Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities. No one knows if the two are just trying to create a threatening environment for Iran, in hopes of intimidating Tehran on a range of issues, […]

Syria

Why a No-Fly Zone won’t Work in Syria

Juan Cole

Syrian troops fired into peaceful demonstrations in Hama and Homs on Friday. Repression of protests yesterday is estimated to have cost 40 lives. The BBC reports that some demonstrators are calling for a “no-fly zone” imposed by the international community on Syria. (The BBC video shows a sign demanding a hazr jawwi or aerial curfew.) […]

Syria

Is Syria in Civil War?

Juan Cole

Robert Fisk uses the “C” word about Syria– Civil War. He takes seriously both the human rights organizations’ allegation that the regime has killed some 3000 people in the course of putting down demonstrations since last spring, and the Baath Party’s assertion that rebels have killed 1,150 Syrian troops (though he admits that there is […]

Afghanistan

Islamic Law not a problem in Bush’s Afghanistan & Iraq, but a Problem in Libya?

Juan Cole

George W. Bush said of Iraq and Afghanistan,, “I’d like to be a president [known] as somebody who liberated 50 million people…” The 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan [pdf], drafted and passed under the rule of George W. Bush in that country, makes Islam the religion of state and forbids any law that contravenes the sharia […]

Syria

Ambassador Ford’s Departure a Defeat for al-Assad

Juan Cole

With the departure of the US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, from Damascus and the summoning home of Syrian ambassador Emad Moustafa, President Obama’s original Syria policy has now crashed and burned. There is no immediate danger of Obama going in the direction recommended by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), of military action against Syria. But […]