Saudi Arabia

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – A truck bombing in the largely Shiite city of Hilla killed 60 on Sunday, one of the worst terrorist attacks in that city. Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack. The bombing, which killed and injured policemen at a checkpoint (though 3 dozen of the […]

censorship

US Ally Saudi Arabia Sentences Atheist Tweep to 10 Years & 2,000 Lashes

contributors

By Amira Al Hussaini | ( Global Voices ) | – – Saudi Arabia has sentenced a Twitter user to 10 years in prison in addition to 2,000 lashes for publishing 600 tweets “which spread atheism” on the micro-blogging site. According to Saudi daily Al Watan the Twitter user, whose name was not disclosed, was […]

Iran

Is US Syria Policy to back new Saudi-Turkish Moves against Iran?

contributors

By Fernando Betancor | ( OpenDemocracy)| – – The pattern of strikes by the disjointed US-led coalition of Operation Inherent Resolve remains the best and most reliable public indicator of intentions and future operations in the short-term. As I pointed out in early December, changes to the balance of forces in Syria and Iraq have been forcing […]

Saudi Arabia

US-Backed Saudi-Led Airstrikes Kill 40 People in Yemen, Mostly Civilians

contributors

TeleSur Saudi Arabia has been accused of bombing weddings and carrying out other war crimes against Yemeni militants it claims are aligned with Iran. Airstrikes carried out by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition waging war in Yemen struck a market in the capital Sanaa on Saturday, killing 40 people, according to Reuters. At least 30 people […]

Iran

Beyond Syria: Saudi Arabia’s Strategies for Dealing with Iran

contributors

Joseph Benzekri | ( Your Middle East | – – “Claiming to fight ISIS can serve as a valuable pretext for defending one’s own interests” The difficulties facing Saudi Arabia and its proxies in Syria should not be conflated with any significant new advantage being enjoyed by their rivals in Iran, writes Joseph Benzekri. Saudi […]

Petroleum

The Saudi-Russian Oil Price Freeze is about Power, not Money

contributors

By Nafis Alam | (The Conversation) | – – Saudi Arabia and Russia, the world’s two most powerful oil producers, have reached a tentative agreement to freeze oil production at its current levels. As the first deal between an OPEC and non-OPEC member in 15 years, it marks a significant declaration of intent. But it […]

military

Are Outside Interventions in Syria undermining Int’l Law & our own Security?

contributors

By Ingvild Bode | (The Conversation) | – – Since 2012, the war in Syria has lurched from one escalation to another. Syrians have been subjected to large-scale military force not only by their own government, but also by an array of rebel groups, Islamic State (IS), a US-led coalition and other states. The results […]

Russia

Syria: Instead of a Cease-Fire, have Great Powers unleashed new Proxy Wars?

contributors

By Baher Kamal | (Inter Press Service) | – – MADRID (IPS) – – When 25 million Syrians–half of them refugees abroad or at home and the other half terrorised by daily bombing, learnt that major world leaders in their meeting in Germany launched an unprecedented confrontation threatening with unleashing World War III, instead of […]

Central Intelligence Agency

Despite Syria Cease Fire, Belligerents Plot military Victory

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Despite the announcement at Munich of a cessation of hostilities in Syria, to be implemented in the next week or so, all the major fighting forces in Syria have announced a determination to soldier on. According to the London pan-Arab daily al-Hayat [Life] , Russian foreign […]