Syria

Right Said Fred (really!) appears on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to tell Syrian president Bashar al-Assad what a dick he is. It’s going to be especially disappointing to Assad, as they are one of his favorite bands. Lyrics: YOU’RE TOO AWFUL FOR THIS EARTH TOO AWFUL FOR THIS EARTH SO AWFUL IT HURTS […]

Christianity

Pope Francis in Jordan Reaches out to Forgotten Syrian Refugees, Christians and Muslims

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole AFP Arabic reports that Syrian refugees, and Christian refugees in particular, are hoping that the visit of Pope Francis to Jordan on Saturday will raise the profile of their plight. Jordan is a country of 6.3 million citizens, but it has another 600,000 or so Syrian refugees. Likely on the order of […]

GCC

Saudi-Iran Struggle and the Syrian Proxy War can only be Resolved by Diplomacy

Juan Cole

(By Robert Mason) The current foreign policy tensions between Iran and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) pivot around Iran’s nuclear programme, ideology (the relative balance between revolutionary/resistance ideology and pragmatism), sectarianism, territorial disputes (such as over the islands of Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunb) and alliances with state and non-state actors. […]

Arab Spring

Is Fall of Homs a turning point in Regime’s Quest to Retake Syria?

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) The Governor of Homs Province, Talal al-Barazi said Wednesday that 80 percent of the rebel fighters in that city have now been evacuated. It is expected that the rest will leave on Thursday. Around a thousand fighters had been holed up in the old city of Homs and have now left, with […]

Bashar al-Assad

A Widening War: Iraq intervenes in Syria with Helicopter Gunships

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) For the first time, Iraqi helicopter gunships have crossed the border to hit a target inside Syria. They destroyed 8 fuel tankers transporting gasoline to forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, an al-Qaeda affiliate that has begun holding territory both in northern Syria and in al-Anbar Province in Iraq. […]

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

Rebel In-Fighting Endangers Syrian Civilians in their Territory

Juan Cole

(By Issam Abdel Hamid) Ordinary people say their lives are at risk due to disputes between rival rebel groups. Tensions between Syrian rebel forces stationed in civilian areas are causing problems for residents, who say they risk being caught in crossfire or regime strikes. People in towns and villages far from the front lines say […]

Iraq

The Great Moat of Iraqi Kurdistan with Syria Separates Families

Juan Cole

(By Abdul-Khaleq Dosky in Dohuk, for Niqash) To better protect their borders, authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan are digging a large trench in the area bordering Syria. Locals are protesting about it, saying that links with family and friends in neighbouring towns will be severed and economic opportunities lost; some are already describing it as a […]

Barack Obama

Get ready for More Disappearing Airliners: Obama moots giving Syrian Rebels Anti-Aircraft Missiles

Juan Cole

(By James McMichael [jamesmcmichael.dc@gmail.com]) President Obama is considering supplying Syrian rebels with Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (Manpads). These antiaircraft missiles are small enough to be carried and fired by a single person; they can destroy jet fighters and civilian airliners alike. If President Obama gives his approval for their supply to Syrian rebels, he will […]

Bashar al-Assad

Can Egypt’s Women ever find a Personal Space of their Own?

Juan Cole

(By Zainab Magdy) Last month a young woman was mob attacked on Cairo University campus. Socially and culturally constructed circles that control our lives seem to be tightening at a time when individuals are trying their hardest to crack them open. Zainab Magdy explores whether women will ever find a space that is their own. […]