Syria

By Juan Cole Former Vice President and unindicted felon Richard Bruce Cheney (they always give the criminals’ names that way, in full) once said that he was sure that the Sunni Arab resistance to the US in Iraq was in its last throes. Nobody in his own administration agreed with him then, and this allegation […]

Barack Obama

The Second Iran-Iraq War and the American Switch

Juan Cole

Iran has decided to intervene directly in Iraq and has already sent fighters to the front, according to the Wall Street Journal, based on Iranian sources. It is alleged that Iranian special forces have helped the Iraqi army push back in Tikrit, the birth place of Saddam Hussein that was overrun earlier this week by […]

Bashar al-Assad

Right Said Fred: Syria’s Assad a War Criminal (John Oliver Video)

contributors

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 […]