Syria

By Golnaz Esfandiari | ( RFE/ RL ) Scores of Iranian political activists and intellectuals have launched an online campaign calling on Iran to end its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and take in Syrian refugees fleeing violence there. The more than 70 activists, who include several former political prisoners, blame Assad and his […]

Iraq

Are U.S., Russian Arms Supplies to Iraq, Syria a Blessing to Rebel Groups?

contributors

Thalif Deen | (Inter Press Service) | – – UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – The United States and Russia are escalating arms sales to two of their major allies in the Middle East – Iraq and Syria – despite fears that some of these weapons may ultimately wind up, ironically, in the hands of armed rebel […]

Bashar al-Assad

Syria flying Russia-supplied Drones, Fighter Jets against ISIL/ Daesh

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The puzzle of Russian intentions in Syria will likely be revealed by president Vladimir Putin at the UN next week. Putin will meet US president Barack Obama on Monday and will address the UN. In the meantime, there are signs that Russian arms supplies to the […]

Displaced and Refugees

The Scandal of Saudi’s Syria Refugee Policy

contributors

By Simon Mabon | (The Conversation) | – – The violent civil war in Syria and rise of Islamic State (IS) has forced millions to flee their homes, cascading across Europe in search of safety. And yet, despite the crisis unfolding on its doorstep, the response from the Saudi Arabian government has been far from […]

Russia

Could Daesh/ ISIS bring Russia and the west together?

contributors

By Marta Ter | (Open Democracy) | – – For a couple of years after 9/11, there was a solid US-Russia anti-terrorism cooperation that basically gave the Kremlin a freer hand in crushing the Chechens. The first Chechen war: Grozny. Demoted/Alexander Nemenov. All rights reserved.“The Islamic State (IS) is Russia’s main enemy”, the Russian Foreign […]

Displaced and Refugees

Syrians welcomed Armenian, Iraqi, other Refugees but now Unwelcome as Refugees

contributors

AJ+ | – – “The world hasn’t been very hospitable to refugees from Syria – a country with a long history of taking in people displaced from other parts of the world.” AJ+: “History Of The Refugees Who Fled To Syria”

Eastern Europe

As Russia supports Iran in Syria, Netanyahu Loses Again

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, accompanied by Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot and Military Intelligence chief Hertzi Halevy, visited Moscow and attempted to hammer out an agreement with Russia to forestall any military confrontations between the two. Netanyahu also lobbied Russian President […]

Islam

Syria, Reserve army of Terrorism: Taliban Uzbek in Suicide Bombing of Shiite Village

contributors

By Joanna Paraszczuk and Barno Anvar | ( RFE/ RL ) An Uzbek militant has carried out a suicide truck bombing in the predominantly Shi’ite town of Fua in Idlib Province, part of a major attack against Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian forces by Islamist factions led by Syria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate, the Al-Nusra Front. One of a […]

Bashar al-Assad

What’s behind Russia’s military build-up in Syria?

contributors

By Alexander Titov | (The Conversation) | – – Evidence is emerging of a significant intensification of Russia’s military support for the Assad government. While the exact scale and purpose of Russia’s latest deployments remain obscure, the available evidence suggests that the Russians are preparing an airbase near the city of Latakia for possible airstrikes […]