Middle East

London (OpenDemocracy.net) – In the absence of civil war, the people of Iraq have found an opportunity to demand that the political elite deliver on their election campaign promises. While Iraq is in the grip of a breathtaking summer heat-wave, the odor of dissatisfaction rose in the major southern cities of Basra, Najaf and Karbala […]

Turkey

Turkey’s Economy has been Gliding for 16 Years but is it about to Crash?

The Conversation

By Can Erbil and Umit Ozlale | – If you happen to be a tourist in Turkey right now, consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, things look grim. The Turkish lira has lost as much as a third of its value relative to the U.S. dollar in less than a month and recently hit a record low. […]

Featured

Yemen: Why is the US Helping Saudis Kill Children, Allying with al-Qaeda?

Juan Cole

The Saudi and United Arab Emirates war on little Yemen, which was launched by Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman in March of 2015, has flown under the radar among the US public until recently. Then on August 9, the Saudi-led air coalition struck Saadeh, the stronghold of the Helpers of God (Houthi) movement in north […]

art and photography

From State Censorship to Western Stereotypes. Interview with Iranian Artist Maryam Palizgir

Omid Memarian

This is part of a series done by Omid Memarian for Global Voices called How globalization, identity and culture intersect in art. ( GlobalVoices.org) – Maryam Palizgir is an Iranian-born artist and designer who currently lives and works in the U.S. Her work is interdisciplinary in nature, combining two and three dimensional drawing, sculptural painting […]

Israel/ Palestine

‘I Want Palestine to be Free:’ Ahed Tamimi to teleSUR

TeleSur

Interview with Ahed Tamimi, Teenaged Palestinian Activist Jailed for Slapping Soldier “Obviously I do not feel sorry. My reaction was just logic, reasonable then, and I think I would do it again,” said the Palestinian teenager. “I’m very happy obviously, but not completely satisfied because my brother remains in jail, along with my siblings,” said […]

Iran

Iran: Europe Hasn’t yet Shown It Will Defy Trump to Preserve Nuclear Deal

AFP

Tehran (AFP) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Sunday that Europe had not yet shown it was willing to “pay the price” of defying Washington in order to save the nuclear deal. Zarif said European governments had put forward proposals to maintain oil and banking ties with Iran after the second phase of […]

Israel/ Palestine

Israel Rejects UN Plea to Allow Blue Helmet Protection to Palestinians, Blames Palestinians

AFP

United Nations (United States) (AFP) – Israel has rejected a report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres outlining options for strengthening the protection of Palestinians in Israeli-occupied territories. Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement late Friday that “the only protection the Palestinian people need is from their own leadership.” The 14-page report laid […]

Turkey

Turkey’s Homemade Currency Crisis Could Roil Global Finance

The Conversation

By Clemens Hoffmann and Can Cemgil | – Stirling (The Conversation) – Turkey’s recently reelected president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is blaming the sudden and dramatic decline of the Turkish lira on an international conspiracy, variously railing against an “economic war” and a “currency plot”. On the surface, this looks like a reaction to US president […]

China

China will Defy Trump, Trade with Iran, Rejecting “Unilateral Sanctions”

Middle East Monitor

China will continue its cooperation and relations with Iran, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday, citing a statement from Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 deal in which Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear work in return for the lifting of most Western sanctions, is in […]