Middle East

CNN’s sources say that when Trump met with Jordanian king Abdullah II, he revealed his game plan for Syria. Trump is said to plan to discuss this issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin at their proposed summer summit. The plan is apparently for the US to allow the government of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to […]

Syria

As 50,000 Flee Regime Assault on Daraa, Rebels Face Surrender or Death

Layal Abou Rahal

Beirut (AFP) – Facing Russian and regime bombardment and abandoned by international backers Jordan and the United States, rebels in southern Syria are left with few options — all of them unsavoury. – Where’s the outside support? – Syria’s south is a strategic zone bordering Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan, and easily accessible from the […]

Featured

Turkey, Iraq and China defy Trump on new Iran Sanctions, Act to Hold Tehran Harmless

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Trump administration is unlikely to have the same success in getting other countries to boycott Iranian petroleum as did the Obama administration in 2012-2015, though its officials are making a full court press in that regard. Proof came in the form of statements from the Turkish, Iraqi and Chinese […]

Turkey

Turkey’s re-elected Erdogan, a Hybrid of Putin and Trump, will Change Mideast

The Conversation

By Mehmet Ozalp – (The Conversation) – Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the incumbent president and main political actor in Turkish politics for the last 16 years, has won yet another election with a majority vote of 52%. The election was held in the climate of a two-year state of emergency, Erdogan’s considerable weight on Turkish media, […]

Iran

Trump Admin. Tries to Strong-Arm World into Halting Iranian Oil Imports by Nov. 4

AFP

Washington (AFP) – The United States warned Tuesday that countries around the world must stop buying Iranian oil before November 4 or face a renewed round of American economic sanctions. A senior State Department official warned foreign capitals “we’re not granting waivers” and described tightening the noose on Tehran as “one of our top national […]

Syria

Defying US, Syrian Troops Launch Assault on Daraa City as Civilians Flee

Mohamad Abazeed

With Tony Gamal-Gabriel in Beirut Daraa (Syria) (AFP) – Syria’s army launched an assault on the flashpoint southern city of Daraa Tuesday, state media said, after a week of deadly bombardment on the nearby countryside caused mass displacement. Government forces have set their sights on retaking the south of the country, a strategic area that […]

Turkey

Five Reasons Why Erdogan Won Turkey’s Election

Stuart Williams

Istanbul (AFP) – Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a decisive victory in weekend elections, scuppering predictions that his popularity was on the wane after 15 years in power. Erdogan, 64, secured a new presidential term with enhanced powers in an outright first round victory against his main rival Muharrem Ince who failed to end […]

Featured

No, Iran’s Grand Bazaar Protest doesn’t mean the Government or Economy is Collapsing

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Tuesday’s protests at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran were in many ways the opposite of the small-town clashes that broke out last January. These were rallies of the economically privileged, such as people who sell foreign smartphones to Iran’s middle classes, and members of those middle classes themselves. Neither protest […]

Iraq

Iraq bombs meeting of Daesh leaders in Syria; kills high-value targets

Middle East Monitor

Iraq has launched an air attack on a gathering of Daesh leaders inside neighbouring Syria, killing 45 members of the hardline militant group, its military said on Saturday. F-16 fighter jets destroyed three houses on Friday which were connected by a trench in the town of Hajin, where the leaders were meeting. Those killed included […]