Middle East

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Two really big egos met Tuesday at the White House, as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan consulted with Donald Trump. The two countries are deeply divided over Syria policy. Syria is actually several wars at once: Rebels are fighting the Baath regime of Bashar al-Assad. An al-Qaeda-linked […]

Israel/ Palestine

Trump and Israel/ Palestine: Art of the Deal or End of 2-States?

contributors

By Ali R. Abootalebi | (Informed Comment) | – – President Trump recently told the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Mahmoud Abbas, that “I’ve always heard that perhaps the toughest deal to make is the deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians,”…Let’s see if we can prove them wrong,” insisting that “We will get it done.” […]

Donald Trump

Mosul on My Mind: What It Really Means to Be on a Flattening Planet

contributors

By Tom Engelhardt | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – The closest I ever got to Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, was 1,720.7 miles away — or so the Internet assures me. Although I’ve had a lifelong interest in history, I know next to nothing about Mosul’s, nor do I have more than a glancing sense […]

Epidemics

Deadly Cholera Outbreak in Yemen Under Saudi Bombing; State of Emergency Declared

contributors

TeleSur | – – Authorities warned that the cholera outbreak could lead to an “unprecedented disaster” if not managed immediately. Officials in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, controlled by the armed Houthi movement, declared a state of emergency on Sunday amid an outbreak of cholera that has killed 115 people from late April to May […]

Donald Trump

US Nears $100B Arms Deal for Saudi Arabia: White House Official

contributors

TeleSur | – – The official said the deal will be good for the U.S. economy. The United States is close to completing a series of arms deals forSaudi Arabia totaling more than $100 billion, a senior White House official said on Friday, a week ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit to Riyadh. The […]

Displaced and Refugees

Why the Weaponization of Health Care in the Syrian War threatens Us All

contributors

By Xavier Symons | (The Conversation) | – – Few events in Syria have attracted as much attention as the alleged chemical weapon attack on the town of Khan Shaykhun. The callous use of biological agents to target civilians is a “crime against humanity” and a serious violation of international law, according to human rights […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

After Mosul: The Coming ISIL Apocalypse in al-Anbar Desert

contributors

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – While fighting against the Islamic State group drags on in Mosul, tribal and military forces in Anbar are preparing for what will likely be the final battle against the extremists. But this fight will take many months. Many Iraqis and international observers are continuing to […]

Donald Trump

Russians Troll Trump, release Photos of Meeting

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – CNN says White House officials were furious on Wednesday when the Russian press (the only journalists invited to the meeting of Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak) abruptly released the pictures. Apparently White House staff thought there was […]

Israel/ Palestine

Is Trump Palestine’s New Hope?

contributors

Daoud Kuttab. | (Project Syndicate) | – – RAMALLAH – On his recent visit to Washington, DC, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas surprised many by heaping praise on US President Donald Trump. Speaking through a translator, Abbas called Trump, who had promised to “get done” a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, “courageous” and wise, and […]