Middle East

London (Informed Comment) – The news that Turkey has begun military strikes against the Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG) militia inside Syria marks an ominous chapter in that country’s civil war. Turkey acted after YPG forces and allied units from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) seized the strategic Mennagh Military Airport in northern Aleppo […]

Iran

Is Iran the most Stable Country in the Mideast 37 Years after its Revolution?

contributors

Palestine

Palestinian Refugees in Syria, besieged by ISIL, receive critical UN Aid at Last amid Faltering Ceasefire

contributors

TeleSur | – – Humanitarian aid has reached refugees in the Syrian town of Yarmouk, on the outskirts of Damascus, for the first time in nine months, according to UNRWA, the U.N. Agency for Palestine refugees. In a statement released Saturday night, UNRWA spokesperson Christopher Gunness said the agency "did not enter the camp itself" but reached the nearby […]

Russia

Russia Says World in ‘New Cold War’ over Syria

contributors

TeleSur | – – "Sometimes I wonder if it’s 2016 or if we live in 1962," Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told the Munich Security Conference, Saturday. The world has sunk into a “new Cold War” as a result of the mounting tensions between Russia and the West over conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry […]

Israel/ Palestine

European Parliament demands immediate end to Israel Squatting, Home Demolitions, in Palestine

contributors

By IMEMC | – – The European Parliament (EP’s) Delegation for relations with Palestine, expressed alarm at the deteriorating situation on the ground, calling for an immediate stop to Israeli expansion of settlements, and demolitions, said a press statement by EP delegation. “Israeli occupation policies are a direct threat to the two-state solution. The expansion […]

Central Intelligence Agency

Despite Syria Cease Fire, Belligerents Plot military Victory

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Despite the announcement at Munich of a cessation of hostilities in Syria, to be implemented in the next week or so, all the major fighting forces in Syria have announced a determination to soldier on. According to the London pan-Arab daily al-Hayat [Life] , Russian foreign […]

Arab Spring

Despite Risks, Egypt’s Cartoonists Take on increasingly Authoritarian Regime of al-Sisi

contributors

By Mohamed Hassan | ( Global Voices ) | – – Cartoonist Islam Gawish. Photograph from his Facebook page. Photograph by Mostafa Darwish. Less than two weeks after the fifth anniversary of the January 25 revolution, Egypt is not showing any signs of improvement in its treatment of human rights advocates. On the evening of […]

Russia

The Costs That Come With Russia’s Gains In Syria

contributors

Charles Recknagel | ( RFE/RL | – – With Russia's monthslong air campaign in Syria now focused on a key rebel stronghold, Moscow can claim success in putting its stamp on the conflict and strengthening the hand of its ally, President Bashar al-Assad. Concentrated on the northern province of Aleppo, the bombing campaign launched in […]

Israel/ Palestine

Israel: Former official Labeled Traitor for backing Vets Denouncing Occupation

contributors

By IMEMC | – – Former Israeli FM Director Vilified for Support of “Breaking the Silence” Attendees of an Israeli Knesset Education Committee meeting, on Tuesday, called for the dismissal of former Foreign Ministry director Alon Liel, after the official criticized the Israeli right and supported efforts to end Israel’s ongoing military occupation. Liel, also […]