Middle East

By Saed Bannoura | IMEMC & Agencies – Several armored Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers carried out, on Wednesday morning, a limited invasion into an area east of the al-Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza, and bulldozed farmlands. Eyewitnesses said the vehicles, accompanied by four armored D9 bulldozers, stationed in the Kissufim military base across […]

Featured

Dear Sweden: HR Dispute with Saudis makes this a good time to adopt Electric Cars

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) First, the new left wing government in Sweden cancelled an arms sale to Saudi Arabia, even though Prime Minister Stefan Lofven favored it. (He had been a union rep friendly to the Swedish arms industry). Foreign Minister Margot Wallström put her foot down, however, and won the argument. She […]

Featured

Ghosts of Saladin, Saddam & Khomeini: Tikrit Campaign’s Historical Meaning

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – The Iraqi forces (one-third army, two-thirds Shiite militias) that are surrounding Tikrit 80 miles north of Baghdad are not just Iraqi forces. They are mostly Shiite, though some Sunni irregulars have joined them. More important, the Tikrit campaign is being directed as to its strategy by Qasim Sulaimani, […]

Lebanon

On Int’l Women’s Day, Lebanese Anchor stands up to Sexist Sheikh

contributors

Elliott Hill and Mark Sovel | The Lip TV | – “Sexist Islamist scholar Hani Al-Seba’i told Lebanese television host Rima Karaki to shut up in an interview on Lebanon’s Al Jadeed where he was discussing reports of Christians joining ISIS. The sheikh went on to claim it was beneath him to be interviewed by […]

Foreign Policy

5 Things Official Washington won’t Tell you about Netanyahu’s Israel

contributors

Bill Van Esveld | (Human Rights Watch) – Amid the controversy around Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s speech to the US Congress, the Obama administration’s National Security Council (NSC) recently published “five key facts you need to know about the US-Israel relationship under President Obama.” Here are some relevant facts it neglected to mention: NSC: […]

Constitution

The Letter: Top 5 Similarities of GOP and Iran Hard Liners

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – 47 GOP senators sent a letter to Iran on Monday warning that country that any agreement only signed off on by President Obama might not last longer than his last day in office. This intervention of the senate in a foreign policy matter is not, as some observers […]

Constitution

Iran FM Zarif Schools GOP Senators on Int’l Law: This is a UNSC Resolution

contributors

From the web page of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Dr. Zarif’s Response to the Letter of US Senators Asked about the open letter of 47 US Senators to Iranian leaders, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Dr. Javad Zarif, responded that “in our view, this letter has no legal value and is mostly a propaganda […]

Israel

Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman Suggests Decapitation for Disloyal Arabs

contributors

By IMEMC News | – Israeli Foreign Minister and the head of Yisrael Beiteinu Party, Avigdor Lieberman, lashed out at Israel’s Arab citizens, Sunday, threatening to cut their heads off with an axe. “Those who are with us deserve everything, but those who are against us deserve to have their heads chopped off with an […]

Iraq

From Iraq’s Next big Front: Kurdish Fighters Closing in on Mosul

contributors

VICE News | – “With the timeline unclear for a forthcoming US-led coalition assault on the Islamic State (IS) stronghold of Mosul, Kurdish peshmerga fighters continue to man the trenches at the strategic junction of Keske, just outside the northern Iraqi city. VICE News traveled to Keske to meet with peshmerga fighters and to learn […]