al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

By Bill Hess | (Informed Comment) | – – The just-announced negotiations between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia may or may not lead to a subsiding of hostilities in Yemen, though early signs are that fierce fighting continues. The United States has been helping a Saudi Arabia-led coalition drop bombs on Yemen for nearly a […]

Do Drug Profits actually drive Terrorism in the Muslim World?

contributors

Robert Rotberg | (The Conversation) | – – Terrorists are in it as much for the loot as for the ideology. . . . ISIS, could hardly exist, whatever its Islamist fervor, without hard cash from sales of pilfered petroleum, taxes on its subject population and kidnappings for ransom. Likewise ISIS- and al-Qaida-linked groups in […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

Daesh/ ISIL hasn’t weakened al-Qaeda– Its Affiliates are Stronger than Ever

contributors

By Ari Heistein | (Informed Comment) | – – Experts predicted that the rise of the Caliphate declared by Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) would be disastrous for al-Qaeda(AQ). One report that concluded “The good news is that this power struggle [between Daesh and AQ] may weaken both of them.” The belief was that Osama Bin Laden’s […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

Juan Cole: Syria, Yemen Conflicts only seem to be about Sunni-Shiite from 30,000 Feet

Juan Cole

David Speedie | (Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs) | – David Speedie of the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs interviewed me in New York on Monday. Below is an excerpt of the transcript, but the whole thing is at their web site. Also below is the video of the interview. DAVID […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

Yemen War threatens Humanitarian Catastrophe

contributors

By Sophia Dingli | (The Conversation) – Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is by all accounts getting worse by the day, and the city of Aden has become a major flashpoint. Aden is caught in a stand-off between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to the government they are trying to overthrow. On April 5, the Houthis claimed […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

As Yemen crumbles, civilians brace for the worst

contributors

By Almigdad Mojalli | – SANA’A (IRIN) – Abdu Hasan Dabwan is not willing to let it happen again. Twice before, the 54 year-old says, he waited too long, refusing to flee in the hope that the tensions in his home country would not tip over into chaos. Twice he was wrong. The first time […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

al-Qaeda’s Feud with Denmark

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – Denmark is a relatively small country, with a population of 5.7 million. But it is relatively wealthy, being the 35th largest economy in the world, producing more goods and services than Malaysia, Israel or the Philippines. Its military is more important than the country’s small size would suggest, […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

What Really Caused the Paris Killings? (Gilbert Achcar Interview)

contributors

Gilbert Achcar/ Ahmed Shawki | (Socialist Worker) Interview: Gilbert Achcar, SOAS In the aftermath of the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris and the wave of repression and Islamophobia that followed, Achcar talked to Ahmed Shawki in late January about the questions the left in France and internationally need to answer to organize […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

After Charlie Hebdo: How Will Europe Deal with Islam and Muslims?

contributors

By Neslihan Çevik | (Daily Sabah) – After the tragic Charlie Hebdo massacre, it seems that Europe has several options regarding its policies on Islam and Muslims. Among them, the easiest option is to maximize security precautions in order to exercise absolute control over Muslims If 9/11 was the start of a moral panic in […]