US Foreign Policy

By William R. Polk | (Informed Comment) | – – The people of Afghanistan at least since the time of Alexander the Great had repeatedly and violently demonstrated their determination not to be ruled by foreigners. In 1842 they inflicted the worst defeat the British army suffered in the Nineteenth century. Soberly, the British then […]

Iran

Why Exempt Israel? After Iran Deal, Make Middle East a Nuclear Free Zone

contributors

By Farhang Jahanpour | (TFF) | – – The announcement of the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers is a rare moment in history that gives us hope and provides a basis for optimism. By contemplating what the alternative would have entailed, any agreement, no matter how defective, is a great achievement and […]

Iran

Would Iran reformers gain upper hand with UNSC Nuclear Deal?

contributors

By Golnaz Esfandiari | ( RFE/RL) For Iranian President Hassan Rohani, a nuclear deal with global powers would be a double-edged sword. An agreement to restrict Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief would bolster Rohani’s reputation among Iranians who want better ties with the world and allow him to claim credit for the […]

Barack Obama

Iran Deal can only Succeed with the Support of Civil Society

contributors

By John Robert Kelley | ( Euractiv) | – – . . . [T]he key to success in the Iran nuclear deal lies in its implementation, and that should be everyone’s business. Diplomacy is not just for elites anymore. Success will require total cooperation throughout the societies of parties to the deal, and this applies […]

Druze

How the Washington Post got Taken in by Syria’s Taliban

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) Making alliances of convenience is a perennial temptation in Washington, where policy-makers often have more ambition than ethics or common sense. Thus, the Washington Post just published a slick op-ed by a representative of the Islamic Movement of Syrian Free Men (Ahrar al-Sham) claiming that the group is “moderate” […]

Hamas

What is terrorism? The Charleston massacre and Palestinian resistance

contributors

By Heike Schotten | (Ma’an News Agency) | – Well before the advent of the US “War on Terror,” Edward Said wrote: “As a word and concept, ‘terrorism’ has acquired an extraordinary status in American public discourse.” Among other things, Said observed the ways in which “terrorism” functioned to deflect attention away from America’s misdeeds […]

Alevis

Why defeating ISIL/ Daesh with military might is starry eyed idealism

contributors

By David Alpher | (The Conversation) | – – Just this past weekend of July 4, US-led coalition aircraft targeted the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria. It was one of the “largest deliberate engagements to date,” said a coalition spokesman, and it was executed “to deny [ISIS] the ability to move military capabilities throughout […]

Cold War

Iran’s Nuclear Program was A Child Of Washington in the First Place

contributors

By Tony Wesolowsky | (RFE/RL) | – – The start of Iran’s nuclear program can arguably be pegged to December 8, 1953. It was on that date that U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered what was later dubbed his Atoms For Peace speech to the United Nations General Assembly. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower (right) […]

Displaced and Refugees

Yemen Is Starving, and We’re Partly to Blame

contributors

By Chris Toensing | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | – – 80 percent of people in the Arab world’s poorest country are in danger of starving to death under a U.S.-backed blockade and bombing campaign. Twenty million people in Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, are at risk of dying from hunger or […]