US-Backed Kurds begin Campaign against ISIL in Northern Syria
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The left-leaning Beirut daily al-Safir (The Ambassador)…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The left-leaning Beirut daily al-Safir (The Ambassador)…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The leftist Beirut daily al-Safir reports that…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Robert Burns of AP reported on the…
Foreign Policy
US-Backed Kurds begin Campaign against ISIL in Northern Syria
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The left-leaning Beirut daily al-Safir (The Ambassador) discusses the beginning of a new campaign by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against Daesh…Why total Victory for Russia and Assad is a Pipedream: ISIL strikes in deep in Regime Territory
By Scott Lucas | (The Conversation) | - - Months after Russia spectacularly entered the Syrian conflict, [the so-called] Islamic State (IS) is still thumbing its nose at both Moscow and the…ISIL hits Syrian Regime in Shiite northwest, killing 150
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The leftist Beirut daily al-Safir reports that security in Syria broke down dramatically on Monday, as seven bombs timed to go off simultaneously…Israel: Netanyahu reiterates opposition to French peace initiative
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Monday his rejection of a French initiative for an international peace conference to solve the Israeli-Palestinian…As they Liberate Villages from ISIL, Kurds drawing Syrians into Feminist Democracy
By Rahila Gupta | ( OpenDemocracy | - - Rojava is a fast moving, dynamic place where things change by the minute. What are the material conditions which support this woman-centred revolution…US Centcom Commander in Syria to Coordinate Kurds, Arabs against ISIL
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Robert Burns of AP reported on the visit inside Syria of the head of the US Middle East Command (Centcm), Army Gen. Joseph…New Turkish PM Firmly Behind Erdogan on Executive Presidency
TeleSur | - - Binali Yildirim was unanimously selected by members of Turkey's ruling party to be the country's next prime minister. Turkey's incoming prime minister says his government's top priority will…UN Overwhelmed: Climate & Conflict have created 60 mn Refugees, Half of them Children
By Baher Kamal | (Inter Press Service) | - - ROME, May 20 2016 (IPS) - “We cannot keep jumping from crisis to crisis. We have to invest in long-term development that…Palestinians Capture Israeli Extremists Who Attacked Farmers
By IMEMC | - - Palestinian members of local neighborhood watch committee, in Talfit village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, managed to capture two armed fanatic Israeli colonists,…Baghdad on Lockdown not from fear of ISIL but of poor Protesters
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Baghdad was a ghost town on Saturday,, as security forces fanned out, blocking key roads into the Green Zone, the area downtown, closed…Egyptians “shocked” at Lieberman Appointment, note Barak’s accusation of “fascism” in Tel Aviv
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - What do Israel's Arab neighbors think about the political earthquake that struck PM Binyamin Netanyahu's cabinet on Thursday and Friday? Netanyahu invited into…Al-Qaeda’s Al-Zawahiri, 9/11 Mastermind, Plays Syrian Politics
By Sam Heller | ( RFE/RL ) | - - When the self-proclaimed Islamic State declared the establishment of a global Muslim “caliphate” in 2014, the move accelerated a race for legitimacy…Baghdad Locals Fear Shiite-On-Shiite Violence As Alliance Fractures
By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - Protests and suicide bombings have caused tension within the Shiite Muslim alliance that’s been fighting extremists. As neighbourhoods are taken over by…Israel: Netanyahu replies to Officers’ charges of Fascism, makes far Right Lieberman their boss
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu bolstered his majority and rid himself of a troublesome voice of conscience Thursday by appointing the extremist Avigdor…Is it ISIL? US Official Says Likely Explosion Happened on EgyptAir Plane
TeleSur | - - EgyptAir said the plane’s emergency devices sent a distress signal at 4.26 a.m. local time, about two hours after the previously stated radar contact. A senior U.S. Intelligence…Baghdad takes Rutba from ISIL: Jordan-Iraq Commercial Route to Reopen
by Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Iraqi forces have taken Rutba in al-Anbar province, hundreds of kilometers west of the provincial capital, Ramadi, which is also now in government…Saudi bombing, Rebel Shelling leave 7 Million in Yemen Food Insecure
By Tharanga Yakupitiyage | (Inter Press Service) | - - John Ging, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs briefs journalists on his recent trip to Yemen. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas John…Marketing & Terrorism: Is ISIL’s vaunted ‘brand’ actually weak and vulnerable?
By Brendan Canavan | (The Conversation) | - - [The so-called] Islamic State (IS) is the most notorious terror group in the world. Its name and values are known and feared globally,…Give Syria’s Survivors a Voice
By Hadeel al-Shalchi | ( Human Rights Watch ) | - - Twelve days ago Fatema Qaitani, a 35-year-old mother of four, was sitting in a tent teaching her daughter how to…Why does Iran fear Kim Kardashian is a 007 Targeting Tehran?
Joya Mia Italiano and Elliot Hill | (TheLipTV2 Video Report) | - - "Iranian officials have reportedly accused Kim Kardashian West of working for Instagram as a secret agent. The Iranian Revolutionary…