By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – There were five major stories in the US and European press about Syria today: 1. The cessation of hostilities is in danger of breaking down (typically Western politicians and press blame this on the Syrian regime, but as far as I can tell, it is because […]
Arab Youth view ISIL as major Mideast Obstacle, want less Religion
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The annual Arab Youth survey conducted by pollsters Burson-Marsteller is out, reporting on 3500 interviews with Arabs 18-24 years of age in 16 countries. Those of you who have read my recent book, The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation is Changing the Middle East , […]
Saudi’s King Salman in Turkey signals thaw in Ankara-Riyadh Tensions
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is visiting Turkey today, after his trip to Egypt this past weekend (I wrote about that at The Nation). There are things that have driven Saudi Arabia and Turkey apart, and things that have brought them together again. The tensions center on […]
How Americans Hate: 8-fold increase in Islamophobic Crime since 2000
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Congress passed the Hate Crime Statistics Act in 1990, and since then the FBI has been issuing annual reports on crimes of bias or hate crimes. I thought it might be useful to compare the year 2000, Bill Clinton’s last in office, with 2013 and with […]
Syria: Is al-Qaeda rising as ISIL is rolled Back? Is the US de facto Allied with it?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The cessation of hostilities in Syria never included Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) or al-Qaeda (the Nusra Front or Support Front), but it did include some of the de facto allies of al-Qaeda. The Syrian Arab Army and its Shiite militia allies, with Russian air support, have taken […]
If ISIL falls before November, how will it affect the US Election?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – GOP frontrunner Donald Trump openly attributes his success at the polls to the terrorist attacks on Paris last fall, in which Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) was involved. Ever since Mosul fell to the organization (originally al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia) in June of 2014, it has provoked great concern […]
Is Hillary Clinton responsible for rise of ISIL, as Bernie’s Campaign Manager Alleged?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Bernie Sanders’ campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, alleged on Thursday that Hillary Clinton’s policies are responsible for the ‘rise and expansion of ISIS throughout the Middle East.’ His full statement on CNN: “I think if you look at her record and campaign, her campaign is funded by […]
Are Sanders’ Criticisms of Israeli Occupation Policies unprecedented in a Presidential Campaign?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Bernie Sanders is being attacked for comments on the Middle East in his interview with the editorial board of The New York Daily News, but all he did was restate current US government policy. What is remarkable is that Sanders dared just, like, criticize Israeli policy […]
Syria: Al-Assad Family’s Massive Stolen Wealth in Panama Papers helps explain Revolution
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The revelation in the leaked Panama Papers that Mossack Fonseca and Swiss bank HSBC serviced the companies of corrupt Syrian billionaire Rami Makhlouf (first cousin of dictator Bashar al-Assad) long after the US imposed sanctions on him is a reminder of why Syrians revolted against the […]
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