Arab World

After Trump picked Feud with Shiite Nat’l Guard, Iraqi PM-designate says 1/2 US Troops will Leave Iraq this year, the Rest in ’21

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The current nominee to be the next prime minister of Iraq, Adnan al-Zurfi, says that He has asked the US ambassador in Iraq for a timeline for a withdrawal of the some 5,000 US troops from his country. His statement came just a couple days before the US Halliburton oil […]

Donald Trump

Threatening Iran: Mired in Incompetence on Covid-19 at Home, Trump Tests Wagging the Dog

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – AFP quotes Trump as saying at a news conference and then on Twitter: “”We don’t want hostility, but if they are hostile to us, they’re going to regret it like they’ve never regretted anything before . . . If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed! . […]

Bashar al-Assad

2 reasons – and 1 disease – that make peace in Syria so difficult

The Conversation

By Ora Szekely | – Despite many attempts at negotiations, the Syrian war – a conflict with a complicated and constantly changing cast of characters that has killed as many as 585,000 people and displaced over half of Syria’s prewar population – has proved extremely difficult to resolve. As the war grinds on, conditions are […]

War

Yemen still on the brink following coronavirus risks and fragile ceasefire

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

London (Special to Informed Comment) – As Yemen’s catastrophic war enters its sixth year, the Saudi-led coalition offered a desperately needed ceasefire on Friday, which the current coronavirus pandemic has made more vital than ever. The move came after the UN Secretary General on March 25 called for an end to hostilities in all regional […]

Saudi Arabia

Yemen: Saudi Forces Torture, ‘Disappear’ Yemenis

Human Rights Watch

At Least 5 Detainees from al-Mahrah Illegally Transferred to Saudi Arabia

Donald Trump

Why have America and Saudi Arabia Bonded for Decades? Can you Say ‘Oil,’ Children?

Middle East Monitor

By Essam Abdul Shafi | – ( Middle East Monitor) – With its inherent connection to the religion of Islam as the Custodians of the Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah, Saudi Arabia’s origins and characteristics were reflected by US policy towards the Kingdom from its foundation. American missionaries based their efforts on providing social, […]

Donald Trump

In a Plague Year, Trump Ratchets up Tensions with Iran and Iraq

Reese Erlich

San Francisco (Foreign Correspondent) – While the world focuses on the coronavirus pandemic, tensions between the US and Iran are heating up. The two countries are engaging in tit-for-tat military attacks that threaten a wider war. In mid-March, Washington officials accused an Iran-allied militia of launching rockets at a US military base in Iraq, killing […]

Featured

5 Years into Saudi War on Yemen, 14 mn. in Acute Need, 1/2 of Hospitals closed, and Coronavirus Looms

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Five years ago, Saudi Arabia launched its ruinous war on Yemen. In 2020, the oil-rich kingdom has nothing to show for this albatross around its neck. The war was the brainchild of then defense minister Mohammed Bin Salman, who is now the crown prince. Yemen is a country of 28 […]

Israel/ Palestine

The World Turned its Back on Gaza’s Palestinians, but Qatar is donating $150mn to support coronavirus battle

Middle East Monitor

Qatar will be sending $150 million in aid to the besieged Gaza Strip to support United Nations humanitarian programmes and efforts to help combat the new coronavirus outbreak, the state-run Qatari Committee to Rebuild Gaza announced on Twitter today. The emergency aid, which will cover a period of six months, comes after the Palestinian Health […]