Arab World

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – David Kirkpatrick of the New York Times caused an international stir by estimating that 20 percent of Sudanese fighters in Yemen may be 13-17, i.e. child soldiers. The percentage may be as high as 40%. That these child soldiers appear to have been paid for by Saudi Arabia at a […]

Iran

Rightwing Iran’s Policy in post-US Syria is to Block Kurdish Left

Middle East Monitor

By Maysam Behravesh | – US President Donald Trump’s abrupt announcement last week of the withdrawal of American troops from Syria caught many people off guard, including his own administration officials. It actually prompted the resignation of Defence Secretary James Mattis. The surprise, however, was perhaps greater in Tehran’s corridors of power. Less than two […]

Egypt

Egypt Kills 40 ‘Terrorists’ in Crackdown after Giza Attack

AFP

Giza, Egypt | AFP | – Egyptian police killed 40 suspects in a crackdown on Saturday after a roadside bomb hit a tour bus claiming the lives of three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian guide. Thirty alleged “terrorists” were killed in separate raids in Giza governorate, home to Egypt’s famed pyramids and the scene of […]

Russia

Filling Vacuum Left by Trump, Russia & Turkey Coordinate on Syria

AFP

Moscow, Russia | AFP | – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, pictured August 2018, met to coordinate ground operations in Syria after the announced US military pullout Russia and Turkey on Saturday agreed to coordinate ground operations in Syria after the shock announcement of a US military withdrawal, […]

Feminism

Saudi Women Trample Face Veils in Social Media Protest

Middle East Monitor

Saudi women are stepping on the face veils some are made to wear in the conservative kingdom and posting it on social media with the hashtag “the niqab under my foot“. The campaign marks the latest protest against strict dress codes for women in Saudi Arabia, who are required to wear abayas – loose, all-covering […]

Afghanistan

With Trump Ready to Leave Afghanistan, can Qatar Broker a Peace?

contributors

BY SAID SABIR IBRAHIMI | – (Political Insights) – Over the past few years, Qatar has shown itself to be an influential actor in Afghanistan’s peace making efforts. Said Sabir Ibrahimi examines Qatar’s efforts and what it can do to further the prospects of peace in Afghanistan. Qatar has emerged as a conflict resolution actor […]

Featured

Abandoned by Trump, Syrian Kurds frantically turn to Moscow for Protection from Turkey

Juan Cole

Anton Lavrov, a military analyst, writes in the pro-Putin Russian newspaper Izvestia that the withdrawal of US troops from northeast Syria will mainly affect the fate of the Kurds (via BBC Monitoring). He notes that the US has provided the YPG with armored vehicles and antitank missiles and a great deal of ammunition. These medium […]

Featured

Shiite Parties Decry Trump’s ‘Arrogant’ and ‘Disdainful’ Visit to Iraq, Ignoring Iraqis

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump’s surprise visit to a US military base in Iraq on the day after Christmas has provoked a strong critique among some Iraqis, who mind that Trump slipped in and out to visit the Ain al-Assad base in al-Anbar Province but did not bother to meet with any Iraqi officials. […]

Syria

Abandoned by Trump, Syrian-Kurdish YPG Closes in on Last ISIL Bastions

AFP

Beirut, Lebanon | AFP | – Smoke billows after bombings near Hajin, in eastern Syria, on December 15, 2018 Kurdish-led forces made fresh gains against jihadists defending their eastern Syria stronghold Monday, forcing hundreds of people to flee the fighting, a war monitor said. The Syrian Democratic Forces, with aerial support from the US-led coalition, […]