Arab World

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump shook up the Washington establishment and Middle Eastern and world politics on Wednesday by abruptly announcing by Tweet a full and immediate withdrawal of US military forces from northeast Syria. Trump’s motives for what he does are never easy to fathom. He may have been driven by a desire […]

Yemen

Trump Admin. Relents, will Waive Muslim Ban to let Yemeni Mother see Dying Son

AFP

San Francisco, CA | AFP | Shaima Swileh, a native of Yemen, was granted a US visa to visit her dying two-year-old son Abdullah Hassan, a US citizen like his father Ali — both of whom are picture here at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland on December 16, 2018 A mother from Yemen was […]

Syria

Defeated by Russia and Iran, US Throws in Towel on Syria Regime Change

AFP

Washington, DC | AFP | – The United States said Monday it was no longer seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but renewed warnings it would not fund reconstruction unless the regime is “fundamentally different.” James Jeffrey, the US special representative in Syria, said that Assad needed to compromise as he had not yet […]

Saudi Arabia

Saudis angrily attack US Senate vote against Crown Prince as ‘Blatant Interference’

Anuj Chopra

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | – Saudi Arabia on Monday slammed as “interference” US Senate resolutions over its war in Yemen and critic Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, warning that the move could have repercussions on its strategic ties with Washington. The Republican-controlled Senate voted on Thursday to end American military support for a Riyadh-led war […]

Saudi Arabia

Are Saudi Students Ready for Kant and Heidegger? Ban on Philosophy Ends

Middle East Monitor

A team of Saudi and British academics has begun preparations to include philosophy in the Saudi secondary school syllabus. The team also began a training programme for more than 200 teachers to begin teaching philosophy after the subject was banned for decades, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Friday. The plan was announced by Saudi Education Minister […]

Yemen

Why you Need to Understand Yemen’s Houthi Rebels

The Conversation

By Myriam Renaud | – Chicago (The Conversation) – Fully half of Yemen’s population – 14 million people – are on the brink of starvation. Some analysts blame their inability to access basic foodstuff on escalating conflict between two religious factions: the country’s Sunni Muslims and its Houthis. The Houthis belong to the Shiite branch […]

Featured

Senate Fingers Saudi Bin Salman as Murderer, Demands End of Yemen War

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Seven Republicans joined the Democrats in the Senate in voting for resolutions that 1) assigned the blame for the murder of the dissident Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman and 2) invoked the War Powers Act of 1973 in calling for […]

Yemen

Yemeni Mothers forced to Choose Which Child Starves: Aid Group

Middle East Monitor

(Middle East Monitor) – Mothers are being forced to leave their children to starve as they face a “catastrophic” shortage of food in war-torn Yemen, a humanitarian group said on Thursday, reports Reuters. As the warring parties pledged a ceasefire over a key entry port for supplies, Action Against Hunger said many civilians were struggling […]

Yemen

Yemen’s Warring Parties agree to Ceasefire at Key Port in UN Talks

Natacha Yazbeck

Rimbo, Sweden | AFP | – Yemen’s warring parties on Thursday agreed to a ceasefire on a vital port in a series of breakthroughs in UN-brokered peace talks that could mark a major turning point after four years of devastating conflict. If implemented, the deal on the Hodeida port, a key gateway for aid and […]