Arab World

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Secretary of Defense James Mattis resigned on Thursday in part because he felt his president was violating the code of the Marines, that no man should be left behind. In abruptly pulling out of Syria, Trump was abandoning the Syrian Kurds, the only allies the US could find in the […]

Yemen

Tales of Displaced Yemenis: Two Camps, Same Tragedy

AFP

By Khaled Mohammed | – Khokha, Yemen | AFP | – More than two million Yemenis have been displaced by the conflict between the Saudi-backed government and Iran-aligned Huthi rebels For many families in Yemen, the war has not only stripped them of their livelihoods, homes and belongings but something far more valuable: their dignity. […]

Featured

Putin: ISIL Defeated; “Right” for “unneeded” US Military to Depart Syria

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Sarah Sanders, Trump’s spokesperson, alleged that the Russians are unhappy with Trump decision to get out of Syria. As usual, Ms. Sanders is building sandcastles in the sky with no foundation. BBC Monitoring reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at a news conference on Dec. 20 on Rossiya 1 […]

Yemen

3.5 Million People Flee Homes Across Yemen

Middle East Monitor

(Middle East Monitor) – Around 3.5 million people across Yemen have fled their homes due to the conflict in the country, the head of Turkish Red Crescent said on Friday. Speaking to Anadolu Agency in Yemen’s southern city of Lahij, Kerem Kinik said: “Two-thirds of the overall population have been struggling with food insecurity and […]

Featured

A New Middle East: Winners and Losers from Trump’s Abrupt Syria Withdrawal

Juan Cole

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 […]