Arab World

(By Juan Cole) The Russian intervention in the Crimea is more direct and dramatic than the one in Syria, with actual troops deployed. But there are similarities. One of the little-noted rationales for Russian support for the Baath government in Damascus is that it is seen as more favorable, being secular and minority-dominated, toward Syria’s […]

Human Rights

Expelled from their homes by Israel, Palestinian Refugees in Syria’s Yarmouk Camp now Starving in midst of War

Juan Cole

Israeli negotiators repeatedly refuse to consider a right of return for Palestinians Israelis expelled from Palestine to refugee camps in the region. But refugees are without rights and open to serial catastrophes, as stateless non-citizens unwanted locally. When a civil war breaks out around the refugee camps, they can end up being besieged and starved, […]

Bashar al-Assad

Assad Regime’s Drought Response Triggered Syrian War

Juan Cole

NIJMEGEN, The Netherlands, February 28, 2014 (ENS) – The long drought that gripped Syria from 2006 through 2010 was a trigger of the conflict that has torn the country apart with devastating consequences, finds new research from a Dutch scientist.…

Iraq

One Million Afro-Iraqis say “Yes We Can” in Next Election

Juan Cole

(By Mustafa Sadoun for Niqash, in Basra) There are an estimated 1.5 million African Iraqis in Iraq today and with these coming elections, the group has not yet given up on the idea of representation in Parliament and recognition as a legitimate minority in the country. That means we make up about 5 percent […]

Bashar al-Assad

Threatened Syrian Christians taking up Arms, Tackling Extremists

contributors

(By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi) When it comes to news reports on Christians in Syria, the general focus is on the concerns Christian civilians have about their future, if any, in the country. Though such anxieties are not invalid, reports rarely break new ground. Here I intend to explore how Christians play a role on the […]

Human Rights

Angelina Jolie launches Syria Refugee Appeal; UNICEF: 2,000 Syrian Children in Lebanon at Risk of Death

Juan Cole

(UNICEF writes): UNICEF report: Silent threat emerging among Syrian refugee children in Lebanon BEIRUT, 25 February 2014 – A UNICEF-led joint nutrition assessment on the situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon was launched today, revealing malnutrition as a silent, emerging threat. UNICEF, in partnership with Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), the UN Refugee Agency […]

Arab Spring

As Egyptian Gov’t Falls, Leftist Presidential Candidate seeks Youth Vote

Juan Cole

(Via AFP) Egypt presidential hopeful fears return to autocracy (via AFP) Presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabbahi said he fears a return to autocratic rule in Egypt, telling AFP that the army chief, a likely election frontrunner, has failed to dispel these concerns. Sabbahi, 59, who came third in the 2012 presidential election… —— Related video: […]

Dissent

Israel’s Curb on Freedom of Speech in Anti-Boycott Law Challenged in Court

contributors

(By Bill Van Esveld) On [last] Sunday, nine Israeli Supreme Court justices heard a petition to revoke the country’s “anti-boycott law” – a law that penalizes people or groups that advocate boycotting Israeli products, institutions or individuals – because it restricts the right to freedom of expression. The anti-boycott law’s critics are as diverse as […]

Lebanon

A-Pop & Hip-Hop: “Wild Ones” – Myriam Fares and Flo Rida

Juan Cole

“Wild Ones” by Myriam Fares & Flo Rida Last summer American rapper Tramar Lacel Dillard a.k.a. Flo Rida reprised his 2011 hit with Sia, “Wild Ones” with Lebanese pop star Myriam Fares singing Arabic lyrics as a counterpoint to his English-language rapping. Since Fares is singing an Arabic melody, which has different harmonics than the […]