Middle East

By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University (The Conversation) – The Israeli airstrike targeting senior Hamas political leaders in Qatar on Sept. 9, 2025, represents the crossing of a number of lines. Resulting in the deaths of six people but seemingly failing to kill any members of Hamas’ leadership, the strike was the first serious attack […]

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Top 4 Reasons Netanyahu Bombed Negotiators’ Offices in Qatar

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bombed the building being used by civilian Hamas negotiators in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday, in the midst of ongoing indirect negotiations with them. Five low-level Hamas members were killed, along with a Qatari security guard, but the top negotiators survived. Earlier this […]

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How the Heartbreaking Story of 5-Year-Old Hind Rajab begot an Effective Human Rights Foundation

Dan Steinbock

As The Voice of Hind Rajab is winning over Hollywood, the real-life story is fostering complicity allegations against the Israeli military and Western complicity. New York (Special to Informed Comment, Feature) – Recently, The Voice of Hind Rajab won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize in Venice after a 23-minute standing ovation. The docudrama is […]

Iran

“A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse, and Thou:” Edward FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:11

Juan Cole

The eleventh quatrain in the first edition Edward FitzGerald’s translation of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám became one of the more famed poems in the English language. It epitomized romance for people in the late 19th and through the 20 century. Nervous young men brought it along on dates to read out as an ice […]

Israel/ Palestine

Gaza Diary: How I risk Death to feed my Family

Open Democracy

Hassan Herzallah Before the war, Hassan was a university student chasing his dreams. Now he risks his life every day to feed his family (OpenDemocracy.net ) – It’s 7am. My alarm rings and I get myself ready, just as I used to in the days when I would drink a cup of mint tea and […]

Iran

“With me along some Strip of Herbage Strown:” Edward FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:10

Juan Cole

The tenth quatrain in the first edition of Edward FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám continues the theme of the irrelevance of political power to happiness, which lies instead in love. The Persian originals make clear the meaning here, which is a little cryptic in FitzGerald’s rendering. X. With me along some Strip of Herbage strown […]

Brazil

Trump threatens UN Visa Ban for Brazil over Pro-Palestine Stance

Middle East Monitor

By Eman Abusidu ( Middle East Monitor ) – US President Donald Trump escalated tensions with Brazil on Friday (5), labeling the South American country’s current government as “radical left” and suggesting that Brazilian officials could be barred from attending the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York. The statement came during a White […]

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Morocco Produces 1 gigawatt of Solar Panels Annually, as it turns to Floatovoltaics

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Morocco continues to be a pioneer in renewable energy in Africa and the Arab world. The International Trade Administration notes of Morocco, “Total installed capacity from renewable energy sources stands at 4,550 MW, corresponding to 38.2 percent of total installed electrical capacity.” The country plans to generate 56% of its […]

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Genocide Scholars: Israel is Committing a Genocide in Gaza, and we Should Know

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On the last day of August, 2025, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, a scholarly body with more than 500 members, passed a resolution with 86% support of those who voted, concluding that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. These scholars study genocide professionally, researching it, theorizing it, and […]