Middle East

George W. Bush denounces “the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq — I mean, Ukraine”

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Michael Williams at the Dallas Morning News reports on George W. Bush’s speech at his presidential center at Southern Methodist University, during which the former president made what MSNBC’s Mehdi Hassan called “one of the biggest Freudian slips of all time.” Bush denounced the rigged elections that produced the dictatorship […]

Israel/ Palestine

Israel-Palestine: Supreme Injustice and Counting the Omer

Abigail Leibowitz

( Traveling Twins ) – As we celebrate the annual Lag BaOmer pilgrimage to Mount Meron in Israel this week– the 33rd day of the Omer– it begs the question: why are we counting the Omer for 49 days in the first place? As we are in the midst of counting the Omer, it is […]

Democracy

Lebanese Election sees significant Gains for independent non-sectarian Politicians

The Conversation

By John Nagle, Queen’s University Belfast and Tamirace Fakhoury, Aalborg University | – Lebanese voters are signalling a desire for change, with Hezbollah and its allies losing ground across the country in a parliamentary election. Just as the recent election in Northern Ireland brought a boost for the non-sectarian Alliance Party, Lebanon’s election saw significant […]

Israel/ Palestine

International Silence over Israel’s media Repression is also an Attack on the Palestinian Narratives

Ramona Wadi

( Middle East Monitor ) – While there is still much focus on the extrajudicial killing of Palestinian-American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, calls for justice will remain resonant, at least presently. However, Israel has perfected its tactics of denial and impunity. The international community has not gone beyond its usual statements and Israel has already […]

Haredim

Constantly on the verge of Collapse: How Palestinians became the Linchpin of Israeli Politics

Ramzy Baroud

( Middle East Monitor) – Israel’s coalition government of right-wing Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, is on the verge of collapse, which is unsurprising. Israeli politics, after all, is among the most fractious in the world, and this particular coalition was born out of the obsessive desire to dethrone Israel’s former leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. While Netanyahu […]

Kurds

Why Turkey isn’t on board with Finland, Sweden joining NATO – and why that matters

The Conversation

By Ronald Suny, University of Michigan | – After decades of neutrality, the two Scandinavian states that have to date remained out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have reacted to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by declaring an intention to join the American-led alliance. But there is a major obstacle in their way: Turkey. The […]

Afghanistan

Our Compassion for Ukrainian Victims of War was not on Offer to Iraqis or Afghans when We Invaded

Tomdispatch

By Nan Levinson | – ( Tomdispatch.com ) – I’ve been watching this country at war for many years now and, after 9/11, began spending time with American veterans who came to disdain and actively oppose the very conflicts they were sent to fight. The paths they followed to get there and the courage it […]

Climate Crisis

The Iraqi Dust Bowl: The US Invaded for its Oil, but now Climate Change from burning Fossil Fuels is Smothering the Country

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Some Middle East countries profit off oil and gas, but the very source of their prosperity is threatening their future, since burning these fossil fuels causes global heating, and you wouldn’t want the Middle East to be hotter than it already is. But it will be. The very oil that […]

Israel/ Palestine

How media reports of ‘Clashes’ mislead Americans about Israeli-Palestinian Violence

The Conversation

By Maha Nassar, University of Arizona | – Israeli police attacked mourners carrying the coffin of slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 13, 2022, beating pallbearers with batons and kicking them when they fell to the ground. Yet those who skimmed the headlines of initial reports from several U.S. media outlets may have […]