Middle East

By Iris Agmon | – On January 2016, a small Turkish organization of activists, Academics for Peace (AfP) called the Turkish government to stop its violent assault against the Kurdish towns and areas of Eastern Turkey and return to peace negotiations with the Kurdish leadership towards resolving the prolonged conflict between the Turkish state and […]

Featured

Iran: How Bolton tricked Clueless UK Conservatives into Confrontation with Tehran

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Simon Tisdall at The Guardian explains the difference between Socialist Spain and the disorganized Conservatives in control of UK on foreign policy. US national security adviser John Bolton tried to hoodwink both of them about the Grace I, a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker carrying Iranian petroleum through the Straits of Gibraltar. […]

Israel/ Palestine

How US Law Restricting Satellite Imagery of Palestine-Israel Hurts Health, Environmental Research

Al-Shabaka

by Zena Agha | – Bipartisan legislation passed by the US Congress in 1997 limits the quality and availability of satellite imagery of Palestine-Israel. The Kyl-Bingaman Amendment (KBA) to the US National Defense Authorization Act was passed under the pretext of protecting Israel’s national security. It prevents US satellite operators and retailers from selling or […]

Iran

Crickets from European Union over Questionable UK Seizure of Iran tanker: With Brexit, London should Get Used to It

The Conversation

By Barry Ryan | – It’s rare to experience silence in this age of political anger and loudness, of bombastic tweets, insulting truths and incredible lies. It’s so unfashionable for a politician to not immediately respond to an event with lightening praise or withering cynicism, that when we hear nothing, it seems as though something […]

Iran

Are the Iran-Trump Tanker, Drone incidents in the Strait of Hormuz a Form of Guerrilla War?

The Conversation

By Rockford Weitz | – Tensions between the United States, Iran and other countries are flaring again in the Strait of Hormuz. There are competing explanations for what’s going on in the narrow seaway through which 21% of the world’s crude oil currently passes. Most of the reports of attacked tankers, smuggled oil and downed […]

Israel/ Palestine

Does Israel’s Netanyahu need another Gaza War to remain Prime Minister (and out of Jail)?

Ramzy Baroud

( Middle East Monitor) Media reports of an impending Israeli war on the besieged Gaza Strip are now a regular occurrence. The frequency of these reports fluctuates based on Israel’s own political landscape. Empirical experience has taught us that when Israeli leaders are in trouble, they wage a war on Gaza. Now that Israeli Prime […]

Displaced and Refugees

Are Syrian Refugees a Danger to the West?

The Conversation

By Arie Kruglanski, David Webber, Erica Molinario and Katarzyna Jaśko | – While today’s news is full of stories about refugees and migrants to the U.S. from Central America, the plight of those particular refugees is only part of an international migration crisis that has been going on since 2015 and has driven 25.9 million […]

Featured

Is Trump setting the US up for further al-Qaeda attacks by putting Troops in Saudi Arabia?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump is sending US troops to be based in Saudi Arabia, and King Salman has signed off on the paperwork. Several hundred US military personnel will be at Prince Sultan Air Base, accompanying fighter jets and Patriot missile defense systems. US troops were first based in Saudi Arabia during the […]

Libya

The United Arab Emirates is getting out of Yemen: Will it Target Libya Next?

Middle East Monitor

By Abdulaziz Kilani | @AZ_Kilani | – Last week, the United Arab Emirates confirmed its troop drawdown from Yemen, which has raised questions about what Abu Dhabi’s next target will be. “Many people asked if this is also linked to the current rise of tensions with Iran,” said a senior UAE official who declined to […]