Middle East

By Jim Lobe | FPIF | (Originally published in Lobelog) | – – Many architects of the Iraq War openly hope Trump will go further in pursuing regime change in Syria — and then Iran. After the pre-dawn cruise-missile strike against Syria’s al-Shayrat airfield, neoconservative hawks, many of whom beat the drums for war in […]

Eastern Orthodox

Everyone could celebrate Easter in Jerusalem except Palestinian Christians

contributors

By IMEMC. | – – Thousands of Christian followers of the Orthodox and Catholic faiths from all over the world, gathering at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City, celebrated Easter Holy Saturday with the emergence of the holy fire from the location of the tomb believed to be that of Jesus […]

Featured

Why Population Exchange Fails: Over 100 Dead as Buses Bombed

Juan Cole

by Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Someone detonated a car bomb in the (rebel-held) Rashideen district of Aleppo Province Friday night, killing over 100 and wounding over 500. It targeted lead buses that had brought in evacuees from two Shiite villages being evacuated because their sectarian complexion makes them sitting ducks in […]

Authoritarianism

Turkey’s Referendum on Democracy vs. Illiberal Rule

contributors

By Natalie Martin | (The Conversation) | – – When the Turkish government announced its plans to transform itself into an executive presidency, no-one was particularly surprised. This plan, which has been described as “the most radical political change since the modern republic’s foundation in 1923”, is the culmination of a steady drift towards authoritarianism […]

Donald Trump

After the Chemical Attack, It’s Time to Get Rid of the ‘Muslim Ban’

contributors

By Peter Certo | (Otherwords.org) | – – Now that he cares about the fate of Syrian children, I hope Trump will open up our country — not bomb theirs. When I saw footage of the alleged sarin gas attack in Syria, I felt ill. The whole episode, which killed up to 100 civilians in […]

Israel/ Palestine

1 million Palestinians detained by Israel since 1948: Joint statement

contributors

Ma’an News Agency | – – RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli authorities have detained approximately one million Palestinians since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 and the subsequent occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in 1967, according to a joint statement released Saturday by the Palestinian Committee […]

Bashar al-Assad

Syria: to Assad & Kurds go the Spoils; Sunni extremists have Lost

contributors

By Mehmet Ozalp | (The Conversation) | – – The devastating gas attack in Syria, attributed to the Assad regime, and the swift US missile response is a game-changer for all parties involved in the Syrian conflict. This is a complex war, but it helps to look at the key players in three interlocking layers. […]

Featured

In 3 months, Trump has Charged into 4 Mideast Wars, to no Avail

Juan Cole

Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – In his less than three months in office, Donald Trump has escalated four wars, and all of his escalations have been failures. To be fair, Trump inherited all 4 wars from Barack Obama– Afghanistan, Iraq v. ISIL, Leftist Kurds v ISIL in Syria, and targeting support and […]

Iraq

‘Suicide belts Everywhere’: As Iraqi Forces Close in, ISIL prepares to Drink the Coolaid

contributors

Special Correspondent | (Baghdad) | (Niqash.org) | – – As pro-Iraq forces close in on the Islamic State fighters in Mosul, civilians trapped in the city with them, say the extremists roam around wearing suicide belts and appear to be ready to fight to the death. Word from inside Mosul makes it clear that the […]