Middle East

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – As Shakir Jawdat, Chief of the Iraqi Federal Police, announced the complete liberation of the last, northern neighborhoods of Fallujah from Daesh (ISIS, ISIL), Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi came to the city on Sunday to plant the Iraqi flag right downtown. al-Abadi, the commander in chief […]

Iran

How can Americans prevent an Israeli-Iranian War? Dump the Squatter Settlers

contributors

By Thomas Buonomo | (Informed Comment) | – – The conflict in Syria is likely to grow more dangerous for all parties in the near future as Assad refuses to step down and Iran continues to expand its military presence in Syria and Lebanon in pursuit of its decades-long goal of annihilating the state of […]

Featured

The Great Battle for Aleppo

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Jordan’s Arabic daily al-Dustour [Constitution] is reporting on what it calls ‘the Great Battle for Aleppo.’ Such a battle isn’t, ideally, supposed to be taking place, by the terms of the cessation of hostilities reached in late November. The rebels in East Aleppo (pop. 300,000) and […]

Middle East

The Middle East Dimension of Brexit

contributors

Middle East Eye | (Video News Report) | Brexit will affect Syrian and other Refugees at Calais, intelligence sharing on ISIL, and Palestine-Israel diplomacy among other pressing issues. ” Middle East Eye: “90 Seconds: Impact of ‘Brexit’ on the Middle East and UK foreign policy”

Iraq

Iraq after ISIL: Liberated Ramadi 80% Damaged, has only gotten $1 mn from Gov’t

contributors

By Kamal al-Ayash | Ramadi | (Niqash.org) | – – As the clean up in Ramadi continues, locals and officials are applying for reconstruction aid. But there are problems already, with calls of foul and favouritism and a lack of billions in funding. After the extremist group known as the Islamic State was pushed out […]

BDS Occupied Territories

Will Gov. Cuomo’s executive order against Israel Boycott strengthen movement?

contributors

By Tekendra Parmar | ( Waging Nonviolence ) | – – On June 5, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order to create a blacklist of entities that support the boycott, divestment and sanctions, or BDS, movement for Palestinian rights and remove New York State funds from any “institution or company” determined to advocate for […]

Featured

As Putin Slams NATO, Russia loses Patience with US-Backed Rebels in Syria

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – On Wednesday President Vladimir Putin addressed the Russian parliament on the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s attack on his country. He said Russia would have to increase its military preparedness given NATO’s “aggressive” actions on Russia’s borders. (He was talking about NATO defensive moves in Poland […]

Israel/ Palestine

Palestine’s ‘prayer for rain’: How Israel uses water as a weapon of war

contributors

By Ramzy Baroud | ( Ma’an News Agency) | – – Entire communities in the West Bank either have no access to water or have had their water supply reduced almost by half. This alarming development has been taking place for weeks, since Israel’s national water company, “Mekorot”, decided to cut off — or significantly […]

Dissent

Erdogan loses appeal against German media re: Comedian who Satirized him

contributors

By EurActiv.com with AFP Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lost a German court battle against a top media boss when his appeal in a bitter row over free speech was thrown out. Erdoğan had sought a court order to stop the Axel Springer media group’s chief Mathias Doepfner from repeating support for a TV satirist […]