In Apocalyptic Vandalism, ISIL blows up 800-year-old Nuri Mosque in Mosul
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - al-Hayat (Life) reports that on Wednesday evening…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - al-Hayat (Life) reports that on Wednesday evening…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The epic battle in the Trump White…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Yara Bayoumi at Reuters reports on the…
Foreign Policy
Mattis overrules Trump on Qatari “terrorism,” sells it $12 bn in F-15s
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis defied his boss Donald Trump on Wednesday and inked a deal with the Qatar government to sell it…The top 4 Challenges facing the Arab World
By Tarek Osman | (Project Syndicate) | - - LONDON – Fifty years after the Six Days War, the Middle East remains a region in seemingly perpetual crisis. So it is no…The End of pan-Arab Media? Governments Ban whole Channels, Fine Fans
Human Rights Watch | - - (Beirut) – Arab countries engaged in a dispute with Qatar have shut down media outlets with links to or considered sympathetic to the Qatari government, Human…Why Saudi Extremism, Instability is an Argument for EVs, Wind and Solar Energy
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Saudi Arabia has gotten too big for its britches, and the oil-producing Middle East is turning even more unstable. Not to mention that…Sessions on Harris’s Questions re: Russia: “It makes me Nervous”
TeleSur | - - Sessions' testimony did not provide any damaging new information on alleged Trump campaign ties with Russia. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday denounced as a "detestable lie" the…Iranian Women push back against Cleric who likened Loosely Veiled Women To Prostitutes
By Golnaz Esfandiari. | ( RFE/RL) | - - Judging women by the degree to which they respect the compulsory hijab is nothing new in Iran. In the past, hard-liners have accused…Obama’s last Victory: Syrian Democratic Forces hold Parts of ISIL Capital
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with…Top Reasons Why Qatar Will Survive the Saudi-led Diplomatic Offensive
By Mohammed Nuruzzaman | (Informed Comment) | - - The Saudi – Qatar diplomatic rift is intensifying, showing no sign of immediate solution. Since June 5, the day Saudi Arabia, the UAE,…Speaking Truth to Erdogan: His Authoritarian Turn and Europe
By Ludwig Schulz | German Orient Institute | (Via Euractiv.com ) | - - Ludwig Schulz looks at how scientific analysis can help counter President Erdoğan’s fake narrative of Turkey’s thriving democracy…Execution-Crazy Saudi Gov’t railroads 14 Shiite Dissidents with unfair Death Penalty
Human Rights Watch | - - (Beirut) – Saudi Arabia should immediately quash the death sentences of 14 members of the Shia community for protest-related crimes, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch…Palestinian Children’s Lives Are Shaped By 50 Years of Military Occupation
By Jennifer Bing | ( Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - Five decades of occupation have turned military violence into the norm for Palestinian children. There are two places to visit…Tillerson-Trump Rumble over Qatar shows White House Divisions
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday called on Saudi Arabia and its allies to halt their blockade of Qatar. "There are humanitarian…GOP Rep. urges US Terror alliance with ISIL against Iranian civilians
NIAC | (Video News Clip) | - - NIAC Action: "Shocking: Rep. Dana Rohrabacher Suggests Tehran ISIS Attack Was "Positive"Saudi v. Qatar: Will Turkish intervention cause Escalation?
By James M. Dorsey | (Inter Press Service) | - - SINGAPORE (IPS) - Turkey’s parliament is this week fast tracking the dispatch of up to 3,000 troops to Qatar, home to…Could ISIL attacks in Tehran plunge the Middle East into greater turmoil?
By Mohammadbagher Forough | (The Conversation) | - - Iran experienced its first major ISIL attack on June 7, as armed men and suicide bombers targeted two symbols of the Islamic Republic…Top 10 Ways Americans judge Trump in the Comey Covfefe
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - On the eve of former FBI director James Comey's testimony, Trump seems to be tanking in the polls, and his firing Comey seems…How Trump Used the London Attacks to Further His Agenda (Cole Rising Up Interview)
Rising Up with Sonali | Sonali Kolhatkar | (Audio and Video Interview) | "Just days before the UK elections, US president Donald Trump has wielded his Twitter account as a weapon once…Civilian Casualties Mount in Battle to Re-take Mosul
By Mark Lattimer | (Inter Press Service} | - - LONDON (IPS) - East of Mosul, many of the lands liberated from ISIS stand empty. Driving through the Nineveh plains, traditional homelands…Muslims less likely to Commit Terrorism & other Reality-Based Statistics
By Michael Jetter | (The Conversation) | - - Recent events in London, Manchester and elsewhere highlight that Western societies are vulnerable to terrorist attacks – and political decision-makers need to find…Turkey OKs draft Bill to send Troops to bolster Qatar re: Saudis
TeleSur | - - Turkey and Qatar also both supported Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated projects throughout the Arab Spring, drawing strong Saudi ire. Turkey has waded into the geopolitical storm engulfing Gulf Arab states…