Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to position Israel as the modern day Sparta, and to sell […]
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Dangers facing the World
As if Iraq was not enough to worry about, some important political developments in Lebanon, and even in the Yemen have raised the temperature of […]
Cole in Salon: Obama and Clinton on Aljazeera
My column, “Clinton and Obama on Aljazeera,” is just out in Salon.com. It is based in part on an interview I did with the editor-in-chief […]
Mosul Offensive Catches Residents Off Guard; Turks Bomb N. Iraq; New Bloc in Parliament?
The Mosul operation came so unexpectedly for residents of the major northern city that they did not have time to stock up on food. Alexandra […]
Maliki-Sadr Agreement on Sadr City; Al-Maliki Heads to Mosul
The al-Maliki government and the Sadrists pulled back from the brink in Sadr City on Saturday. PM Nuri al-Maliki had demanded that the Mahdi Army […]
Sadrists Denounce Sistani and al-Maliki
AFP reports that on Friday an aide to junior cleric Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr lashed out at Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani over his silence at the […]
OSC: Lebanon — Both Sides Take Tough Line, Leave Room To Maneuver
The USG Open Source Center analyzes the Lebanese press on the crisis between the Seniora government and Hizbullah, suggesting that despite their harsh words, they […]
Beirut Ramping Up
Irina Prentice writes from Beirut: Beirut Ramping Up Yesterday afternoon the political fight came to a head, turning to armed conflict throughout key neighborhoods in […]
Lebanon takes 2 Steps toward Civil War; Beirut in Chaos
On late Friday, the Lebanese army moved into some neighborhoods that had been taken during the day by the Hizbullah militia. Hizbullah routed Sunni militiamen […]
Sadr City Residents Warned to Leave;
AFP reports, “25 killed as Rockets Shatter Basra Calm.” Shiite guerrillas fired a barrage of rockets at the British base out at the airport in […]
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