Shiites

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – Last week an Israeli helicopter gunship targeted Hizbullah outposts in Syria southwest of Damascus, near the front with the rebel Support Front (Syria al-Qaeda), which controls the Golan Heights on the Syrian side. These outposts were not in fact bordering Israel or likely aimed at Israel, but rather […]

US Foreign Policy

Can US can help Mediate Yemen Crisis? US Embassy Cuts Staff…

contributors

CNN | — “The United States struggles to maintain a sense of diplomacy in Yemen during political chaos.” CNN: “U.S. embassy cuts staff in Yemen”

Featured

Yemen Civil War? Masses Rally in Capital & South Secedes

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) — From 1967 to 1990, and again briefly in 1994, South Yemen was an independent country. In the first period, of some 23 years, it had a Communist government, the only one in the Arab world. Today, South Yemen is again an independent state. Since the resignation of united […]

Democracy

Yemenis living “hour to hour” as Houthis take Presidential Palace

contributors

SANA’A (IRIN) – Muneer Asharby nearly didn’t go to work today. It wasn’t until after noon that he finally braved the walk. Even so, he kept half of his hardware shop closed in case he needed to make a fast exit. The day before a mortar shell landed just in front of his shop, in […]

Iraq

Iraq has Worst Year since Bush Invaded, is a Ghost of Former Self

contributors

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) — The past year in Iraq is not easy to review. The assorted crises, both in security and politics, are well known around the world and for many Iraqis it’s been one long nightmare. NIQASH went to gather ordinary Iraqis’ opinions on the year gone by and ended […]

Iraq

Iraq Faces Women’s Crisis: 1 Mn. Widows, Extremist Captives, Child Brides

contributors

By Alaa Latif | Sulaymaniyah | (Niqash.org) Bayan Nouri has a tough job over the next four years – the new Minister for Women’s Affairs in Iraq must try to improve the economic lot of Iraq’s women, prevent systemic domestic violence against females and work on problems like female genital mutilation and underage marriage as […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

Yemen in 2014: 1500 Killed as Extremist Shiites took over Gov’t, battled al-Qaeda: What Next?

contributors

SANAA, December 2014 (IRIN) — After a negotiated transfer of power agreed in early 2012, the annual death toll dropped to about 1,100 and nearly halved again in 2013 to fewer than 600, according to the International Crisis Group. The uptick in violence in 2014 is the result of a number of distinct but inter-related […]

Featured

The Year Iraq Ceased to Exist: Will it ever Again?

Juan Cole

In 2014, Iraq was said to lose 42% of its territory to Daesh (the Arabic acronym for what our press calls ISIS or ISIL). This statistic refers to the loss of the mostly Sunni Arab provinces of al-Anbar and Ninewah, as well as parts of Salahuddin and Diyala. It is a little bit misleading, since […]

Bashar al-Assad

Did Iran win “2014”? Top 6 Iran Developments this Year

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) — In 2014, Iran made news on a number of important fronts. 1. Although there was no decisive breakthrough in its relationship with the United States and the European Union, there was anticipation that some sort of deal would be reached eventually with the permanent members of the UN […]