Int. Relations

“When diplomacy ends, War begins.” Adolf Hitler

 Ramzy Baroud

Welcome To the Media Circus Whose Name is ‘Negotiation’

Welcome To the Media Circus Whose Name is ‘Negotiation’

RAMZY BAROUD: Prepare yourself for cliche, ‘grin and grip’ photo opportunities and nothing of susbtance – here comes the so-called ‘Negotiation Process’

 Ramzy Baroud

Trust: A Diminishing Resource in International Relations

Trust: A Diminishing Resource in International Relations

RAMZY BAROUD: Hard to win and lost in an instant, it’s trust. The U.S seems to be unconcerned about its diminishing reputation in the world

 Mondoweiss

‘Let’s Talk About Talking. And Just Keep on Building’

‘Let’s Talk About Talking. And Just Keep on Building’

MARC ELLIS, MONDOWEISS: Don’t expect anything of substance from the proposed meetings between Israeli and Palestinian ‘negotiators’.

 Juan Cole

Top Ten Reasons Why Americans Should Care About Egypt

Top Ten Reasons Why Americans Should Care About Egypt

JUAN COLE: Recent events in Egypt don’t seem to hold much appeal for the major news corporations in the U.S but all Americans have a stake in what happens there

 Mondoweiss

“An Earthquake”: Israeli Authorities’ View of EU Decision

“An Earthquake”: Israeli Authorities’ View of EU Decision

MONDOWEISS: The decision of the EU to ban all EU funding of projects in the occupied territories has certainly caught the Israeli government napping.

 Jonathan Cook

What’s Happening to Palestinians Has a Name: ‘Apartheid’

What’s Happening to Palestinians Has a Name: ‘Apartheid’

JONATHAN COOK: It’s time to end the mealy-mouthed, legalistic description of what Israel is imposing on Palestinians. Their treatment has a name, let’s use it.

 Ramzy Baroud

Scratch, Scratch: The Western Itch To Intervene Is Insatiable

Scratch, Scratch: The Western Itch To Intervene Is Insatiable

RAMZY BAROUD: You can be sure that whatever turmoil is happening in the Middle East the hands of the West will be present

 Ramzy Baroud

Child Labour: It’s a Human Blight That Shames All of Us

Child Labour: It’s a Human Blight That Shames All of Us

Last night at the hotel lobby of an Arab Gulf country, a family walked in aiming for the westernized café that sells everything but Arabic coffee. The mother seemed distant as she pressed buttons on her smart phone. The father looked tired as he buffed away on his cigarette, and a whole band of children […]

 David Roberts

‘A Difficult Neigbourhood’: How Qatar Manages Its Relations

‘A Difficult Neigbourhood’: How Qatar Manages Its Relations

DAVID ROBERTS: The Qatari authorities have a very difficult diplomatic tightrope to walk and they have to play their hand with consistent skill

 Common Ground News Service

Rouhani’s Election: Clock’s Ticking on Golden Opportunity

Rouhani’s Election: Clock’s Ticking on Golden Opportunity

AMBASSADOR WILLIAM GREEN, CGNEWS: I’ve been involved in negotiatons with Iran for more than fifty years. I believe we need to capitalise quickly on the new situation

 Steve Royston

‘The Devil’s Fire’: Syria’s Unique Blend of Pure Horror

‘The Devil’s Fire’: Syria’s Unique Blend of Pure Horror

STEVE ROYSTON: The situation in Syria is so desperate, so serious and so wide-ranging that it has the potential to affect every individual living in the region

 Juan Cole

‘Domestic Issue Deflection?’ Morsi’s Call for Syrian Action

‘Domestic Issue Deflection?’ Morsi’s Call for Syrian Action

JUAN COLE: President Morsi’s called for a no-fly zone over Syria. He is, though, facing a raft of serious issues at home

 Tabsir

“Game Changer”: Is This The Phrase That Will Haunt Obama?

“Game Changer”: Is This The Phrase That Will Haunt Obama?

DANIEL M. VARISCO: For George W. Bush the phrase was ‘Mission Accomplished’. For his successor there could be another phrase that defines his foreign affair policy

 Mich Cafe

‘Help Now’: Syrian Refugee Crisis ‘Unprecedented In Its Scope’

‘Help Now’: Syrian Refugee Crisis ‘Unprecedented In Its Scope’

MICH CAFE: If Americans diverted the money they spent in a month on ice-cream to the UN Syrian refugee fund the target would be met.

 Juan Cole

Clinton Tries To Set Up Obama As ‘Patsy to The Hawks’

Clinton Tries To Set Up Obama As ‘Patsy to The Hawks’

JUAN COLE: Bill Clinton has criticised President Obama for not providing stronger military support for the Syrian opposition. His own record on military intervention isn’t so good.

 Ramzy Baroud

Sunni vs Shia: This Sectarianism Is Destroying Arab Identity

Sunni vs Shia: This Sectarianism Is Destroying Arab Identity

RAMZY BAROUD: Any possibility of a Pan Arab national identity is being destroyed each day that people are being butchered in the name of a particular sect

 Jonathan Cook

Palestine Reclaimed: A Return to The Hill-Top of Iqrit

Palestine Reclaimed: A Return to The Hill-Top of Iqrit

JONATHAN COOK: A dozen young men have returned to the village from which their grandparents were expelled in 1948 and set up camp

 Richard Silverstein

Israel’s Connection to the NSA Surveillance Scandal

Israel’s Connection to the NSA Surveillance Scandal

RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: Israeli companies have consistently led the way in internet monitoring and surveillance technology.

 Juan Cole

New U.S. Terrorism Map: It’s Only 500 Years Out of Date

New U.S. Terrorism Map: It’s Only 500 Years Out of Date

CHARLES KURZMAN, INFORMED COMMENT: If the lead agency in combatting terror against the U.S designates the whole Islamic world as the source of terror what hope is there?

 Ramzy Baroud

Gaza Is ‘Paying a Heavy Price’ For Egypt’s Political Turmoil

Gaza Is ‘Paying a Heavy Price’ For Egypt’s Political Turmoil

RAMZY BAROUD: Gazans rejoiced when their neighbours in Egypt experienced freedom. The consequences for Gaza of two years’ revolution in Egypt though are dire