Juan Cole

Kafka Visits Cairo: Bassem Youssef’s Interrogation

Kafka Visits Cairo: Bassem Youssef’s Interrogation

JUAN COLE: ‘Explain what you meant by this punchline’. Yes, the surreal became real for Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef this week.

 Juan Cole

10 Ways the Iraq Conflict has Diminished America

10 Ways the Iraq Conflict has Diminished America

As the tenth anniversary of the launching of the Iraq War approaches, I’ll be making some comments about the episode on Informed Comment, which for the years 2003-2010 intensively covered events in Iraq. A decade is long enough for some things to become clear.

The first set of issues I want to discuss has to do with the harm the war did to the United States. Coming into 2003, the US enjoyed a great deal of sympathy and solidarity from the rest of the world (including Iran) over the al-Qaeda strikes of September 11, 2001. In the aftermath of […]

 Juan Cole

‘We Heart Torture’: Zero Dark Thirty’s Message

‘We Heart Torture’: Zero Dark Thirty’s Message

KAREN J. GREENBERG, INFORMED COMMENT: It’s a deeply flawed movie with a deeply troubling message – torture is great.

 Richard Silverstein

What Meshal’s Visit Really Means for the Future

What Meshal’s Visit Really Means for the Future

RICHARD SILVERSTEIN: The words were predictably fiery and pugnacious but Meshal’s visit points to a new direction for Palestine.

 Juan Cole

A Brief Middle East History Lesson for Mitt Romney

A Brief Middle East History Lesson for Mitt Romney

JUAN COLE: The Presidential candidate appears to be entirely clueless about the recent history of US involvement in the region. Heres’ some help.

 Rob L. Wagner

Morsi’s Election: The Opportunity for the U.S.

Morsi’s Election: The Opportunity for the U.S.

ROB L. WAGNER: There’s no doubt that alarm bells were ringing in Washington with the news of Morsi’s election. It does, though, present an opportunity

 Rob L. Wagner

Romney’s Middle East Team: Same Old, Same Old

Romney’s Middle East Team: Same Old, Same Old

ROB L. WAGNER: If Mitt Romney wins the U.S. presidential election it looks like we’ll be taking a trip back in time to the reign of George W. Bush.

 Mondoweiss

Muslim Disillusion Could Cost Obama Dear

Muslim Disillusion Could Cost Obama Dear

ALEX KANE, MONDOWEISS: A multitude of events have piled up and support for Obama is running at an all time low.

 Common Ground News Service

Is Laughter the Middle East’s ‘Best Medicine’?

Is Laughter the Middle East’s ‘Best Medicine’?

SADIA ASHRAF, CGNEWS: What impact have the group of Arab comedians who emerged post 9/11 really had?

 Juan Cole

El Baradei Drops Out: “It’s as if Mubarak had Never Been Overthrown”

El Baradei Drops Out: “It’s as if Mubarak had Never Been Overthrown”

JUAN COLE: The Egyptian military have absolutely no intention of handing power to any civilian administration until they’ve done the right deal.

 Juan Cole

‘All Praise to George W. Bush’: The Top Ten Myths of the Arab Spring

‘All Praise to George W. Bush’: The Top Ten Myths of the Arab Spring

JUAN COLE: So much that is misinformed, over-hyped and simply plain wrong has been written about the Arab Spring. So let’s sort the wheat from the chaff.

 Juan Cole

Gingrich’s Crusade: It’s not an ‘Arab Spring’, it’s ‘an anti-Christian Spring’

Gingrich’s Crusade: It’s not an ‘Arab Spring’, it’s ‘an anti-Christian Spring’

JUAN COLE: In their quest to find an ABM (‘Anyone But Mitt’), the American Right have hit upon Gingrich. Let’s hear what he has to say about the MidEast.

 James M. Dorsey

Gulf States Seek to Tap Massive Sport Investments

Gulf States Seek to Tap Massive Sport Investments

JAMES M. DORSEY: Spain is rapidly emerging as a model for the offsets Qatar, Dubai and other energy-rich Gulf states hope to reap from their massive investments.

 Ramzy Baroud

The American Threat to Syria’s Revolution

The American Threat to Syria’s Revolution

RAMZY BAROUD: The American ambassador to Syria has established an ‘up and at ’em’ reputation. But what is the bigger picture for the United States in Syria at the moment?

 Juan Cole

Democracy: More Valued by Arabs than Americans?

Democracy: More Valued by Arabs than Americans?

JUAN COLE: Al Qaeda’s vision for the Arab World has been comprehensively rejected. It appears that Arabs – in particular, young Arabs – are prepared to put their lives on the line, not for a Caliphate, but for parliamentary democracy.

 Mondoweiss

The Hateful Ideology Behind the Norway Massacre

The Hateful Ideology Behind the Norway Massacre

ALEX KANE, MONDOWEISS: Many of the ideas that apparently inspired the deranged, mass killer Anders Breivik are, unfortunately, held by people who appear regularly on mainstream media.

 Common Ground News Service

Dig In or Engage: Israel’s Stark Choice on Palestine

Dig In or Engage: Israel’s Stark Choice on Palestine

JEROME M. SEGAL, CGNEWS: The ‘internationalising’ of the Palestinian issue has potentially profound consequences for Israel.

 Tabsir

Threats to the ‘Arab Spring’ Growing by the Day

Threats to the ‘Arab Spring’ Growing by the Day

DANIEL M. VARISCO: Where there was once optimism of fundamental change taking hold as a spirit of freedom swept the region, there is now growing pessimism.

 Juan Cole

Not to Publish bin Laden Photo Wise and Decent

Not to Publish bin Laden Photo Wise and Decent

JUAN COLE: The United States has clearly learned from the propaganda disaster that resulted from the release of Saddam Hussein’s filmed execution.

 Juan Cole

Goodbye Bin Laden. Now It’s Time to Exit Iraq

Goodbye Bin Laden. Now It’s Time to Exit Iraq

JUAN COLE: Post Osama, President Obama should do us all a favour and now remove U.S. troops from Iraq.