The Fear Business: It’s Thriving in Jordan

NASEEM TARAWNAH: Look east, look north, look south, look west – everywhere around Jordan spells trouble with a capital ‘T’.

Added on 01/03/2014 M.-Lynx-Qualey Asia , Damascus , Dima Yousf , Fawaz Azem , Fertile Crescent , Human Interest , Seleucid Empire , Syria

‘If Only’: A Young, Syrian Poet’s Searing Words

M. LYNX-QUALEY: A young Syrian poet writes about the horror that she has witnessed in her homeland.

Added on 10/11/2013 Mich Cafe Biology , Contact immunity , Flaccid paralysis , Health , Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals , immunization , Measles , Medicine , Polio , polio cases , Polio vaccine , Poliomyelitis , Poliomyelitis eradication , Poliovirus , Syria , Vaccination , Vaccine , World Health Organization

Polio: The Latest Disaster to Befall Assad’s Syria

MICH CAFE: Prior to the civil war its prevalence in Syria was very low indeed but the conflict has seen a spike in polio in the country

Added on 02/11/2013 Juan Cole Asia , Civil war in Iraq , Iraq , Iraq War , Iraqi insurgency , Mexico , Nouri al-Maliki , Politics , Politics of Iraq , Sunni , Syria , United States , War/Conflict , Washington

Why the U.S Should Stay Out of Iraq: Top Ten Reasons

JUAN COLE: Nouri Al-Maliki is in Washington pushing for increased U.S involvement in his country’s affairs. I have one word of advice to President Obama – resist!

Added on 29/10/2013 Ramzy Baroud Al Qaeda , Asia , Fertile Crescent , Foreign relations of Iraq , Iraq , Iraqi insurgency , Levant , Member states of the Arab League , Member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation , Member states of the United Nations , Middle East , Politics , Syria , United States , War/Conflict

Lines on the Map ‘Irrelevant’ in Shifting Middle East Map

RAMZY BAROUD: The sectarian genie that was released via the US invasion of Iraq is now running rampant around the Middle East

Added on 25/10/2013 Juan Cole Arab League , Arab world , Cairo , Egypt , Egyptian people , Foreign relations of Egypt , Gamal Abdel Nasser , Iran , Iraq , Middle East , Moscow , Muslim Brotherhood , Nikita Khrushchev , North Africa , Politics , Politics of Egypt , President , Russia , Saudi Arabia , Soviet Union , Syria , United States , USD , Vladimir Putin , Washington , Western Asia

‘Bye Bye, America, Hello, Russia’: Arab World Turns

An Egyptian delegation heading to Moscow just after the United States cut $300 million out of its aid package to Cairo to punish the July 3 military coup there has raised speculation that Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s military junta is shopping for a new superpower patron. In the 1960s at the height of the Cold […]

Added on 26/09/2013 Naseem Tarawnah Arab , Arab League , Arab world , Asia , Israel , Middle East , North Africa , Politics , Syria , United States , Western Asia

Melancholy Meets Impotence: Being An Arab In the Middle East

NASEEM TARAWNAH: It’s curious watching while other countries decide what to do with the place where you live.

Added on 22/09/2013 Steve Royston Al Qaeda , Al-Saud , Asia , House of Saud , Iraq , Kings of Saudi Arabia , Middle East , Oil , Outline of Saudi Arabia , Politics , Saudi Arabia , Saudi Arabia–United States relations , Syria , United States

Why Are There So Few Good Books About Saudi Arabia?

STEVE ROYSTON: A recently published book on the Kingdom seems to be designed to pander to all of the usual Western prejudices. Why so?

Added on 15/09/2013 Common Ground News Service Al Azhar University , Egypt , Fatwa , Iraq , Islam , Jordan , Lebanon , Mahmoud Shaltut , Mahmud Shaltut , Middle East , Muhammad Taghi Ghomi , Religion , Religion/Belief , Shi'a Islam , Syria , Twelver

Shia vs Sunni: Lessons From The “Peace of Exhaustion”

SHEIKH MUSTAFA CERIC: Protestants and Catholics fought each other for decades in Europe before they decided to sign a peace treaty. Let’s look at lessons learned

Added on 13/09/2013 Mondoweiss American exceptionalism , Critical theory , Exceptionalism , Nationalism , Obama , Philosophical theories , Philosophy , Political philosophy , Politics , President , Religion/Belief , Russia , Russian Orthodox Christians , Syria , Vladimir Putin

The Poison of ‘Exceptionalism’: Putin and Obama Compete

MONDOWEISS: It’s come to something when Barack Obama has to take a lecture on the evils of ‘exceptionalism’ from, of all people, Vladimir Putin

Added on 11/09/2013 Juan Cole Asia , Bashar al-Assad , Chemical weapons , Damascus , European Union , Moscow , Obama , Politics , President , Putin , Russia , Spain , Syria , Syrian uprising , United States , War/Conflict

“Thank You, Vladimir.” What Obama Should Say to Putin

JUAN COLE: By taking the words of John Kerry and quickly formulating a new policy on Syria Putin has saved Obama from a major political embarrassment

Added on 05/09/2013 Mondoweiss Al-Assad family , America , American Israel Public Affairs Committee , Asia , Assad family , Barack Obama , Bashar al-Assad , Chemical weapons , Chuck Hagel , Congress , Henry Waxman , International reactions to the 2011–2012 Syrian uprising , Iran , Israel , Israel lobby in the United States , Middle East , Mira Resnick , Politics , Republican Jewish Coalition , Senate , Syria , Syrian uprising , United States , War/Conflict , White House

Strike on Syria: The Lobby’s In Overdrive

MONDOWEISS: As the vote in Congress nears there is one group of ‘cheerleaders for war’ who are working particularly hard.

Added on 03/09/2013 Mondoweiss American Israel Public Affairs Committee , Asia , Barack Obama , Chemical weapons , Congress , Fertile Crescent , Levant , Obama , Politics , President , Social Issues , Syria , United States , War/Conflict

So What Exactly Does Barack Obama Stand For?

MONDOWEISS: Is he about extracting the U.S from costly and involved foreign conflict or in favour of same? Maybe he’s the Drone Strike President?

Added on 02/09/2013 Crossroads Arabia Al-Assad family , Arab League , Asia , Assad family , Barack Obama , Bashar al-Assad , Politics , Politics of Syria , President , Protests in Syria , Syria , Syrian uprising , United States , War/Conflict

‘Stop Dithering’. Saudi’s Message to Obama on Syria

CROSSROADS ARABIA: It’s clear that impatience with Barack Obama’s position on Syria is growing within the Kingdom. So what next?

Added on 31/08/2013 Juan Cole David Cameron , George W. Bush , Gulf War , Iraq , Rationale for the Iraq War , Saddam Hussein , Special Relationship , Syria , Tony Blair

Ghost of Iraq Comes Back to Haunt US/UK Syria Plans

The heavy propaganda for an Iraq War waged by the Bush administration and the Blair government in 2002-2003 came back to haunt the Anglo-American alliance on Thursday when the British parliament voted 285 to 272 not to authorize a military strike on Syria.

JUAN COLE: The heavy propaganda for an Iraq War waged by Bush, Blair governments came back to haunt the alliance on Thursday when parliament voted not to authorize a military strike on Syria.