Headlined “U.S. Seeks Other Ways to Stop Iran Shy of War,” the article was tucked away on page A9 of a recent New York Times. Still, it caught my attention. Here's the first paragraph: “American intelligence and military officers are working on additional clandestine plans to...
Donald Trump thinks the Middle East would be more stable under Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi. Juan Cole disagrees. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has alleged that “of course” the Middle East would be more stable if dictators like Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi were...
Maliki treats the breakdown of order in Iraq as a challenge to his rule. Iraq has certainly experienced a turbulent decade. The US-led invasion in 2003 which culminated in the ouster of long-time ruler Saddam Hussein was a game-changer in Iraq's history. Subsequent efforts by the Coalition...
Saadi's trial is likely to shed light on a dark and brutal era in the history of Libyan soccer. It was only a matter of time before Al-Saadi Qaddafi, the notorious, soccer-obsessed third son of toppled Libyan leader Col. Muammar Qaddafi, would be extradited to Libya by Niger. His trial is likely...
Maliki's war cry over fighting al-Qaeda is a clear subversion of the truth. As violence in Fallujah escalates to near-unprecedented levels, the entire narrative of the fighting seems to evade a number of key points. Namely, this fighting was not precipitated by the capture of Sunni strongholds by...
Iraq’s upsurge in violence should not obscure the lasting impact of the 2003 invasion. In a recent article for Fair Observer, Jafar Hassan asserted that: "US foreign policy, while misguided in several instances, is not a decisive cause of Iraq’s failing democracy." Upon reading this, I...
Despite appraisal for Iraqi Kurdistan’s thriving democracy, journalists are under threat. It appears there are two ways to depict life in Iraqi Kurdistan. Western journalists covering the area commonly invoke the region's new luxury hotels and airports as symbols of its progress and prosperity....
Blaming foreign influences and a lack of introspection has dogged Iraq’s history for far too long. Leading to the second point, US foreign policy, while misguided in several instances, is not a decisive cause of Iraq’s failing democracy. Even arguments made...
Blaming foreign influences and a lack of introspection has dogged Iraq’s history for far too long. Any window of opportunity that may exist for the Iraqi military to execute a full assault on the city of Fallujah appears to be closing. The US Congress has a grip – albeit a...
Failure to enforce law correctly hinders the protection of women in Iraq. Iraq has always been a country of both national and international upheavals. The frequent political changes have made Iraqis doubtful of their status, especially women. Time and again they were left homeless and in panic....
Syria's appalling civil war must come to an end. The agreement that US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently hammered out in Geneva will, if implemented, prove a milestone in the century-long effort to contain the horrors of modern war. For the first...
The civil war in Syria, despite claims to the contrary, is in its core a sectarian struggle. Josef Olmert, former Israeli peace negotiator, argues that the situation in Syria is an example of the historic Sunni-Shi'ite struggle in which Israel is not to blame. Violent civil conflict and...
In the midst of growing unrest in the Middle East, Iraq is yet again ablaze, fueled by sectarian strife. Sunni protests, pushing against a Shia leadership, have led international spectators to already call a civil war in the country. Iraq, a country embroiled in sectarian warfare, must now rise...
Last month’s spike in violence across Iraq has underscored the sectarian tensions that have been on the rise since the withdrawal of US troops. Background Of the numerous challenges facing Iraq as a nation, sectarian tension between its Shia majority and Sunni minority may be the most...
Stephen Zunes argues that the blame for the Iraq War should not be put on the Israel lobby but the Bush administration and US imperialism. This is the last of a two part series. Read part 1 here. “Pro-Israel Jewish neoconservatives like Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, Richard Perle, and...
