Tag: Middle East, War Zones

Hezbollah fighters march in a parade in Beirut. Photo from Wikimedia Commons. The Israeli state is rightly concerned about the possibility of large-scale attacks from the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah. Much is made of the group’s links to Iran, Israel’s former ally and current Middle East competitor. In the subjective

Postcard with the text of the Balfour Declaration in Hebrew. Published by Ya’ackov Ben-Dov, Bezalel, Jerusalem. Image courtesy the Levy Auction House/Wikimedia Commons. Israeli flags are flying over all government buildings in the United Kingdom currently, but this isn’t the first time the former imperial hegemon has put its weight

Iranian mourners lift a picture of slain military commander Qassim Suleimani during a funeral procession in Tehran. Photo by Atta Kenare/AFP. The US military’s assassination of Qasem Soleimani, one of the top military commanders of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s (IRI) expansionist regional policies and its proxy wars in the

Thousands of worshippers march after Friday prayers in Tehran following the assassination of General Qassim Suleimani who headed up the elite Quds Force in a US drone strike. Still image from YouTube. It is no stretch to imagine that the assassination of one of Iran’s top military officials may lead

Illustration by Carlos Latuff Neither side can be characterised as “good”. There are no “white hats” in this gunfight. But there is clearly a side to prefer if the yardstick is minimising not only the current suffering in Syria but also future suffering in the region. A decade ago I

Photo by Andrea Bongiorno In the wake of the barbaric London terror attack, everyone is debating how to stop further terrorism. Some say we need more war against Islamic countries … or more spying … or more crackdowns on our liberties. But – despite what the talking heads may say

Photo by Alisdare Hickson The debate over Syria on the Left is toxic. I pulled together 13 points about the situation in Syria I hope can be useful in framing the discussion in a more productive way. The ultimate goal of these discussions in Western countries should be to have

Photo by Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images Ceasefires in Syria are difficult to arrange and particularly likely to collapse because their successful implementation involves so many parties inside and outside the country who hate and would like to kill each other. All of these powers have their own agendas that may have

Photo from Public Domain

Introduction

The Islamic State (IS) has become a magnet for international brigades, drawing over 30,000 fighters from 5 continents and 86 countries to their war in Iraq and Syria.

Whil…

Photo by Freedom House

Day and night, for years, an overwhelming force has been battering this quiet nation, one of the cradles of human civilization.

Hundreds of thousands have died, and millions have been for…

Photo by _Gavroche_

There are many disturbing signs that the West is creating conditions in the Middle East and Asia that could produce a wider war, most likely a new Cold War, containing, as well, menacing risk…

Jeff Halper. Posted on screenbooker.com. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is currently in a process of collapse. So says Jeff Halper, an American-born anthropologist, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, co-founder and director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). Speaking in 12 Canadian cities from January 17 to February 13 as part

A voice is missing from the international debate on the Syrian War. As world leaders focus on chemical weapons and radical fundamentalists, the voice of the Syrian people, civilians and refugees remains nearly absent from discussions of intervention. The simple truth is Syrians are dying and, whether through bombs or