Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
By James M. Dorsey At a news conference at the United Nations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov may have been on thin ice when he defended Russian intervention on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. He pointed to the chaos that followed US targeting of other Arab autocrats like Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Libyan…
Read More “Intervention in Syria: Russia Gambles Big Time” »
By James M. Dorsey The rise of Islamic State (IS) beyond the borders of Syria and Iraq over the past one year has drawn comparison with the spread of communism more than a century ago. It has also pitted proponents of kinetic realpolitik seeking military defeat of the extremist against supporters of the notion that…
Read More “Fighting Islamic State: Getting Down To Root Causes” »
Not surprisingly, Israel has surfaced as one of the only countries int he world not to help the millions of refugees that are fleeing from the terrorism of the Islamic State and Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad. And, Israel is building a wall to block them from entering their occupied nation, but not along the Syrian…
Read More “Israel, one of the only countries refusing to help Syrian refugees” »
By Ali Younes In another sign of the increased cooperation and strategic military alliance between Israel and Jordan, news reports said that Israel will supply Jordan with two types of drones to help Jordan fight the Islamic State in Iraq, ISIS OR ISIL. The London based Jane’s Defense magazine which reported the news earlier this…
Read More “Israel is Helping Jordanian Special Forces Fighting ISIS on the Ground in Iraq” »
By Ali Younes In a rare display of the strategic alliance between Israel and Jordan, several Royal Jordanian F-16s were escorted and supplied with fuel mid air by Israeli air force fuel tankers on their way to military exercise in the United States last week. American military website Foxtrotalpha reported last week that Israeli air…
By James M. Dorsey A condemned Turkish stadium harbours a dark warning of the long-term consequences of ethnic cleansing or what Turks euphemistically call the population exchange almost a century ago when Turkey and Greece expelled their respective Greek and Turkish minorities. It is a message that has not lost its urgency as Turkey fights…
Read More “A Turkish stadium harbours a stark message for multiculturalism” »
Although the Middle East and the question “who supports Israel more” dominate national politics and presidential elections, the first major debate of the top 10 Republican contenders had another agenda, defeating Donald Trump. Middle East issues took a back seat, but they definitely will surface as the election campaign energizes Make sure to take the Presidential…
Read More “First Republican debate steers clear of Middle East” »
By Ali Younes The announcement last week that the Taliban leader Mullah Omar is dead should mark an important junction not only for Afghanistan and the Taliban, but also for the Jihadist movement worldwide. As a leader of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, Mullah Omar was known as a reclusive leader who provided shelter for…
Read More “Mullah Omar ,Opposed the September, 11 Attacks, betrayed by Bin Laden” »
The FBI has identified 24 year old Mohammad (Mohammod) Youssef Abdulazeez as the shooter who drove to two military installations in civilian areas and fired an automatic weapon from a rented vehicle, killing four U.S. Marines and injuring others on Thursday (July 16, 2015). By Ray Hanania A Kuwait Muslim from Jordan, Mohammod (Mohammad) Youssef (Youssuf) Abdulazeez, 24, has…
Read More “Kuwaiti Muslim from Jordan suspect in murder of 4 US Marines” »
By Ali Younes Announcing that he is running for president of the United States, the 3 term republican Senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, addressed the gathered supporters in his home town of Central, South Carolina that he wants to be “the next American Commander in Chief”. Graham stressed in his speech before the cheering…
A new poll by the Dubai-based Public Relations firm Asda’a-Burson Marsteller shows that Youth in the Arab World are wary of the rise of ISIS and the failure of the “Arab Spring,” but see a future driven by the Gulf State including Saudi Arabia and recognize the continued injustices of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. By Ray…
Read More “Israeli occupation remains a top concern of Arab Youth” »
By Alexandra Halaby Over the past four years war has ravaged the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk. At no other time has the future looked so dismal for the community of refugees who have called it home. The overwhelming destruction and impact on humanity has left the remaining residents in a state of sheer terror. What was once…
President Obama has begun a debate on the issue of terrorism and Islam asking Americans to recognize that just because the terrorists claim they represent Islam doesn’t make it so. Why give the terrorists what they want? Defeat terrorism by being educated and understanding the facts, as complex as they may be. We are a smart…
Read More “Courageous stand by Obama on terrorism and Islam” »
By Ray Hanania Talk of the Town Radio for Friday Feb. 13, 2015 features a discussion on the Chapel Hill shootings, the murder of American peace activists Kayla Mueller and the celebration of her killing by Israelis and American Jewish activists, and also remembering the killing by Israel of another American, Rachel Corrie. Guests include Alexandra…
Read More “Radio Podcast: Alexandra Halaby on Chapel Hill, Kayla Mueller and more” »
By Ali Younes The tragic death of three Muslim American students at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is by all accounts one of the most heinous crimes Arabs and Muslims have ever witnessed in decades. The triple murder of three promising young lives exposes the ugly truth in America that Arabs and Muslims can…
Read More “When murdering Muslims in America becomes acceptable, encouraged” »
By Ali Rizk The latest developments in the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel leave little room for doubt that a full scale war between the two enemies is highly unlikely. As we move ahead the issue to keep an eye on will be the intelligence/assassination war and how recent events may alter Israeli assassination…
By Ali Younes A secret audio tape was released yesterday that showed a link between former president of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh discussing events and steps to be taken by the Shia rebels the “ Houthis” in order to complete their takeover of the republic of Yemen. The tape which was first uncovered by Al…
Read More “Secret Audio tape Reveals Coup Plot by ex-Yemen President and Shia rebels” »
By Ali Younes According to New York attorney Stanley Cohen, the Islamic State or ISIS will not be interested in negotiating with the Jordanian government to free its captured Jordanian pilot. Not any time soon at least. This is because, he argues, the way Jordan handled the negotiations to save American aid worker Peter Kassig. Jordanian…
Read More “ISIS will not negotiate with Jordan to free captured pilot.” »