Parliament was able to begin forming the new government today; however, there is still much to do before it can function. Meanwhile, at least 233 people were killed, mostly militants, and 185 were wounded, mostly civilians and security volunteers.
Secretary of State John Kerry’s failed efforts to broker an Israeli-Palestinian “final status” deal highlight American foreign policy elites’ rhetorical attachment to a negotiated “two-state” solution as the only acceptable basis for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, though, underscores a fundamentally different reality: the two-state solution is dead. And no matter …
Continue reading “The Two-State Solution Is Dead”
Recently, the world has focused on the fighting in Syria, Iraq, and Ukraine, all of which seem to be falling apart. Although the first two countries are in the Middle East and the last one is in the eastern part of Europe, they have the common problem that the state’s boundaries don’t correspond with linguistic, …
Continue reading “Resolving Conflict in Artificial States”
Why does everyone care so much about the Middle East? The answer is obvious: it’s all about the oil. Do you really think the United States would give a damn about Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, or Libya if they didn’t control so much of the world’s master resource? Not a chance. Seen in this …
Continue reading “US Foreign Policy: War for Money”
Monday was Republic Day in Iraq. The holiday commemorates the 1958 revolution. At least 215 people were reported killed and 34 more were wounded.
For several days now, some of my neighbours have suggested that the time has come to “destroy them”- meaning either Hamas or Palestinians – “once and for all”. The rockets being fired from Gaza clearly do have the effect of raising the level of hysteria within Israel. However, not only have the dozens of Grads …
Continue reading “Israel’s Dissenting Voices Get Lost in the War Echo Chamber”
The media hates Republicans, and so naturally they’re elevating Texas Governor Rick Perry to the status of a potential 2016 GOP presidential contender who must be taken seriously. After his last embarrassing run – embarrassing not only for him, but for the much-maligned state of Texas (see the video above) – one would think he’d …
Continue reading “Rick Perry, Neocon Tool”
Despite a Sunni attempt to move forward in creating a new government, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki effectively destroyed hope for a quick resolution. Without a solid government in place and strong leadership for the military forces, Iraq will certainly fall further into chaos. At least 105 people died today and 39 more were injured.
Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s comments on the nuclear talks Monday provided an unusual glimpse of diplomatic maneuvering by the U.S.-led coalition of five nuclear powers and Germany on the issue of enrichment capability to be allowed in a comprehensive agreement. But his remarks also suggested that Iran was responding with its own diplomatic maneuver …
Continue reading “Khamenei Remarks Show Both Sides Maneuver on Enrichment”
In a positive sign that the politics may be moving forward, the Sunni political bloc announced their candidate for the speaker’s post. Meanwhile, at least 323 people were killed today and 43 more were wounded. Almost 200 militants were killed during major operations in Tikrit and Jalawla. Politics: The Sunni political bloc has nominated Salim …
Continue reading “Over 300 Killed in Iraq Security Ops and Militant Attacks” 
