The US and Israel’s Strange but ‘Stable’ Alliance

Israel is often viewed by Washington politicians as the most "stable" ally in the Middle East. But stability from the American perspective can mean many things. Lead amongst them is that the "ally" must be unconditionally loyal to the diktats of the US administration. This rule has proven to be true since the United States … Continue reading “The US and Israel’s Strange but ‘Stable’ Alliance”

2014: Failure of Palestinian Authority, BDS Success to Continue

2013 was a year in which the so-called peace process charade was allowed to continue, leading Palestinians on yet another futile journey of broken promises. Meanwhile, the Israeli colonial project in the West Bank and East Jerusalem carried on unabated. But it was not entirely a year of doom and gloom either, for the global … Continue reading “2014: Failure of Palestinian Authority, BDS Success to Continue”

Assessing the Conflict in Syria and Egypt – The Wars Continue

2013 has expectedly been a terrible year for several Arab nations. It has been terrible because the promise of greater freedoms and political reforms has been reversed, most violently in some instances, by taking a few countries down the path of anarchy and complete chaos. Syria and Egypt are two cases in point. Syria has … Continue reading “Assessing the Conflict in Syria and Egypt – The Wars Continue”

Impossible Dialogue: The Choice in Yemen

Chances are dim that elections will be held in Yemen next February. Yet without elections, the push for reforms and change that were inspired by the Yemeni revolution would become devoid of any real value. Yemenis might find themselves back on the street, repeating the original demands that echoed in the country’s many impoverished cities, … Continue reading “Impossible Dialogue: The Choice in Yemen”

The Plot Thickens: Gaza Is Flooded With Sewage and Conspiracies

The latest punishment of Gaza may seem like another familiar plot to humiliate the strip to the satisfaction of Israel, Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Authority, and the military-controlled Egyptian government. But something far more sinister is brewing. This time, the collective punishment of Gaza arrives in the form of raw sewage that is flooding many neighborhoods … Continue reading “The Plot Thickens: Gaza Is Flooded With Sewage and Conspiracies”

Syria’s New Game: The Russian Factor

Many US media commentators were fairly accurate in labeling some of the language used by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a New York Times article as “hypocritical”. But mainstream US media should be the last to point out anyone’s hypocrisy as it has brazenly endorsed every military intervention unleashed by their country since World War … Continue reading “Syria’s New Game: The Russian Factor”

Netanyahu, Abbas Back to Square None

The political peddlers, think-tank experts and media professionals are all back in full force. They want us to believe that US Secretary of State John Kerry has done what others have failed to do. On his sixth trip to the Middle East during his post, and following intense shuttle diplomacy likened to that of Henry … Continue reading “Netanyahu, Abbas Back to Square None”

From Iraq to Syria: US Political Impotence in the Middle East

In an article published May 15, 2013, American historical social scientist Immanuel Wallerstein wrote, “Nothing illustrates more the limitations of Western power than the internal controversy its elites are having in public about what the United States in particular and western European states should be doing about the civil war in Syria.” Those limitations are … Continue reading “From Iraq to Syria: US Political Impotence in the Middle East”

Hungry For Freedom In Guantanamo

The Guantanamo Bay prison is a glaring manifestation of the political indecision which the United States has experienced since President Barack Obama’s first day in office. While his second term is unlikely to deliver much of the “change” he had so industriously promised, skeletal men continue to sink into utter despair at the American gulag … Continue reading “Hungry For Freedom In Guantanamo”

Deir Yassin, Beit Daras and the Buried History of Massacres

Few with any sense of intellectual or historical integrity would still question the bloody massacre that took place in the village of Deir Yassin 65 years ago, claiming the lives of over 100 innocent Palestinians. Attempts at covering up the massacre have been dwarfed by grim details by well-respected historians, including some of Israel’s own. … Continue reading “Deir Yassin, Beit Daras and the Buried History of Massacres”