Shi’ites were targeted in a wave of blasts and other attacks, while many of them were taking part in Ashura rituals. Overall, at least 50 people were killed and 131 more were wounded. This solemn holiday marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussein in the 7th century and has become a symbol of the Shi’ite-Sunni schism. Sunnis, however, also suffered casualties in today’s violence. Millions of pilgrims are expected to arrive in the holy city of Karbala and will be easy targets for militants.

Despite having an increasingly autocratic and sectarian Shi'ite government that allows overflights of Iranian arms to a Syrian government opposed by U.S.-supported rebels, President Obama has pledged to increase military assistance to Iraq – reversing a five-year...

We are living in dangerous times – and this moment, when the Geneva talks with Iran over their nuclear program have reached the tipping point, is potentially a decisive turn for the worst. Two factors are simultaneously moving us toward a general cataclysm, and both...

Signs of rapprochement between Tehran and Washington are growing. A new era seems about to begin. It is now possible to imagine a political solution that would put an end to the 33-year confrontation between Iran and the United States. In early September, we were once...

At least 18 people were killed in shootings and bombings across central and northern Iraq. Nine more were wounded.

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Given how similar they sound and how easy it is to imagine one leading to the other, confusing omniscience (having total knowledge) with omnipotence (having total power) is easy enough. It’s a reasonable supposition that, before the...

Controversy continues to follow Edward Snowden around, with the American people nearly evenly divided on whether he is a hero or a traitor even as the Obama Administration and Congressional leaders insist that he is a criminal and there will be no clemency for him. It...

If Bibi Netanyahu succeeds in closing down Obama's diplomatic path to Iran, only the road to war remains open. Which is exactly what Bibi wants. For what terrifies Tel Aviv, and rattles Riyadh, is not a U.S. war with Iran, but the awful specter of American...

At least 15 Iraqis were killed and 30 more were wounded in the latest violence. No major attacks took place, but a riot broke out at an oil field.

Originally posted at TomDispatch. It was exactly 95 years ago: the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the moment when major hostilities in the charnel house that was World War I ended. In 1919, November 11th officially became “Armistice...