Reality Bites Back

There are always multiple causes for an event so complex as a war – and what's going on now between Israel and Hezbollah fighters based in Lebanon has gone well beyond the skirmish phase. However, the current conflict is to a considerable degree an example of...

read more

Fury Grips Syria Over Lebanon Attacks

DAMASCUS – The daily Israeli bombardment of Lebanon and the floods of refugees pouring in have set off a wave of anger through Syria. "How can people watch this destruction in Lebanon and do nothing," Hassan Majed Ali, president of the Union of Engineers in...

read more

Backing for Israel Stymies Larger US Aims in Region

Washington's strong backing – hedged by occasional calls for restraint – for Israel's 10-day-old military campaign in Lebanon has won it very few friends in the Arab world, despite recent criticism of Hezbollah by pro-U.S. governments in the region,...

read more

Israel’s Disproportionate Violence No Surprise

The general surprise that Lebanese civilians are taking the brunt of Israel's onslaught – and the unwillingness in some quarters of the media to report the fact – reflects a poor understanding of Israel's historical use of violence. Since its birth six...

read more

Stop That Shit, Indeed

A woman, an immigrant from Russia, throws herself on the ground in total despair in front of her home that has been hit by a missile, crying in broken Hebrew: "My son! My son!" believing him dead. In fact he was only wounded and sent to the hospital. Lebanese...

read more

Democracy, Iraq-Style

I love the president. President Vladimir Putin. At the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, "our" president, George W. Bush, observed, apparently without irony: "I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world like Iraq where there's a free...

read more

Mideast Conflict Boosts Chances of Iran-US Showdown

The week-old Israeli-Hezbollah conflict is likely to boost the chances of U.S. military action against Iran, according to a number of regional experts who see a broad consensus among the U.S. political elite that the ongoing hostilities are part of a broader offensive...

read more

Normal Life Impossible in Iraq

Living in Iraq is becoming absolutely impossible. The numbers tell part of the story. The United Nations announced Tuesday that, on average, 100 Iraqi civilians died every day in May and June. According to the report, about 2,700 civilians were killed in May and 3,100...

read more