Evaluating the Iraq war
This week marks the fifth anniversary of Congress's vote to authorize the Bush Administration to overthrow the government of Iraq by military force. The Nation opposed the war authorization. In "An Open Letter to Congress," which we published on the magazine's cover on the eve of the vote, we argued that it would have "a significance...Secular Tunisia may face Islamist challenge
Analysts say a growing number of young fundamentalists are increasingly restless in a country that bans all religious parties. Zarzis, Tunisia — While a potent Islamic movement once challenged this country's ruling elite, today political Islam has all but vanished here. This kind of dissent has been quashed to near extinction. But even...U.S. aid dependency: The road to ruin
Since Israel's July 2006 war on Lebanon, and up to the current deadlock over electing Lebanon's next president, the Bush administration has gone out of its way to express its commitment to Lebanese "democracy" and to building a strong and sovereign country that can "stand up" to allies of Syria and Iran which exist within Lebanon's...
As Mideast realigns, U.S. leans Sunni
October 12th, 20070 The White House is re-embracing Sunni authoritarian regimes to counter the rise of Shi'i Iran. WASHINGTON — Americans are hearing much less from the Bush administration about democracy for the Middle East than they did a year ago. As Shi'i Iran rises, the White House has muted its calls for reform in the region as it redirects policy...External meddling complicates Lebanon’s election
BEIRUT (IRIN) — Lebanon's tussling factions are headed for a stalemate, settlement, or war, and international actors as much as local ones will decide which, analysts say. The presidential vote which was to be held on September 25 was deferred until October 23 after lawmakers failed to find a consensus candidate. Opposition members of...MSU expands global presence with Dubai agreement
EAST LANSING — Michigan State University is moving forward to forge a strong Middle East presence by signing an agreement that will put into action the next steps toward opening not-for-profit MSU programs in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC). Classes there will begin as early as fall 2008. The agreement moves MSU closer to...Mourning two Palestinian giants
When I began seeing e-mails with the name "Dr. Haidar Abdel Shafi" in the subject line, I figured he must be speaking somewhere. In August 2002, I saw him speak at the Palestine Center in Washington, DC. I remember thinking how sharp his analysis was. It was so sharp, I forgot how old he was (he was born in 1919). Dr. Haidar Abdel...The wider dilemma of Iraq
The intense political focus on Iraq in the United States continues to revolve around the theme of how soon the U.S. might be able to substantially withdraw its troops. Democrats who won a majority in the Congress last November have run up against the limits of their slim majority. Their lack of a two-thirds majority to override a...U.S. Senate votes to partition Iraq. Softly.
On 26 September 2007 the United States Senate voted 75–23 in favor of an amendment to the defense spending bill for 2008 that authorizes the U.S. government to "encourage" Iraqis to find a "federal" solution to the internal conflicts in their country. At least two different interpretations of the bill are possible. First, one may...Bush’s fake sheik whacked
Did you see George all choked up? In his surreal TV talk two weeks ago, he got all emotional over the killing by Al Qaeda of Sheik Abu Risha, the leader of the new Sunni alliance with the U.S. against the insurgents in Anbar Province, Iraq. Bush shook Abu Risha’s hand two weeks prior to that for the cameras. Bush can shake his hand...Gaza youth killed by IDF bulldozer
GAZA — A 17-year-old Palestinian was crushed to death by an IDF bulldozer in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, Palestinians sources reported. The youth was transferred to al-Aqsa hospital in the Strip, and hospital officials reported many signs of trampling on his body. Palestinians reported that IDF choppers participated in the...First cholera case confirmed in Baghdad
Baghdad — The World Health Organization on Thursday confirmed the first cholera case in Baghdad, raising fears the disease is spreading. A 25-year-old woman from western Baghdad was found to have cholera after she turned up at the hospital with a severe case of diarrhea, said Dr. Naeema al-Gasseer, the WHO's representative in...UNICEF urges Egypt to stop female circumcision
GENEVA—The UN children's fund this week called for pressure to be maintained to stop female circumcision in Egypt, where more than three quarters of 15- to 17-year-old girls are subjected to the practice. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) acknowledged progress by authorities in the country, which has...Maliki blasts Blackwater firm for other attacks
BAGHDAD — Blackwater security guards who protect top U.S. diplomats in Iraq have been involved in at least seven serious attacks, some of which resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki said Wednesday. Maliki didn't detail the incidents, which he said add to the case against the North...The Palestinian Mandela
The division of the Palestinian territories into a "Hamastan" in the Gaza Strip and a "Fatahland" in the West Bank is a disaster. A disaster for the Palestinians, a disaster for peace, and therefore also a disaster for Israelis. The Israeli political and military leadership are happy about the split, according to the doctrine "What's......
Gunpowder dialogue in Lebanon
The explosion of September 19 targets the Christian community in Lebanon. The Christians of this country have become a demographic minority over the last few decades as a result of higher emigration and smaller families. They have emerged from a devastating 15-year civil war with less political power but with determination to retain...
Beirut blast kills lawmaker
September 22nd, 20070 BEIRUT — An anti-Syrian Lebanese lawmaker was killed Wednesday in a large car-bomb explosion in east Beirut, just six days before parliament is scheduled to elect a new president. The death of Antoine Ghanem, a Christian parliamentarian, may delay the election, which has already aggravated a bitter year-long political dispute between......
Hizbullah and the promised president
Too much responsibility has been attached to the role of the next president of Lebanon who is due to be elected on September 25. This is why it is difficult to agree on who is going to be the next president. The opposition camp wants the candidate to be friendly to Hizbullah and its regional supporters (Syria and Iran) and the government...In Lebanon, DNA may yet heal rifts
BYBLOS, Lebanon (Reuters) — A Lebanese scientist following the genetic footprint of the ancient Phoenicians says he has traced their modern-day descendants, but stumbled into an old controversy about identity in his country. Geneticist Pierre Zalloua has charted the spread of the Phoenicians out of the eastern Mediterranean by...
Murder of Iraqi leader hurts Bush
September 19th, 20070 Ten days after President George Bush clasped his hand as a symbol of America's hopes in Iraq, the man who led the U.S.-supported revolt of Sunni sheikhs against al-Qa'ida in Iraq was assassinated. Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha and two of his bodyguards were killed either by a roadside bomb or by explosives placed in his car by a guard, near...Saudi peace plan is Arabs’ greatest compromise toward Israel
After nearly 60 years, Israel is still not at peace with most of its neighbors. The Saudi peace plan, first proposed in 2002, is the latest in a series of Arab overtures aiming to end this situation. It offers Israel full normalization of relations in return for withdrawal from the territories it conquered in 1967, and a negotiated......
Lebanon’s rising jihadi threat
Even after the Lebanese Army defeated Muslim militants Sunday, Al Qaeda's credo is spreading in Palestinian camps. Nahr Al-Bared — Lebanese military helicopters flew low Monday over the smoking ruins of this Palestinian refugee camp as soldiers scoured the nearby countryside for remnants of the Al Qaeda-inspired group whose three-month...Palestinians poorer than ever
BRUSSELS (IPS) — Poverty in the Palestinian territories has reached "unprecedented levels" because they have been held under an "economic siege" for almost seven years, a United Nations body has found. During 2006 the number of Palestinians living in "deep poverty" almost doubled to more than 1 million. Some 46 percent of public......
The Shi’a power struggle: Not good news in Iraq
The decision made by Shi'a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to halt his Mahdi Army's attacks on occupation forces and Iraqi security is likely to be considered the single most promising breakthrough for the U.S. military in Iraq. Although the move comes ahead of several reports to be presented to the U.S. Congress later this month, the decision...Lebanon’s only chance is the army
I had the opportunity to spend the last six weeks in Lebanon, making pleasure and working visits to different areas of the country and engaging in political and other discussions with local officials, academics and opposition activists. The experience has been instructive, simultaneously heartening and depressing, but has also suggested......