Gaza and the Bipartisan War on Human Rights
During and after Israel’s war on Gaza, bipartisan congressional majorities have worked to undermine war crimes investigations by the United Nations and human rights groups.
Category: Middle East
Middle East Overview
Netanyahu’s Ugly Game in Gaza
The Progressive and Transnational.org July 9, 2014The right-wing Israeli government took advantage of the murder of three Israeli teen members of an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Back to whip up ultra-nationalist sentiments, engage in a new wave of…
The United States’ Tragic Role in Iraq
The dramatic rise of the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)—which even al-Qaeda deemed too extreme to remain part of its network—is a tragedy by any measure. It would also be tragic if we allowed the very forces that created this mess to explain it away.
Understanding Elections, Democracy, and Prospects for Peace in the Arab World
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U.S. Culpability in the Failure of Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks
The failure of John Kerry’s Israeli-Palestinian peace talks showed just how extreme U.S. policy on the conflict has become.
Egyptian Junta Claims U.S. Conspiracy While Accepting U.S. Support
y claiming that the secular pro-democratic left is somehow in cahoots with both of Washington and the Muslim Brotherhood to undermine the nation, the Egyptian military is trying to have it both ways: appealing to the foreign policy establishment in Washington by suppressing both the Islamists and the left, while playing the pseudo-nationalist card for the Egyptian masses.
How to discredit your democratic opponents in Egypt
The brutal crackdown on both Islamist and secular oppositionists by the US-backed Egyptian military junta has taken on a bizarre twist: using government-controlled media to promote long-discredited conspiracy theories originally put forward by ultra-left fringe groups.
How the state Assembly tries to limit what I can teach
In preparing my syllabus for my introductory course on the Middle East this semester, it gives me pause that the California Assembly is still on record declaring that discussing certain well-documented historic incidents in modern Middle Eastern history should “not be tolerated in the classroom.” This unprecedented attack on academic freedom came in the form of a resolution (HR 35), co-sponsored by 66 of the 88 Assembly members, which passed by a voice vote in 2012.
The US role in Iraq’s upsurge in violence
The tragic upsurge of violence in Iraq in recent months, including the temporary takeover of sections of two major Iraqi cities by al-Qaida affiliates, is a direct consequence of the repression of peaceful dissent by the U.S.-backed government in Baghdad and, ultimately, of the 2003 U.S. invasion and occupation.
U.S. shares responsibility for plight of Arab Christians
It was the second week in January of 1991. I was in the sanctuary of a large Catholic Church in Baghdad. Every votive candle in the place was lit, no doubt in support of prayers for loved ones in anticipation of the massive U.S. bombing campaign, which was to be known as Operation Desert Storm, which was soon to commence.
Ruthless regimes not impervious to civil resistance: A reply to Maged Mandour
A response to Maged Mandour: There is little systematic evidence to suggest that “ruthlessness” is, in and of itself, a critical variable.
Congress vs. Obama on Iran: Washington’s Warmongers Take Aim At Iran Diplomacy
Hardliners in Washington, including prominent congressional Democrats, are hard at work attempting to scuttle a nuclear deal between the United States and Iran.
Maintaining U.S. presence in Afghanistan would bolster Taliban: expert says
On October 12 Washington and Kabul agreed on a draft deal that would keep some U.S. forces in Afghanistan after 2014, but only if political and tribal leaders in Afghanistan agree to a U.S. demand that U.S. troops not be subject to Afghan
Interview: Chemical Weapons Watchdog Wins Nobel Peace Prize as U.S. Opposes Calls for WMD-Free Middle East (Video)
Democracy Now!
As the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons wins the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize, we look at international efforts to rid Syria and other countries — including the United States — of chemical weapons.
On Syria, most thoughtful people are torn
openDemocracy
Foreign military intervention would prolong the war and increase the carnage still further. But this does not mean that the US in conjunction with others, including Syrian civil society, cannot do anything to help the situation. Reply to Nader Hashemi.
Opposition to intervention in Syria utilitarian, not ideological
In this reply to a critique by Nader Hashemi, Dr. Zunes explains that:
“Whether or not a movement is primarily violent or nonviolent, what is important is whether it employs strategies and tactics that can maximize its chances of success. “
Interview: Dr. Stephen Zunes previews Obama’s Speech on Syria (audio)
WTOP Radio
Dr. Stephen Zunes previews the President Obama’s speech on the Syrian dilemma
Interview: Pacifica Radio, Analysis of Obama’s Speech (audio)
KPFA
Dr. Stephen Zunes is joins Pacifica Radio Network in analyzing President Obama’s speech over potential strikes in Syria
Left Voices Interview: Will Diplomatic Openings Avert a US Military Strike Against Syria? (audio)
Left Voices
Dr. Stephen Zunes talks about the possible negotiated settlement over Syria’s chemical weapons and efforts to prevent U.S. military intervention