In a developing story, Reuters is reporting that firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has returned to Iraq after years of self-imposed exile in Iran. The radical nationalist visited the holy city of Najaf where his father is buried. The source said Sadr had left Iraq at the end of 2006. Sadr, whose Mehdi Army fought U.S. troops after […]
In an effort to preserve a nation’s humanity after decades of dictatorship and war and in a modest tribute to the enduring spirit of the Iraqi people, I have decided to ring in the New Year with a brief study of the unique and compelling poetry of Iraq.
Year in review For Lebanon, 2010 was dominated by the continued investigation into the death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Hariri was murdered in February 2005, sparking off massive protests that led to the end of Syria’s 30 year occupation of Lebanon. Since 2007, the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has been gathering […]
Well just when you thought US-Syria relations where stuck in a rut we get a major curveball from Pres. Obama. Robert Ford has been pushed through as US ambassador to Syria as part of a series of recess appointments by President Obama. While the manner of his appointment will limit the term of his ambassadorship, […]
By this time next year, the United States should have withdrawn all of its troops from Iraq. We can hope that this long, bloody chapter in American military history may be at an end.
On Saturday, Iraq’s new oil minister, Abdul Kareem Luaibi, announced that Iraq will recognize an array of oil deals signed by the Kurds in northern Iraq. Luaibi, who has been at the head of negotiations with the Kurdistan Regional Government also said in his statement that dialog “with our Kurdish brothers will continue in order to reach a resolution […]
Sadly, Santa may not make it to Iraq this year. Nor will Iraq’s Christian community enjoy festive decorations, or the tradition of midnight Mass. Any and all public displays of the holiday have been scratched following Christian leadership’s decision to cancel Christmas celebrations. New al Qaeda threats directed at the tiny community, left reeling by a bloody siege on […]
First of all let me wish everyone out there in Blog Land a very Merry Christmas. Yours truly has finished all his shopping and wanted to leave a little stocking stuffer for his readers. The big story of the day is another roll up of a mossad asset in the Levant. It appears an Egyptian […]
Because I’m feeling quote happy these days I’ll bludgeon you over the head again with a relatable quip– “Get busy living, or get busy dying.” The movie buffs amongst you will recognize those as the words of Andy Dufresne, the hopeful, wrongfully imprisoned banker in The Shawshank Redemption. It’s fair to say that Syria has […]
There is really only one fitting word to describe Israel in 2010 – “stam.” When Israelis have buyer’s remorse and know they shouldn’t have invested in that useless gadget, they say “stam.” When Israelis see a soccer player kick the ball out of bounds instead of toward the net, they say “stam.” When Israelis see […]
In tandem with the last post assessing recent American relations with Syria from the US perspective, this post will evaluate the same relationship from the opposing viewpoint. Again, an important quote came to mind that, I feel, sheds light on the issue at hand. Recently, pop musician Ke$ha has enjoyed a tremendous amount of worldwide […]
They say that anywhere you dig in Israel, you find history. It appears that rings true once more. A crumbling sea-side cliff outside the city of Ashkelon revealed an ancient Roman statute. The land area known today as Israel has been home to some of the world’s greatest civilizations, including the ancient Jews, the Romans, […]
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