I’m one of the many who can not get enough of the Olympic games this summer – the medals, the upsets, the drama – and am happy to see that philanthropy isn't being forgotten. The joint IOC (International Olympic Committee) and UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) “Giving is Winning” initiative is only 574 donations away […]
On Sunday, a suicide bombing in Baghdad killed Faruq al-Obaida, Deputy leader of the Awakening Council of Adamiya. In total, at least 15 were killed and almost 30 wounded. Awakening Councils, locally organized and US-financed militias, are largely credited with the reduction of Sunni-affiliated violence around Baghdad. It is not surprising that these organizations are […]
On Saturday, Obama and McCain made their first joint appearance as presumptive nominees at a "Civil Forum". The candidates were speaking before the Saddleback Church in California. NPR has reported news of the event and said that the church has a membership of "22,000 evangelical voters." The pastor of the church and interviewer on Saturday […]
The sacrifice that some children make at such young age is hard for most to imagine, but across the world many young people sacrifice their education and future to support that of their families. War, natural disasters and poverty have left many families and children seeing little options for survival and prosperity, causing many to […]
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/Z39tD1wK6wA” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] What James Longley has attempted in "Iraq in Fragments" is to provide a documentary without narration. He tries to let his subjects tell their stories in a way that is both revealing and intimate. However, on the whole, the film fails to illuminate for the audience what is happening […]
After a few months of observing the global phenomenon that is Obamania, I thought I would put forth a few theories on why Senator Barack Obama is so strongly favored as the next US President by people living outside the US. First, a note on why people outside the US care about the US election […]
This post collects sage advice for US policy toward the Middle East: one aspect of US foreign policy that could really use a jump-start. First, a new analysis by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Middle East Scholars Marina Ottoway and Mohammed Herzallah assess the diplomatic efforts of Arab regimes seeking to fill the power vacuum left by the absence […]
Hezbollah's media relations department stated today that the group would release a MOU with salafist groups this coming Monday at the Safir hotel in Beirut. Note that the most of the various salafist entities in Lebanon are not tied to jihadist terrorism (see here). This move by Hezbollah will likely be cause for concern within […]
The terrorist activity of the past week has been particularly violent, as well as illuminating. Wednesday's bombing in Tripoli, Lebanon saw at least 12 people dead and over 50 injured. The next day, 19 Shia pilgrims were killed and over 75 hurt a mere 50km south of Baghdad. These attacks, while inflicting similar damage, reflect […]
Now that the dust is settled we can reflect on the past week or so and see where we stand in this ongoing Georgian crisis. We have learned: – Georgia started the conflict. – Russia reacted in a more or less predictable manner. – The U.S. armed and trained Georgia and therefore can't feign surprise […]
The European media devoted heavy coverage to the relatively lenient prison sentence (five and half years) for terrorist offenses given to Salim Ahmed Hamdan, Osama Bin Laden's former driver, by a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay August 7. But while the European media has been virtually unanimous in denouncing Guantanamo and everything to do with […]
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