Middle East

US Special Forces in Africa

Here Are the ‘War on Terror’ Headlines of 2016 Here Are the ‘War on Terror’ Headlines of 2016

For all the world’s turmoil, US foreign policy is surprisingly predictable.

Jan 25, 2016 / Tom Engelhardt

Iraqi army vehicle

Why Do All of the Pentagon’s ‘Successes’ in Iraq Look More Like Failures? Why Do All of the Pentagon’s ‘Successes’ in Iraq Look More Like Failures?

The only thing the US military has succeeded at is believing its own propaganda.

Jan 21, 2016 / Nick Turse

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Russian officials.

The Secret Diplomacy That Could End the East-West Confrontation Over Ukraine The Secret Diplomacy That Could End the East-West Confrontation Over Ukraine

Though scarcely reported in the US media, all leaders involved in the epicenter of the new Cold War have launched a concerted campaign to end the Ukrainian civil (and US-Russian pr...

Jan 20, 2016 / Stephen F. Cohen

John Kerry and Javad Zarif

The US-Iran Prisoner Swap Proves Diplomacy Works The US-Iran Prisoner Swap Proves Diplomacy Works

But we must not take the survival of the nuclear deal for granted, because it still has many powerful opponents.

Jan 19, 2016 / Phyllis Bennis

Iran's Mahan Air

Iran Is Open For Business. What Does This Mean for the Global Economy? Iran Is Open For Business. What Does This Mean for the Global Economy?

The country could put up to a million barrels of oil a day on the market.

Jan 19, 2016 / Juan Cole

Human Rights Watch Calls on Businesses to Withdraw From Israeli Settlements

Human Rights Watch Calls on Businesses to Withdraw From Israeli Settlements Human Rights Watch Calls on Businesses to Withdraw From Israeli Settlements

A new report finds pervasive and severe human rights abuses in the West Bank.

Jan 19, 2016 / Ali Gharib

ISIS Fighters

How Saddam Hussein’s Execution Contributed to the Rise of Sectarianism in the Middle East How Saddam Hussein’s Execution Contributed to the Rise of Sectarianism in the Middle East

He was a brutal tyrant, but he remains an important symbol of strength for disillusioned Sunnis throughout the region.

Jan 15, 2016 / Mohamad Bazzi

US Troops Afghanistan

The Pentagon’s New Base Plan Will Achieve the Exact Opposite of Its Goal The Pentagon’s New Base Plan Will Achieve the Exact Opposite of Its Goal

We’re building bases to prevent terrorism, but local terror groups are recruiting in reaction to our bases.

Jan 14, 2016 / David Vine

US and Kuwaiti soldiers close a gate between Iraq and Kuwait in December 2011.

Is It Time for the US to Pull Out of Iraq and Syria? Is It Time for the US to Pull Out of Iraq and Syria?

Five years after the Arab Spring began, four experts debate a pressing question that remains unsettled on the left.

Jan 14, 2016 / Jeff Faux, Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, Phyllis Bennis, and Sherle R. Schwenninger

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and US Secretary of State John Kerry

The New US-Russian Cold War Originated in the 1990s The New US-Russian Cold War Originated in the 1990s

Today it threatens to destroy Ukraine, undermine the European Union, and result in nuclear war.

Jan 13, 2016 / Stephen F. Cohen

x