Middle East

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

Ted Cruz’s Poll Numbers Rose After He Proposed Carpet Bombing

Ted Cruz’s Poll Numbers Rose After He Proposed Carpet Bombing Ted Cruz’s Poll Numbers Rose After He Proposed Carpet Bombing

How do we explain Americans’ lack of empathy for those on the other end of our bombing campaigns?

Jan 11, 2016 / Rick Shenkman

Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel’s Settler Diplomacy Has Apparently Failed in Brazil Israel’s Settler Diplomacy Has Apparently Failed in Brazil

Brazil’s rejection of settler-advocate Dani Dayan as ambassador sends a strong message to Netanyahu and the Israeli right.

Jan 11, 2016 / Greg Grandin

‘Gifts of Thought to Europe From an Intimate Stranger’

‘Gifts of Thought to Europe From an Intimate Stranger’ ‘Gifts of Thought to Europe From an Intimate Stranger’

A brilliant exhibit in London uses archival fragments to tell a story of violence and creation.

Jan 7, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Yasmine Seale

Ukrainian national flag

World Disorder in the New Year World Disorder in the New Year

Civil, terrorist, and trade wars are now destabilizing the international order, abetted by the US-Russian Cold War.

Jan 6, 2016 / Stephen F. Cohen

Why the Saudi-Iranian Cold War Is Heating Up

Why the Saudi-Iranian Cold War Is Heating Up Why the Saudi-Iranian Cold War Is Heating Up

It’s not a religious struggle—though both sides deploy sectarianism as a recruiting tool.

Jan 6, 2016 / Juan Cole

Titan II ICBM

Why ISIS Is the Minor Leagues of Terror Why ISIS Is the Minor Leagues of Terror

Putting threats into perspective for 2016.

Jan 5, 2016 / Tom Engelhardt

The Post-1991 World Order Is Crumbling—When Will the US Adjust?

The Post-1991 World Order Is Crumbling—When Will the US Adjust? The Post-1991 World Order Is Crumbling—When Will the US Adjust?

Despite transformational events from Ukraine and the European Union to the Middle East, Washington refuses to re-think anything.

Dec 23, 2015 / Stephen F. Cohen

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