Four Neighboring Countries Demand That Qatar Shut Down Al-Jazeera

By Juan Cole / Informed Comment Jun 23, 2017 Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE want the Pan-Arab news network silenced. It has less independence than in earlier years but is still a voice that would be sorely missed if lost. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Syria’s ‘Hell on Earth,’ Up Close and Personal

Jordan Riefe / Truthdig Jun 23, 2017 Footage of real-life bloodshed justifies the infernal title of Sebastian Junger's documentary film, co-directed by Nick Quested. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

The Irrationality of America’s Iran Hysteria

By Danny Sjursen / TomDispatch Jun 1, 2017 While President Obama’s modest overtures toward the country were greeted with scathing partisan scorn, the Trump administration has a unique opportunity to normalize relations with Iran. Dig deeper ( 14 Min. Read )

Fidel Castro’s Top Moments in the Middle East

By Juan Cole / Informed Comment Nov 27, 2016 The Cuban leader inserted himself into numerous conflicts, fighting what he saw as imperialism. The ventures were gradually abandoned over the past two decades. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Return

Rayyan Al-Shawaf / Truthdig Oct 14, 2016 "When Qaddafi took my father," Hisham Matar writes in the long-awaited nonfiction account of his father's disappearance, "he placed me in a space not much bigger than the cell Father was in. I paced back and forth, anger in one direction, hatred in the other, until I could feel my insides grow small and hard." Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Syria

Signe Wilkinson / Truthdig May 9, 2016 Dig deeper

All Sides in the Syria War Have at Least One Thing in Common: Slaughtering Civilians

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Feb 12, 2016 The conflict will be remembered for its horrific death toll and massive refugee exodus. But it will also be remembered as the site of yet another Great Game involving Russia, the West and its allies. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Islamic State Recruitment Thrives in Brutal U.S.-Backed Egyptian Prisons

Staff / Truthdig Nov 27, 2015 A 26-year-old dual U.S. and Egyptian citizen who endured “torture, deprivation and cruelty while locked in the prisons” of Egypt’s military dictatorship says the regime is effectively acting as a “recruiting agent” for militant extremist groups like Islamic State. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Secret to Winning the Nobel Peace Prize? Keep the U.S. Military Out

By Rebecca Gordon, TomDispatch Oct 21, 2015 This year’s Nobel Peace Prize went to Tunisia’s National Dialogue Quartet “for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011” -- the opposite of what the US did. Dig deeper ( 14 Min. Read )

All Should Be Repenting for the Suffering of the Refugees

By Rabbi Michael Lerner, Tikkun Sep 10, 2015 Our global economic and political system is the root cause of the problem, so instead of blaming Europe, let's fix the problem. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

VIDEO: Youth Revolts Are Back: Lebanon, Iraq Shaken by Demand for Services, End to Corruption

Juan Cole / Truthdig Aug 26, 2015 The master narrative of much Western journalism is that the youth protests of 2011 have been replaced by civil war and terrorism. But while there is plenty of both in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Libya, in fact here and there in the region youth protests have popped up from time to time--in Turkey, Yemen and now Beirut and Baghdad--and shaken up politics. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Why Are We Ignoring the War on Yemen?

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Aug 20, 2015 Key human rights groups have warned about war crimes and mass starvation in the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led war on Yemen. But almost as stunning as the atrocities there is the silence of politicians and the public. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )