The Many Problems With Trump’s Plan to Take Syria’s Oil

Juan Cole / Truthdig Nov 5, 2019 Let's start with the fact that to take some of the country's "massive amounts of oil," as the president suggests, is a war crime. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

America Made the Islamic State’s al-Baghdadi

Juan Cole / Truthdig Oct 28, 2019 As the terrorist's killing is lauded, it's worth recalling he was in U.S. custody when he began organizing what would become the Islamic State. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Trump’s Syria Policy Could Be a Gift to ISIS

Juan Cole / Truthdig Oct 9, 2019 As a result of the turmoil the U.S. and Turkey are causing in the region, 12,000 Islamic State fighters in containment camps could escape. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The WWI Lessons We Haven’t Learned

Juan Cole / Informed Comment Nov 11, 2018 While Trump is in Paris to commemorate the end of World War I, we should learn from that bloody episode that, among other things, we cannot credit politicians who promise us a short, glorious war. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

An Urgent Call for Humanity in the Age of Trump

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Nov 9, 2018 Alexandria Bombach discusses her documentary, "On Her Shoulders," the Yazidi people, and the challenges of telling the story of Nobel Peace Prize co-winner Nadia Murad (pictured). Dig deeper ( 17 Min. Read )

How to Tell Nobel Winner Nadia Murad’s Story Without Trading on Her Pain

Kasia Anderson / Truthdig Oct 16, 2018 Director Alexandria Bombach tells Truthdig how she avoided exploiting her subject's traumatic past in making her new documentary, “On Her Shoulders.” Dig deeper ( 14 Min. Read )

Massive Mission Creep in Syria Despite Trump’s Pledge to Withdraw

Juan Cole / Informed Comment May 28, 2018 The U.S. is now doing the opposite of what it said it would in the war-torn Middle Eastern nation. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Why Mike Pompeo’s ‘Severest Sanctions’ on Iran Will Backfire

Juan Cole / Informed Comment May 23, 2018 The secretary of state's speech on Iran lays out a wide range of Iranian behavior he would like to change, and specifies harsh U.S. financial sanctions as his instrument. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Iraq on Syria Strikes: We’ve Seen This Movie, and It Doesn’t End Well

Juan Cole / Informed Comment Apr 15, 2018 Iraqis are clearly afraid that the North Atlantic intervention will embolden Islamic State to restart its operations. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Trump Throttles Back on U.S. Goals in Syria

Josh Lederman / The Associated Press Apr 5, 2018 The president pushes for a quick military withdrawal, abandoning plans to stabilize the country and prevent Islamic State from re-emerging. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Are We Really Getting Out of Syria ‘Very Soon’?

Juan Cole / Informed Comment Apr 1, 2018 "... [W]e’re knocking the hell out of ISIS. ... Let the other people take care of [Syria] now," President Trump declares during a speech in Ohio on infrastructure. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

After Destroying Iraq, U.S. Won’t Give a Dime to Reconstruction

Juan Cole / Informed Comment Feb 11, 2018 The Trump administration is reportedly going into the Iraq reconstruction conference in Kuwait with no plans to help pay for the effort. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )