Did Bashar Assad Win New Hampshire? Trump’s and Sanders’ Mideast Policies

Juan Cole / Truthdig Feb 10, 2016 Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders won big in New Hampshire on Tuesday. So what foreign policies did the good people of New Hampshire vote for? Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Islamic State Kidnapped Hundreds in Syrian City — Some Likely to a Fate Worse Than Death (Video)

Juan Cole / Truthdig Jan 20, 2016 Over the weekend, Islamic State hit an isolated outpost of the Syrian Arab Army in a few neighborhoods of Deir al-Zor that are surrounded by the extremist group. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

How Turkish President Erdogan Went Wrong: Dividing and Not Ruling (Video)

Juan Cole / Truthdig Dec 7, 2015 Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, was once seen as a political breath of fresh air and a beacon of change in the Middle East. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Yemen Civil War? Masses Rally in Capital as the South Secedes

Juan Cole / Truthdig Jan 26, 2015 From 1967 to 1990, and again briefly in 1994, South Yemen was an independent country. Today, South Yemen is again an independent state. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

How Bashar al-Assad’s Regime Came Back in the Syrian Civil War in 2014

Juan Cole / Truthdig Dec 27, 2014 In the course of 2014, two major trends, long since visible in the Syrian civil war, were strengthened. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

An Interview With Juan Cole: The Historical Drivers of Modern Day Developments in Iraq

Staff / Truthdig Nov 20, 2014 Bassam Haddad, a prominent Syria specialist at George Mason University, interviewed Juan Cole this fall for the new Web radio program "Status Hour" on the Middle East. Dig deeper ( 25 Min. Read )

Amnesty Report Accuses Israel of War Crimes and Condemns Palestinian Rocket Fire

Natasha Hakimi Zapata / Truthdig Nov 6, 2014 A damning 49-page report says the Israel Defense Forces acted with "callous indifference" to civilians in airstrikes that destroyed entire families in homes during the recent war in Gaza. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Big Setback for the Obama Administration’s Syria Policy as Moderate Stronghold Falls to al-Qaeda

Juan Cole / Truthdig Nov 4, 2014 The al-Qaeda affiliate Succor Front (Jabhat al-Nusra) took the town of Deir Sunbul and its environs this weekend away from the Syria Revolutionaries Front, a relatively secular-minded group viewed as “moderates” by the United States. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Islamic State Still Taking Towns in Iraq’s Al-Anbar as Coalition Airstrikes Are Delayed

Juan Cole / Truthdig Oct 6, 2014 The pan-Arab London daily Al-Hayat [Life] reported Sunday that Islamic State is still expanding its sway in towns in Iraq’s western al-Anbar Province, having just taken Kubaisah in the district of Hit on Friday into Saturday, two days after the district capital of Hit fell to them. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Top 7 Surprising Reasons Turkey Is Entering War on Islamic State

Juan Cole / Truthdig Oct 4, 2014 The Turkish parliament voted by a large margin Thursday to allow Turkish troops to make incursions into neighboring countries if necessary to defeat the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

U.S. Strikes Islamic State Oil Fields in Quest to Defund It: But Will It Replace Oil With Fracking?

Juan Cole / Truthdig Sep 27, 2014 Sawt al-Iraq (Voice of Iraq) reports that during the past two days, Saudi, UAE and American fighter jets attack small oil refineries originally built for Syria by Turkey, which had been run by IS in Deir Ezzor. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Syrian Media Hail America as Damascus Ally, Support U.N. Ban on Foreign Fighters

Juan Cole / Truthdig Sep 25, 2014 It turns out that the Damascus press is giving President Obama an uncomfortable embrace. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )