The following article was written by Chelsi Mueller, a junior research fellow in the Center for Iranian Studies and a Ph.D. student in the Department of Middle Eastern and African History at Tel Aviv University. by Chelsi Mueller As Arab leaders’ private statements about Iran began to pour forth from Wikileaks, Iranian leaders strove to […]
Former Labor party leader Amir Peretz intends on joining the centrist Kadima party, according to reports. The left-wing Labor party, currently headed by embattled Defense Minsiter Ehud Barak, has been rife with internal strife and could continue crumbling unless the party finds its voice and reclaims grassroots support, especially as the politics of the Israeli […]
President Obama has extended a national emergency in effect for 15 years due to continued threat of terror attacks that could thwart the Middle East peace process. The extension of this national emergency exemplifies several points: the peace process is integral to U.S. interests, mandating that the White House declare an emergency due to efforts […]
The decision by the Hezbollah bloc in the Lebanese parliament to depart the coalition could spell either disaster or serendipity for Israel, as fears of a 2011 war that could devastate Tel Aviv are at the forefront of security fears. An upcoming Hariri government-backed tribunal is expected to indict top Hezbollah members in the death of former […]
The Israeli mentality of aggressive, yet sweet, is most certianly refined. Israeli humor, on the other hand, needs a lot of work. The Israeli version of Saturday Night Live, called Eretz Nehederet (Wonderful Country), recently released a clip that is actually humorous and fully encapsulates the Israeli mentality of having no peace partner, the declining […]
Today, speaking from a podium outside a compound that once was once home to his father, the grand ayatollah who had sacrificed his life defying Saddam Hussein’s brutal dictatorship, Muqtada al-Sadr addressed thousands of loyal followers for the first time since he left Iraq in exile in 2007.
Feared, reviled and revered, Sadr has officially staked his claim to his personal legacy and his nation’s future.
Dr. Hossein Askari is Iran Professor of International Business and International Affairs at Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Askari served on the Executive Board of the IMF, consultant to the OECD, the World Bank, the IFC, the UN, and a number of multinational corporations. Askari’s views are sought after by governments […]
In a developing story, Reuters is reporting that firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has returned to Iraq after years of self-imposed exile in Iran. The radical nationalist visited the holy city of Najaf where his father is buried. The source said Sadr had left Iraq at the end of 2006. Sadr, whose Mehdi Army fought U.S. troops after […]
In an effort to preserve a nation’s humanity after decades of dictatorship and war and in a modest tribute to the enduring spirit of the Iraqi people, I have decided to ring in the New Year with a brief study of the unique and compelling poetry of Iraq.
Year in review For Lebanon, 2010 was dominated by the continued investigation into the death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Hariri was murdered in February 2005, sparking off massive protests that led to the end of Syria’s 30 year occupation of Lebanon. Since 2007, the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has been gathering […]
Well just when you thought US-Syria relations where stuck in a rut we get a major curveball from Pres. Obama. Robert Ford has been pushed through as US ambassador to Syria as part of a series of recess appointments by President Obama. While the manner of his appointment will limit the term of his ambassadorship, […]
By this time next year, the United States should have withdrawn all of its troops from Iraq. We can hope that this long, bloody chapter in American military history may be at an end.
On Saturday, Iraq’s new oil minister, Abdul Kareem Luaibi, announced that Iraq will recognize an array of oil deals signed by the Kurds in northern Iraq. Luaibi, who has been at the head of negotiations with the Kurdistan Regional Government also said in his statement that dialog “with our Kurdish brothers will continue in order to reach a resolution […]
Sadly, Santa may not make it to Iraq this year. Nor will Iraq’s Christian community enjoy festive decorations, or the tradition of midnight Mass. Any and all public displays of the holiday have been scratched following Christian leadership’s decision to cancel Christmas celebrations. New al Qaeda threats directed at the tiny community, left reeling by a bloody siege on […]