Two smaller events happened over the course of the week that seemed worth passing on. The first being the announcement that France has appointed a special mediator in an attempt to get peace negotiations going between Israel and Syria. While George Mitchell is green with envy, I’m not sure this really matters much to the […]
Recently the news broke that three Israeli citizens were arrested and charged with spying for Syria. Apparently the arrests took place in early july but were only announced last thursday due to a court gag order. A father and son Druze tandem teamed with another Arab Israeli citizen to spy on several targets in northern […]
A day after President Obama vowed no delays to the drawdown of troops in Iraq, synchronized car bombs killed 33 people and five police officers were murdered in Baghdad. In both cases, the attackers hoisted the black flag of the Islamic State of Iraq — a clear sign that al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) is […]
Just days after Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and Syria’s President Bashar Assad traveled to Beirut to quell the fears that another regional war was just around the corner, fighting broke out between the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) in Southern Lebanon. The trouble started when an Israeli battalion commander was killed […]
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) apparently exchanged fire today in Southern Lebanon. One high-ranking officer was killed on the Israeli side, and at least two soldiers and one journalist, were killed on the Lebanese side. It may be too early for analysis, but it looks like the violence has […]
Some might remember a certain incident a few years back. Very hush-hush. Israeli bombed something in Syria, only no one was sure what exactly was bombed or why. For some background reading try here, here, and here. The Israeli’s eventually said they had attacked a nuclear reactor of North Korean vintage. The Syrians have remained […]
We’ve hit an emotional milestone in Iraq. The end is in sight. Major combat is over and the troops are coming home. And we can expect many more of these talks, with appearances planned throughout the month by the president, Vice President Biden and other senior administration officials as they wax eloquent on Obama’s steadfast commitment to ending the war.
As previously discussed in this blog, Syria and Turkey have become much closed in recent years. That trend has continued in an issue especially close to this bloggers heart. Syria and Turkey are cooperating in efforts to save the endangered Northern Bald Ibis, a species thought to have only one active breeding pair left in […]
Well, apparently those along the Israeli Lebanese border didn’t read my birthday plea for peace. Today was only the latest clash along the often contested border. Since the fighting took place between the IDF and Lebanese Army, I don’t think this particular skirmish is going to be the catalyst for anything bigger. The alarming thing […]
President Obama has given formal assurances that U.S. forces in Iraq will drop to 50,000 by the end of the month – a reduction of 94,000 troops since he took office 18 months ago. The remaining troops will form a transitional force until a final U.S. withdrawal from the country by the end of 2011. […]
In an op-ed published this weekend in the New York Times, Middle East scholar Ephraim Karsh touts a recent poll that found that 71 percent of Arabs are disinterested in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Karsh makes a great point– apathy towards the Palestinians has existed for decades and is only used by Arab leaders to strengthen […]
Israel is fighting wars on many fronts, waging diplomatic and political battles with its friends and enemies alike. This weekend, a series of Iran-made rockets landed in Israel’s foremost resort town, the Red Sea and the nearby Jordanian city of Aqaba. While no Israelis were injured, a Jordanian taxi driver was killed and several others […]
Just a few links to the good work of others on the Beirut summer party/summit. Qifa Nabki sees the summit as a means of temperature taking. Nick Noe suggests that the STL will undermine Hezbollah internationally, hurting it’s image and potentially delegitimizing it. And this Time article lays out the main points. Everyone paying attention […]
Apparently Saudi King Abdullah shares my wish for peace. The Saudi King has come to Damascus today in an effort to quell growing tensions over news that Hezbollah members could potentially be indicted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). King Abdullah will also be moving on to Beirut sometime friday. The trip is significant […]
I’d direct you all to read my fellow FPA blogger and global film critic, Sean Patrick Murphy, as he takes on the Iraqi war flick The Green Zone, based on Ray Chandresekaran’s excellent Imperial Life in the Emerald City. http://globalfilm.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2010/07/27/green-zone-2010/ Have a look before you catch it on the small-screen. Sounds like you might be better off […]