Foreign Policy magazine posted a very interesting feature about Iraqi refugees in Syria. An excerpt from a book by Deborah Amos describes the underground economy many Iraqis were forced into after Sadaam’s fall. The refugees are prohibited from working in many jobs in Syria, therefore, many women have turned to prostitution as their only means […]
If Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were to make a list of countries that he loves right now, I would imagine his list would be very similar to this: 5. Iraq: For stealing the spotlight away from Iran. This week, Iran and its nuclear program took the backseat as the American policy makers watched the Iraqi […]
Vice President Biden has arrived in Israel with the express purpose of restarting peace talks. So far, Vice President Biden has assured Israelis of the unshakable ties between the U.S. and Israel and has remained positive at the prospect of indirect peace talks. Most news media outlets have reported that the Palestinian Chief Negotiator, Saeb […]
With the announcement that Israeli and Palestinian officials intend to resume peace talks, stakeholders and analysts are chiming in with their interpretation of events. Because the Palestinian Authority agreed to drop peace talk preconditions that would entail a complete settlement freeze, the two sides will resume postponed talks through a negotiator. The resumption of talks […]
The elections in Iraq are over with relatively lower number in violent incidents and attacks against the voters. A positive sign indeed of the progress Iraq has achieved, manifesting jubilation and declaring the beginning of a new era, however, is premature. We must keep in mind that the government in Baghdad is operating from behind […]
Iraqis voted in the parliamentary elections despite violence by terrorist forces. Even though the people have spoken the results of the elections are still undetermined. Two coalitions are now fighting for control of the Iraqi Parliament, the coalition of Al-Maliki and the coalition of Ayad Alawi. Violence during the elections included mortar shells, rockets and […]
Capping a long list of U.S. dignitaries travelling to Israel and the Palestinian territories, Vice President Joe Biden is currently en route to the region for meetings with various officials. Biden’s visit follows a trip made last year by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and repeated efforts by Special Envoy George Mitchell to get Israeli […]
The parliamentary elections in Iraq are taking place today — another major step for the Iraqi people and their government. But there have been roadblocks. Reports of violence relating to the elections have been scattered throughout media outlets this week and last. But Iraqis have ventured out, deciding that boycotting the elections only serves to […]
In a report published and reported on the first state TV station of Saudi Arabia, 250 children die each month as a result of falling into sewage-ways in the streets of the capital, Riyadh. The covers to sewage-ways are reported to be dysfunctional.The engineer responsible for the sewage system at the Ministry of water and […]
Ariel Sharon, George W. Bush, and Yasser Arafat were stubborn leaders vis-à-vis matters of extreme importance to their nations. Their stance on crucial issues was as clear as the sun in a cloudless day. Weary and suspicious of each other, they insisted on changes in the attitude of their counterpart before Middle East talks could […]
The virtually nonexistent peace process has been stalled and opposed by domestic factions in both Israel and Palestinian society, creating a cycle of apathy that has not been broken for a long time. Both Israeli and Palestinians have blamed each other for the delay in resuming talks, both citing the other sides intransigence in rejecting […]
One of the big stories in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti was the inability for supplies to reach patients and field hospitals. However, while international forces experienced efficiency challenges, Israeli medical workers used the most up-to-date technologies and exhibited unmatched success in treating the injured. The head of Israeli response teams authored an […]
King Mohamed VI of Morocco through his Ministry of Interior has appointed 30 more governors for newly established provinces in the country. The king declared his move a strategic adjustment in the government on the road towards decentralization. The decree added that the new administrations will be better fitted to serve their constituencies politically, socially, […]
The Christmas terror attack in the United States raised questions on aviation security whether security programs in other countries, including Israel, could serve as a template for revamping anti-terror procedures. The Israeli government and the Department of Homeland Security are taking coordination to the next level, signing a memorandum of understanding to share information on […]
Fallout from the assassination of a high-ranking Hamas official continues with Israelis barred entry into Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. While Israel only has full diplomatic relations with Egypt and Jordan in the Middle East and the Jewish state remains at war with Syria and Lebanon, Israelis were permitted into Dubai and Qatar if […]