Middle East & North Africa Archives - Page 188 of 635

Fear of an Islamic Planet

by John Feffer | Oct 4, 2011

It’s easy to make fun of Michele Bachmann: her history gaffes, her Christian extremism, her ludicrous political positions. Journalists, though, would be sad to see her leave the Republican primary race, since she can be reliably counted on to make an outrageous statement to enliven a slow news day. Last week, for instance, she blamed the Arab Spring on the Obama administration. “You want to know why we have an Arab Spring?” she asked her audience at a Republican Party fundraiser in New Hampshire. “Barack Obama has laid the table for an Arab Spring by demonstrating weakness from the United States of America.”

Troy Davis and al-Awlaki: Two Murders, One Outrage

by V. Noah Gimbel | Oct 4, 2011

Despite limited evidence, the United States painted Anwar al-Awlaki as a terrorist mastermind and executed him without the trial to which he was entitled as a U.S. native.

In the End, Will Iran’s Nuclear Plans Be Decided by — Cancer?

by Russ Wellen | Oct 3, 2011

Iran’s need for uranium for medical purposes may make it amenable to compromise over its nuclear program.

Michele Bachmann “Blames” Obama for Arab Spring

by Paul Mutter | Oct 2, 2011

In claiming President Obama “laid the table” for the Arab Spring, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann suggests that it hurt the United States.

U.S. Congress a Standard Bearer for Israeli Expansion

by Carl Bloice | Oct 1, 2011

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen introduced a bill calling for the U.S. to end its financial support for both the Palestinian Authority and the UN if the latter granted it statehood.

When Creation Myths Converge: U.S. and Israeli Colonialism

by Paul Mutter | Sep 30, 2011

Both the United States and Israel use selective memories to justify their actions and find common ground in their expansion narratives.

Bin Laden’s Gift to Islam: Giving Muslims Religious License to Kill Each Other

by Russ Wellen | Sep 29, 2011

Muslim soldiers, security officers, and government officials who support a tyrannical regime or an occupying force are legitimate targets for al Qaeda.

Israeli Parliamentarians Respond to Bid for Statehood by Calling for Annexation of West Bank

by Paul Mutter | Sep 28, 2011

Knesset Deputy Speaker Danny Danon (Likud) announced that his bill to permit “full Israeli annexation of the West Bank” will be voted on in the Knesset at the end of October.

Kaddish for Oslo

by Ibrahim Kazerooni , Rob Prince | Sep 28, 2011

The Oslo Accords’ significance lay in the cover of global legitimacy they provided Israel while it continued to build settlements and make a two-state solution more and more unlikely.

Dale Carnegie of the Middle East

by John Feffer | Sep 27, 2011

U.S. democracy promotion efforts in the Middle East have been based on a bizarre notion: that U.S. society can serve as a model for the region. Talk about a tough sell. Congress is a bruising rugby scrum, and the U.S. economy is a shambles. U.S. warplanes and drones target Muslims abroad, and Islamophobia permeates the political discourse at home. Washington has supported Arab dictators and stood by Israel through thick and thin. We’re telling the world about the benefits of fruits and vegetables and then turning around to sell what looks like wormy apples and rotten tomatoes. No wonder that U.S. public diplomacy has largely fallen flat in the Middle East.