Granting sovereignty to Middle Eastern countries is the last thing on the minds of Western leaders.
On the Wrong Side of History in the Middle East
read more
Middle East & North Africa
Mothers of the Jasmine Revolution
Like their revolutionary and brave Algerian sisters, who in the 1950s helped bring one of the most developed and vicious colonial armies to its knees and ushered the end of a longstanding European empire, les Tunisiennes challenged the premise that resistance, revolution, and war are the work of men alone. Defiantly, the women continued the resistance until Ben Ali “got the hell out.” Now that he’s gone, Tunisian women are appearing on Arab television and participating in the formation of neighborhood watch groups.
WikiLeaks: Hamas Passes Along Its Financial Problems to Gazans
Whether or not Hamas is strapped for cash by restrictions on its comings and goings from Gaza, it’s squeezing its own people.
As Egypt Protesters Look to U.S. in Vain, Remembering Another Lost Opportunity
U.S. support for an authoritarian regime is by no means a new phenomenon nor is it peculiar to the Middle East.
Iran, the New York Times and the Laws of Physics
The Times seems intent on making the case that Iran is on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, when it’s not.
Egypt Protests Shine Light on How U.S. Profits From Foreign Aid
Even though it is notoriously undemocratic, the Mubarak regime has for decades received a massive amount of U.S. aid, both military and non-military.
How Lebanon Got So Complicated
In many ways, Lebanon resembled Ireland, where religion was used to drive a wedge between landless Catholics and privileged Protestants.
Interview with John Esposito
In a new special focus on Islamophobia, Foreign Policy In Focus interviews prolific author and professor John Esposito about prevailing political and media myths about Muslims and the Muslim world.
Will Stuxnet Leave as Much Collateral Damage as Any Weapon?
A computer virus might seem like the perfect way to stop Iran’s nuclear program. But it’s as liable to side effects as any weapon.
WikiLeaks XXXV: The Gathering of a Storm — a History of bin Laden in Diplomatic Cables
“He is finished,” was the regrettably premature pronouncement of a relative of bin Laden in the nineties.