Exciting news for the Islamic world, but may make Islamist extremists feel all the more justified in promulgating their unreconstructed brand of Islam.
Islamic Manuscript Radiocarbon Dated to Time of Muhammad
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Middle East & North Africa
How the Islamic State Makes Terror Palatable to Those It Rules
The Islamic State has two advantages over the chaotic violence of Iraq and the murderous Assad regime in Syria: services and justice.
The War Over Blasphemy
Some countries are getting rid of outdated blasphemy laws, while others are ramping up persecutions.
Will the Nuclear Deal Induce Iran to Help Stop the Islamic State?
Those expecting the Iran nuclear deal to lead to regional security cooperation between the United States and Iran may be disappointed.
Argentine Prosecutor Dies Before Pinning 1992 Argentine Jewish Center Bombing on Iran
In the New Yorker, Dexter Filkins writes about Argentine prosecutor Albert Nisman’s doomed attempts to prosecute the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina bombing.
Greece, Iran, and the Rules of the Game
From Athens to Tehran, powerful countries make the rules and break the rules. Everyone else just squeezes the best deal they can — for now, anyway.
Does the Islamic State Seek to Turn Gaza Into Another of Its ‘Fiefdoms’?
Hamas fears recent attacks in Gaza may be the responsibility of militants affiliated with the Islamic State.
Is the ISIS War About Oil After All?
The unfolding intervention against the Islamic State shows that oil doesn’t just guide U.S. foreign policy. It constrains our ways of thinking about it.
Iran Nuclear Deal Redraws Middle East Map
It was a foregone conclusion that Middle Eastern states would seek to adjust national boundaries set by the West.
If Ralph Nader Had Been Elected President, the Iraq War Would Have Been a War Unfought
Resentment towards Ralph Nader blinds us to what a good president he would have made.