Iraqi Army captures iconic Islamic State Mosque; declares end of ISIS July 1, 2017 Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·WORLD NEWS Iraqi forces have captured the iconic Great Mosque of al Nuri in Mosul, Iraq, from the Islamic State, and proclaimed a symbolic Read More
Abu Bakr al Baghdadi: Wanted, dead or alive June 22, 2017 Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·Op-Ed·Opinion | Analysis Russia claims to have killed the Islamic State founder, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. But what does that mean? Does it even matter? The Read More
Updates from the Syrian front: the push on al Raqqa June 14, 2017 Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·News·WORLD NEWS The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish and Arab militia coalition backed by the U.S., continue to advance through al Raqqa City, Read More
Iran’s response to Islamic State terrorism June 9, 2017 Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·WORLD NEWS Two teams of Islamic State fighters struck civilian targets throughout Tehran early June 7. The teams attacked the Iranian Parliament and the Read More
Battle against ISIS: the walls of Raqqa are falling June 9, 2017 Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·WORLD NEWS Across the region, the Islamic State is being driven back. In Iraq, the Iraqi military is pushing the Salafist Jihadist group out Read More
Terror strikes Tehran June 7, 2017 Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·News·WORLD NEWS Early Wednesday morning two teams consisting of 8 Islamic State fighters carried out a series of coordinated attacks against the parliament building Read More
Review: Brad Pitt’s ‘War Machine’ goes to war, and gets lost June 2, 2017 Culture·FILM·Headlines·HUMOR·Op-Ed Netflix’s latest film “War Machine” stars Brad Pitt as General Glen McMahon. McMahon’s character is based on General Stanley McChrystal, who attempted Read More
Ramadan of Violence June 2, 2017 AFRICA·Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·WORLD NEWS Amidst the call for peace during the holiest month of Islam, Ramadan, the Islamic State has called upon its followers to commit Read More
U.S. signs multi-billion trade deal with Saudi Arabia during Trump visit May 21, 2017 Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·NATIONAL SECURITY·Politics·WORLD NEWS US President Donald Trump was greeted by King Salman of Saudi Arabia at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, on May 20th. Read More
Iran’s election – what does it mean? May 13, 2017 Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·Op-Ed·Opinion | Analysis Being political is an integral part of being Iranian. Our lives are defined by politics. – Shirin Neshat (Iranian artist) On May Read More
Turks and Kurds, an endless cycle May 7, 2017 Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·NATIONAL SECURITY·Op-Ed·Opinion | Analysis·WORLD NEWS Syria’s Civil War has raged for six years, causing a vastly different regional political, ethnic, and security landscape to emerge. In recent Read More
Erdogan’s referendum, the end of Turkey’s democracy? April 23, 2017 Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·Op-Ed·Opinion | Analysis Turkey is a valid example of what I spoke of in my Shifting Sands of the Dictator opinion piece last Sunday. For decades, Read More
Syria offensive against ISIS stumbles April 23, 2017 Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·NATIONAL SECURITY Tabqa, Northern Syria – Tabqa, one of the premier strongholds of the Islamic State outside of its de facto capital in al Read More
The Shifting Sands of the Dictator April 16, 2017 Featured·Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·Op-Ed·Opinion | Analysis John Sjoholm examines the West’s historic support of dictatorships in the Middle East, and asks whether the region is ready for true Read More
OpEd: Welcome to Syria, why don’t you stay for awhile? April 9, 2017 Headlines·MENA·MIDDLE EAST·Op-Ed·Opinion | Analysis On April 4th the Syrian government, from its seat in Damascus, seemingly ordered a gas attack on the rebel-held, but predominantly civilian, Read More
Syrian government attacks Idlib with gas, 58 reported dead, 11 children April 4, 2017 MENA·MIDDLE EAST·News Wire Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib Province, Syria – Air strikes began just after dawn at 06:40, with Syrian Air Force SU-22 military jet fighters deploying Read More