Middle East

With the escalation of unilateral inhuman sanctions against the people of Iran on the pretext of Iran’s nuclear activities, which have caused countless economic and medicinal problems and a shortage of vital medical equipment in Iran, a petition has been prepared entitled International Solidarity…

SUNDAY, AUGUST 04, 2013 – Iran’s new President Hassan Rohani took the oath of office at the Iranian Majlis (Parliament), one day after being endorsed by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. Iranian lawmakers and senior officials as well…

I and Oliver Stone both spoke at Hiroshima on the anniversary of the first nuclear bombing in human history and we are slated to speak in two days at Nagasaki on the anniversary of the second nuclear attack. My speech…

Public Negotiations began amid great fanfare in Washington DC. Saeb Ereklat sat next to a war criminal (Tsipi Livni who is responsible for massacre of hundreds of civilians in Gaza) and across from the Israeli lobbyist Indyk (representing the US) after giving up…

At the heart of all politics lies cold, hard opportunism. New circumstances, changed alliances and unexpected events will always conspire to alter one’s calculations to benefit a core agenda. In the Middle East today, those calculations are being adjusted with…

WASHINGTON, Jul 23 2013 (IPS) – There is a real opportunity for peacemaking between Israel and the Palestinians, even though the obstacles are more formidable than in the past. That was the assessment of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, speaking…

By Ryan Crocker* The awful conflict in Syria grinds on, with more than 100,000 dead and no end in sight. The calls to “do something” – anything – become louder: arm the rebels, enforce a no-fly zone, send in the…

On the first day of Ramadan, many young people in Damascus started a volunteer initiative to feed the poor people in the city, victims of the internal war. In one day 750 meals were cooked and distributed. A restaurant owner…

Freedom and democracy. How I have come to loathe this phrase. Two-lofty-words-and-a-conjunction bandied around by handmaidens of Empire: verbal grenades that can gut entire nations. When I hear “freedom and democracy” I instinctively look for cover – just as “Allahu…

Follow Democracy Now! Live Updates “The head of Egypt’s armed forces has announced the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi and the suspension of the constitution. Backers of Morsi have described the move as a “military coup.” For minute-by-minute coverage of…