Obama Fumbling a Chance for Middle East Peace
Mortimer B. Zuckerman

Only four percent of Israelis see Obama as a friend. Obama should worry about this. So should we all, for the alienation has significant consequences for peace

On Gaza, the UN Targets Israel Again
Harold Evans

A new report is the gold standard of moral equivalence between killer and victim in Gaza.

Iran: Words Without Action or Resolved to Be Unresolved
Paul Greenberg

'Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow, endangering the global nonproliferation regime, denying its own people access to the opportunity they deserve, and threatening the stability and security of the region and the world.' No, that wasn't Israel's tough-talking prime minister, Bibi Netanyahu, warning against Iran's aggressive tendencies again. It was Barack Obama addressing the UN Security Council.

Obama Faces Reality on Iran, Middle East
Kenneth T. Walsh

President Obama's disclosure that Iran has been building a secret uranium enrichment plant underscores a truism in foreign policy: Harsh reality trumps good intentions. Obama says the plant is further evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program, and he promises to push even harder for sanctions against the Tehran regime.

Consequences of the Palestinian-Israel Status Quo
William Pfaff

There seems to have been a mistake made when President Barack Obama named former Sen. George J. Mitchell his special representative concerned with settlement of the Palestinian-Israel impasse. The president and Mr. Mitchell seem to have believed that the problem is one of negotiation between adamantly opposed but ultimately reconcilable parties.

Shimon Peres on Peace, Obama's Tough Love, and Working in the Shadows
Arianna Huffington

It's hard to spend any time with Israeli President Shimon Peres and remain pessimistic about the possibility of peace. 'I'm 86,' he told me, 'and at a moment in my life when I have no personal agenda. I'm not interested in money. I'm not jealous of anyone. My only agenda is my country. I feel freer than I've ever felt before -- and with this freedom I can be most effective. At my age I don't want a suntan. I like being in the shadows.'

Iraq War -- What War
Victor Davis Hanson

The war in Iraq is scarcely in the news any longer, despite the fact that 141,000 American soldiers are still protecting the fragile Iraqi democracy, and 114, as of this writing, have been lost this year in that effort. But after the success of the surge, there are far fewer American fatalities each month

The Diplomatic Myths and Illusions of the Middle East
by Robert Schlesinger

Incorrect preconceptions and misguided conventional wisdom hamper American policy in the Middle East, Dennis Ross and David Makovsky write in Myths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East.

Time to Get Out of Iraq
Joe Galloway

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has suggested that he might speed up our withdrawal from Iraq by pulling out an additional brigade combat team by year's end. Good idea! How about pulling out FIVE more brigades by then

Iran at Crossroads of History
Will this Regime Fall Like Shah's
Abolhassan Bani-Sadr

Within six short weeks since the recent election, the government of the Islamic Republic has been publicly divided, delegitimized, challenged and weak. As a result, we can now draw some analytical parallels between the current regime and the pre-1979 monarchy, and between the two occasions of political unrest.

Israeli - Palestinian Peace
(c) M. Ryder

Obama, Solana Mean Business About Two-State Solution
by William Pfaff

The Israeli press reports with alarm that the United States has threatened to reduce by $1 billion the guarantee the U.S. Treasury customarily provides for Israel state borrowings, which assure them the best commercial terms.

This is evidence that the Obama government is serious about halting Israel's colonization of the Palestinian territories -- and about imposing, rather than merely inviting, a two-state Middle East solution.

 

Israel Fortifies Presence in Latin America
Andres Oppenheimer

Following three years of frantic Iranian activities in Latin America that included three trips by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the region -- a fourth visit is scheduled in August to Brazil -- and the opening or enlargement of a half-dozen Iranian embassies, Israel is beginning to raise its own profile in the region.

From Iraq to Afghanistan, U.S. Foreign Wars Not Going According to Plan
by William Pfaff

In Iraq, tension was reported to be increasing between the Americans and the Iraqi military and security forces, who were supposed to take over the Americans' responsibilities. Move to another front: Pakistan-Afghanistan. Here there was also supposed to be a straightforward job to do: drive the Taliban out of Afghanistan, into the Tribal Areas of the Pakistan border. There, the Pakistan army, with American urging and help, would defeat and disarm them.

Iran Election Historical Analogies Misleading & Dangerous
by Paul J. Saunders

Many political leaders and pundits have called for more active and vocal American support of the Iranian opposition, typically on the basis of analogies to oppressive regimes of the twentieth century. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these analogies are misleading and even dangerous if used as guides to policy. The historical cases most similar to present-day Iran should instill caution.

On Iran, the U.S. Needs Handshakes and an Iron Fist
by Mortimer B. Zuckerman

The argument went, civilized dialogue with Iran was more likely if we chose to treat its external conduct separately from its internal character. Such an approach, not threatening the Islamic republic's claim, would give us a better chance of restraining its nuclear ambitions and its support for terrorism. Obama did his bit to press the reset button with grace and eloquence. And what was Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's response? ...

Diplomacy Can and Will Work With Iran
by Senator John Kerry

President Obama is right to open the door to direct engagement with Iran. Negotiations-backed by escalating sanctions to show we mean business if talks fail are the only way short of war that we can persuade Iran to rein in its nuclear ambitions and begin building a more stable and secure Middle East.

Islamic Republic Acronym
(David Horsey)

Iran Election Mess Is Just a Reflection of Global Human Failings
by Louis Ren� Beres

Today's dramatic Iranian instability is more a specific symptom of general civilizational fragility than an isolated disease.

Beneath the surface, all world politics readily reveals a distinctly common disorder. This is the incapacity of human beings to find both meaning and identity as individuals, within themselves.

CONTINUE >>

 

Missing Our Moment in Iran
by Victor Davis Hanson

Last month, hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to protest a rigged presidential election. Our president was extremely cautious in his initial criticism of the Iranian government's fierce crackdown against the protestors. At first, President Obama said that the United States -- given our history in Iran -- should not be "meddling" in

Obama Presses Israel on Settlements
by William Pfaff

The Obama administration's confrontation with Israel over its colonies inside the Palestine territories began as a test of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's willingness to enter serious negotiations on a Middle Eastern settlement.

'W' is For Withdrawal
by Robert C. Koehler

National Sovereignty Day, the day U.S. troops withdrew from Iraqi cities. Sorry, but Iraq is still America's sovereign lackey: broken and smoldering. Some 130,000 U.S. troops remain in the country, withdrawn for the most part to the permanent bases we've built over the last six years. The country's infrastructure is shattered, and shocking bursts of violence remain a common occurrence

U.S. Troops Leave Iraqi Cities, but Unsettled Issues Remain
by William Pfaff

If all goes correctly, when this column is read American troops will be gone from the cities of Iraq. Then the calculation must begin as to whether some half-million to million lives lost, and the infrastructure and social structure of Baghdad, and much of the rest of the Iraqi nation, ruined, have served some good purpose.

Violence Spikes as U.S. Troops Withdraw From Iraq's Cities
by Alex Kingsbury

Militants in Iraq staged a series of bomb and machine gun attacks in the past ten days that left more than 250 dead and the country on edge. Increased carnage as the U.S. forces prepare to depart was not unexpected, American and Iraqi officials say.

Attacks on U.S. Soldiers Show Iraq Is Not Yet Safe
by Anna Mulrine

U.S. combat troops officially withdrew from all Iraqi cities this week, and the Iraqi government declared a national holiday to commemorate the event. But with the celebration came a stark reminder that the war in Iraq continues for U.S. troops and that the country is far from safe.

Iranian Protests a Direct Challenge to Khamenei
by Anna Mulrine

"Flexing muscle on the streets after the election is not right," warned Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the days before the bloodshed. "If they don't stop, the consequences of the chaos would be their responsibility." Those consequences included casualties that resulted from the worst upheaval in Tehran in 30 years, as well as mass arrests last week, with more than 600 protesters jailed ...

Iran Election Twitters In a Revolution
by Mary Kate Cary

It was a battle to show who could best harness the only real news source on the ground -- the new social media -- to report fast, accurate, and insightful information. Cable and network news lost both the battle and the war. Two of the journalists who won were Andrew Sullivan, a political blogger for the old-line magazine Atlantic Monthly, and Nico Pitney of the younger Huffington Post. Sullivan and Pitney looked at the gold mine of information sitting on the new social media platform and, with two staffers, jumped in. Sullivan and his staff cut and pasted the most interesting, useful, and profound tweets into a document he called "Live-Tweeting the Revolution," updated every few minutes.

Iran: Death to Election Fraud
by Rick Steves

Last year, while in Iran producing a documentary for public television, I observed freedom-loving people patiently making do under a repressive regime. Today, the relatively peaceful Iran I experienced is in turmoil.

As Iranians Revolt, Their Government Reveals True Self
by William Pfaff

The truly significant result of the suppressed Iranian revolt is that the most important Islamist radical movement in the contemporary world has demonstrated that it has become a brutally repressive dictatorship whose leaders rig elections and beat down clear popular demands for a true election count or repeat of the election itself.

The War Between Civilizations That Never Was
by William Pfaff

An important change is evident in what since Samuel Huntington's time has been mistakenly identified and manipulated as a war between Muslim and Western civilizations.

Iran's (So Far) Revolution-less Struggle
by William Pfaff

Iran's cosmopolitan and liberal middle classes and its students are making a revolutionary bid without intending a revolution. Few think that the demonstrations in Tehran, and now in other Iranian cities, can produce a change in regime.

Hungary 1956, Iran 2009
by Paul Greenberg

Liberty is not something that can be rationed; one freedom leads to another. Iran's demagogue-in-chief understands that old truth, which is why he is so determined to crush this peaceful revolution in today's Iran. All the odds are in favor of his doing just that, but Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has already lost something far more important than Iran's presidency; he has lost legitimacy.

Iran Elections: The Silent Revolution
by Paul Greenberg

This is something new: a Silent Revolution. The huge throng that marched through the Iranian capital last Monday spoke nary a word, Theirs was a silent vigil for a liberty not so much lost as never gained, from Shah to Ayatollah. Meanwhile, the White House and President Obama practiced its own form of silence. Things have changed since a president of the United States could be counted on to at least voice a protest when another people are cowed.

President Obama's Iran News Conference
by Cal Thomas

For the first time in a long time, the president was challenged about his positions on Iran, health care and his "occasional" smoking. This may be due to the heavy criticism the media have been getting from commentators who have accused them of not doing their jobs with coverage that has bordered on the worshipful.

Iranian Regime Change Is for Iranians to Decide
by Mary Sanchez

I find Iran's government structure of vaguely democratic elections and Islamic theocracy almost incomprehensible. However, if Iran's government needs reform, it is Iran's people that must make that case -- and they are, very eloquently and tragically even with their lives. The last thing Iranian reformers and protesters need is to be painted as agents of the Great Satan.

The 'Neda Moment' Shows Promise of Social Networking
by Leonard Pitts, Jr.

Maybe you were there when Neda died. If you were, you saw a tragedy, of course, a 26-year-old Iranian protester gunned down in the streets. But I am convinced you also saw the future -- a profound change in the way you and I will henceforth comprehend the world.

Obama's Iran Policy Is a Bomb
by Jonah Goldberg

Here is the one immutable fact of Barack Obama's foreign policy agenda as it relates to Iran: It's over. If the forces of reform and democracy win, Obama's plan to negotiate with the regime is moot, for the regime will be gone.

Obama's Choice Is Not to Choose on Iran
by Jonah Goldberg

Stop measuring the success of your diplomacy with Iran by the degree to which the grinning, hate-filled stooge of a clerical junta will "temper" his rhetoric about the pressing need to destroy Israel and slow his ineluctable pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Iran's Crisis of Legitimacy
Ramin Jahanbegloo - Global Viewpoint

Increasingly, Iran's divine sovereignty has been less about religion than about political theology. As for the popular sovereignty, it has found its due place in social networks and political action of Iranian civil society

Iran Must Void Elections to Restore Peace on Streets
Shirin Ebadi - Global Viewpoint

People's dissatisfaction with the results does not concern the present elections alone: Many objections were made four years ago when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was first elected president. Ahmadinejad's most important position until then had been mayor of Tehran. He was, however, supported by Basij and Ayatollah Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's leader for life. Ahmadinejad's four years of presidency resulted in people's great dissatisfaction.

Will Iran Look More Like Turkey, or Turkey Like Iran
Nathan Gardels - Global Viewpoint

The effort to forge new forms of non-Western modernity in the Muslim world has pushed Iran into bloody civil strife while Turkey swirls with persistent rumors of military plots against the Islamist-rooted government. The great historical question is whether, at the end of the day, Iran will look more like Turkey, or Turkey like Iran

A Cedar Grows in Lebanon
by Paul Greenberg

The election returns in Lebanon represent an impressive comeback for the cause of the martyred Rafik Hariri. He led the party that finally drove the Syrians out of Lebanon in the Cedar Revolution of 2005. And paid for it with his life. His son Saad now leads the coalition of Sunni, Christian and Druze voters that emerged victorious. Its win revives hope -- not just for Lebanon but for democracy in the Middle East

Events in Middle East & Central Asia Challenge U.S's Conventional Assumptions
William Pfaff

Three recent developments in the Muslim Middle East and Central Asia challenge Washington's conventional assumptions about Pakistan, the Taliban, Lebanon and Iran.

Tehran's Take: Understanding Iran's U.S. Policy
by Mohsen M. Milani

Iran's foreign policy is often portrayed in sensationalistic terms, but in reality it is a rational strategy meant to ensure the survival of the Islamic Republic against what Tehran thinks is an existential threat posed by the United States

Essence of Islamist Resistance:
Different View of Iran, Hezbollah & Hamas
by Alastair Crooke

Most Western analysts of political Islam make the same mistake. They instinctively assume that conflict with the West has mainly to do with specific foreign policies, particularly of the U.S. with respect to Israel, the Arab world and Iran, and, if those changed, all would be well.

Israel's Cuban Missile Crisis All the Time
by Victor Davis Hanson

Why would the Iranian government spend billions of dollars on trying to develop a few first-generation nuclear bombs when the country is so poor that it has to ration gasoline? A lot of reasons have been offered by various experts.

Today, North Korea; Tomorrow, Iran - Nuclear Weapons
By Paul Greenberg

North Korea has been playing around with nuclear weapons again, this time setting off an even bigger underground explosion. To which the five veto-wielding powers at the United Nations have responded much as they did the first couple of times the North Korean regime defied the UN by setting off nukes: with oh-so-serious, oh-so-official statements.

The Nation-State is Back & How
International Politics & Foreign Affairs
by Paul Kennedy

About 500 years ago, in parts of Western Europe, a funny thing happened to human society. The national state had arrived, and the world would never be the same.

Waiting For Netanyahu
International Current Events, News & World Affairs

As President Obama prepares to receive Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their first meeting, the situation is very similar to what it was in 1978.

Now as then, Israel is ruled by a rightwing coalition. Now as then, some of its elements are more hawkish than the prime minister and his Likud Party is. Now as then, talks with the other side are ongoing but leading nowhere.

Lebanon government accord reached
Lebanon's Hezbollah says its opposition alliance has agreed to join a national unity government under PM-designate, Saad Hariri.

Iran police detain 109 over rally
More than 100 people were detained in Tehran following protests on Wednesday , Iranian officials say.

Saudi planes 'not bombing Yemen'
Saudi Arabian jets have only attacked Yemeni rebels on Saudi soil the state news agency says, contradicting earlier reports.

Israeli concern over Abbas move
Israeli officials express concern for peace efforts over the decision by Mahmoud Abbas not to seek re-election.

Israel rejects UN report approval
Israel rejects the UN resolution calling for an investigation into suspected Gaza war crimes.

Hezbollah denies arms ship claims
Hezbollah rejects Israeli allegations that weapons on a seized ship were destined for the Lebanese militant group.

Saudi lifts Somali livestock ban
Saudi Arabia ends a nine-year ban on the import of animals from Somalia - a major industry in the war-torn country.

AFP journalist detained in Iran
A journalist for Agence France Presse has been detained by Iranian security forces, the news agency says.

Iran Arabic channel taken off air
Iran's Arabic language satellite television channel, al-Alam, is taken off air by two Arab-controlled satellite companies.

Tutankhamun finder's mud-brick home becomes a museum
The mud hut where archaeologist Howard Carter lived when he discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun becomes a museum.

Gaza battle
Legal row over UN report on Gaza offensive intensifies

Migration dreams
Why young Egyptians want to live abroad

Iran questioned
Report on advanced warhead testing raises fears

Exit stage left?
What next if Palestinian leader Abbas quits

One voice
Cairo mosques to get centralised call to prayer

Aiming for riches
Why 10,000 Ugandans have gone to Iraq

CIA agents guilty of Italy kidnap
An Italian judge convicts 23 Americans and two Italian secret agents over the CIA kidnap of an Egyptian cleric in 2003.

Iran police clash with protesters
Police clash with opposition supporters during a rally in the Iranian capital, Tehran, witnesses and state media say.

Palestinians in statehood warning
Palestinians may have to abandon the goal of an independent state if Jewish settlements continue, their chief negotiator says.

Earthquake strikes southern Iran
An earthquake strikes Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, injuring hundreds, a state news agency reports.

Saudi paedophile to be beheaded
A court in Riyadh rules that a Saudi man convicted of raping five children, will be beheaded and crucified, a Saudi newspaper reported.

Tussle over East Jerusalem home
Jewish settlers take over another house in East Jerusalem after a long legal battle with a Palestinian family.

Sunni militant 'executed by Iran'
Iran hangs a militant from the Jundullah rebel group accused of a number of attacks in the south-east of the country, say reports.

Saudi warning over Hajj politics
Saudi Arabia warns against any attempt to politicise the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage in an apparent challenge to Iran.

Hamas 'tests long-range rocket'
Hamas has test-fired a rocket capable of reaching Tel Aviv from Gaza, Israel's head of military intelligence says.

Top Yemeni officers die in ambush
Suspected al-Qaeda militants kill at least five security force members in Yemen, including three senior officers.

Iraq in third overseas oil deal
Iraq reaches a deal with a consortium led by US oil giant Exxon Mobil to develop the country's West Qurna 1 oil field.

Libyans 'unlikely' to compensate
A lawyer who has advised Libya in the past says it is unlikely victims of the IRA in NI will be compensated.

Abbas 'pushed' to stand down
Israeli and Arab commentators consider the reasons behind Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' decision not to stand in forthcoming elections.

Disputes over IAEA deal
A draft agreement on Iran's nuclear programme at talks in Vienna receives contrasting coverage in the Iranian and Israeli press.

Iran witness: Protest videos
Your films of anti-government protests in Iran

Iran voices: The nuclear crisis
Iranians discuss the country's nuclear programme and the international stand-off over the issue.

Iranian views: Divided country
Four Iranians reflect on the inauguration of the president and the future of the country.

Iran's internal divisions
Are internal squabbles blocking a nuclear deal?

Taking the capital out of a city
How do you move a country's capital out of a city?

Jerusalem artists go underground
Palestinian artists go underground to dodge Israeli curbs

Bridging Iraq's sectarian gap
Do the prejudices of old still hold sway in Iraq?

In pictures: Syria silk road
A BBC user goes on the Silk Road through Syria

Gaza thirsts as sewage mounts
Aquifer close to collapse as sewage crisis mounts

Israel response to Gaza report
Israel debates response to UN's report on Gaza

BBC News | World | Middle East | UK Edition
Get the latest BBC News from the Middle East: breaking news, features, analysis and debate plus audio and video coverage from across the Middle East.

 

Lebanon: UN envoy holds talks to try to end delays on formation of government
The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon met today with the country's Prime Minister-designate and its parliamentary speaker as he continues his efforts to try to help end the political deadlock that has prevented the formation of a government, five months after national elections were held.

Assembly President calls on Israel, Palestinians to implement resolution on Gaza conflict
General Assembly President Ali Treki today urged Israel and the Palestinians to heed the body's call to conduct credible investigations into charges that both sides were guilty of serious human rights violations during the conflict in the Gaza Strip at the start of the year.

UN providing essential health services to displaced persons in northern Yemen
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is providing vital health services to thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have been driven from their homes since clashes between Government forces and Al Houthi rebels resumed across Sa'dah province in northern Yemen in mid-August.

General Assembly backs findings of UN report into Gaza conflict
The General Assembly today endorsed the report of the United Nations investigation which found that both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants were guilty of serious human rights violations during the conflict in the Gaza Strip at the start of the year.

General Assembly begins debate on UN rights probe into Gaza conflict
The General Assembly today began its debate on the report of the United Nations probe which found that both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants were guilty of serious human rights violations during the Gaza conflict earlier this year.

Ban calls on Israel to halt eviction of Palestinians in East Jerusalem
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Israel to halt what he called "provocative" actions after another Palestinian family in East Jerusalem was evicted from their home, the latest in a series of similar incidents.

Greater UN coordination can boost efforts to achieve anti-poverty goals - Migiro
Greater coordination among United Nations agencies is crucial to helping countries, including those in the Arab region, slash poverty, hunger, illiteracy and a host of other scourges, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro told a meeting in Beirut today.

Iraq: UN agency condemns killing of teenage cameraman
The United Nations agency charged with defending the freedom of the press today deplored the killing of an Iraqi television cameraman who died when a bomb exploded outside his house in the northern city of Kirkuk.

Head of UN atomic watchdog urges swift response by Iran to nuclear fuel deal
The outgoing head of the United Nations atomic watchdog today urged Tehran not to delay in responding to the draft agreement on fuel for its civilian nuclear research site, and called for transparency and cooperation to address outstanding issues related to Iran's nuclear programme.

UN envoy begins talks in Iraq on security and sovereignty issues
A senior United Nations political official held talks today in Baghdad with Iraq's Prime Minister and defence and national security ministers as part of his discussions with the country's leadership on Iraq's security and sovereignty.

UN News Centre - Middle East
A world of news from the world organization.

 

Pressure grows on Abbas to stay on
Mahmoud Abbas has been urged to revoke his decision not to run in the upcoming Palestinian presidential election, amid concern that his withdrawal could deal a fatal blow to diminishing prospects for peace

Saudis confirm raids against Yemen 'infiltrators'
Riyadh has confirmed that it carried out air raids against Yemeni rebels, but said the operations took place within Saudi territory

Iraq oil deal puts pressure on Opec
ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell, the two biggest western oil companies, won the right to develop Iraq's giant West Qurna oilfield, raising the prospect of a big jump in Iraqi oil supplies

Abbas will not seek re-election
Palestinian Authority president tells senior Palestinian officials he will not seek re-election in January, in a sign of the mounting frustration felt by the veteran leader over the lack of progress in the peace process

Saudi air force hits Yemen rebels
Riyadh has launched air strikes against rebels in northern Yemen in retaliation for an attack on security forces, an adviser to the Saudi government said

Israel seizes arms 'bound for Hizbollah'
The Jewish state said a captured container ship originating in Iran and loaded with weapons, including rockets, was destined for Syria and Lebanon's Shia group

Tehran reluctant to cede state control
Following a recent blow to its hopes, Iran's private sector believes than despite slogans to the contrary, the government has no intention of encouraging any real privatisation

Investment banks breathe again
Clear winners and losers are emerging as business begins to return for financial houses in the Middle East after a year of property crashes and financial upheaval

Saudi Arabia set to reform commercial courts
The kingdom has been slow to modernise its legal system but changes promised for next year should bring more certainty to the course of business in the kingdom

Iranian opposition and police in fresh clashes
Thousands of opposition supporters clashed with security forces at a state-organised rally on the anniversary of the US embassy siege

Moody's downgrades Dubai companies
The credit rating agency has downgraded five Dubai government-related issuers, citing the tighter conditions under which financial support is likely to be extended

Israel says Hamas rockets can reach Tel Aviv
Senior officials say Palestinian militants based in Gaza have recently test-fired a rocket with a 60-km range, putting Israeli population centres at risk

Khamenei rejects engagement with US
Iran's supreme leader accused the US of negotiating in bad faith despite the overtures made by Barack Obama's administration in recent months

Signs of revival for Dubai property
Dubai property prices have risen for the first time since the market crashed last year, increasing 7 per cent in the third quarter

Saad chief in fight to have US case dismissed
Maan al Sanea says his rancorous battle with fellow conglomerate Ahab, which has accused him of fraud, has 'no business' being heard in New York and should be fought in Saudi Arabia instead

FT.com - World, Middle East
FT.com - World, Middle East

 

The Iran Hostage Crisis--30 Years On
The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Hamas Rockets Can Reach Tel Aviv
Iran’s threat to Israel increases.

Is Jerusalem About to Explode?
New round of violence erupts on the Temple Mount.

Zu Guttenberg's Next Test?

Iraq Braces for U.S. Withdrawal
“The American era is ending. We must prepare for a new era in which Islamic forces set the agenda.”

Pakistan: Militants Threaten "Sovereignty, Integrity of the State"

Concerns Resurface Over Turkey-Israel Ties
When will Israel realize that Turkey is no friend?

Shiite Insurgency in Yemen Intensifies

Iran Caught Exporting Arms

Iran Close to Building Nuke, Say Press Leaks
Iran could be close to creating a fully functioning nuclear missile—with Russia’s help.

Ahmadinejad's Apocalyptic Ambitions
We ignore them at our own peril.

Iran Nuclear Crisis Will Not Be Solved by the UN
Russia will make sure the UN is a lame duck, leaving only one other major player left to solve the issue.

China and Russia Undermining U.S. Power
The giants of the East are positioned to upset U.S. sanctions on Iran by supplying Tehran with gasoline.

Al Qaeda Threatens Germany
Terrorists promise a “rude awakening” if Germany does not withdraw from Afghanistan.

Surrendering to Iran
One fateful step at a time.

Europe in Regular Secret Talks With Hamas

The Solution for Afghanistan
It’s certainly not democracy.

Rogue Scientist Confirms Pakistan's Involvement in Iranian Nuclear Program

Venezuela and Iran Continue to Boost Ties
The two petroleum economies sign more energy deals.

Hezbollah Found to Have Chemical Weapons

Iran Fights on the Yemen Battlefront

Another Defeat at the Door
And guess who’s knocking?

Iran's Nuclear March Continues
Conflicting and ambiguous reports on Iran’s nuclear ambitions continue to give Tehran the advantage.

When Middle East Peace Talks Resume ...
Will violence be more or less likely?

Is Libya Really a Friend?
We got a glimpse of the answer last week.

theTrumpet.com: Middle East
theTrumpet.com -- Understand your world.

 

Israel seizes arms 'bound for Hizbollah'
The Jewish state said a captured container ship originating in Iran and loaded with weapons, including rockets, was destined for Syria and Lebanon's Shia group

Tehran reluctant to cede state control
Following a recent blow to its hopes, Iran's private sector believes than despite slogans to the contrary, the government has no intention of encouraging any real privatisation

Iranian opposition and police in fresh clashes
Thousands of opposition supporters clashed with security forces at a state-organised rally on the anniversary of the US embassy siege

Merkel warns Iran against nuclear move
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, delivered a stern warning to Iran's hard-line leader amid signs that the west's patience with Tehran's prevarication on its nuclear programme was running out

Khamenei rejects engagement with US
Iran's supreme leader accused the US of negotiating in bad faith despite the overtures made by Barack Obama's administration in recent months

UN nuclear chief urges Iran to engage
El-Baradei indicates dissatisfaction with Tehran's response to proposals aimed at establishing full dialogue over its nuclear programme

Tehran shuts second reformist paper
Sarmayeh repeatedly warned for writing about opposition leaders such as Moussavi, say journalists

Iran risks overplaying nuclear hand
Western powers might run out of patience with Tehran's negotiating tactics and demand a complete end to the country's uranium enrichment activities

Iran's last chance
Rarely has the prospect of detente between Washington and Tehran been so tantalisingly within reach. But Tehran is recklessly close to frittering away this opening. That would be a disaster

Iran seeks big changes to nuclear deal
Tehran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency that it wants only a partial transfer of Iran's low enriched uranium rather than the large and immediate transfer demanded by western powers

British embassy official jailed in Iran
UK foreign secretary condemns the jailing of a political analyst in Tehran for spying as 'wholly unjustified' and urges Tehran to repeal it

West awaits Iran response to nuclear offer
Iran has indicated it will respond to a crucial international offer regarding its nuclear programme, amid hopes among world powers that it will accept a deal to transfer about two-thirds of its current stock of low-enriched uranium to France and Russia

Ahmadi-Nejad praises Turkish stance on Israel
Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins approval for his criticism of Israel as the Turkish and Iranian leaders mount a display of friendship in contrast to the recent low in Turkish-Israeli relations

EU warns Iran on changes to nuclear deal
The EU's foreign policy chief has warned Iran there can be no fundamental changes to the draft agreement on its nuclear programme that it is being invited to sign

Inspectors test Iran's willingness to comply
A UN team entered a hitherto secret uranium enrichment plant near the Iranian holy city of Qom in what is set to be another test of whether Tehran will co-operate with world powers over its nuclear programme

FT.com - Iran
FT.com - Iran

 

Iraqi Electoral Law Remains in Limbo Following Baghdad Bombings
Two bloody explosions near Baghdad's Green Zone forced a postponement of the debate

Al-Qaida Group Claims Responsibility for Baghdad Bombings
Militant group named Islamic State in Iraq announced it was behind twin suicide bombings in a statement posted on a militant Web site

Iraqi Lawmakers Hit Snag on Election Agreement
Delay could jeopardize parliamentary elections scheduled for January 16

World Food Program Launches First Electronic Food Voucher Program
Mobile phone technology to be used in aiding food distribution for 1,000 Iraqi refugee families in Syria

Iraq to Vote on Kirkuk Balloting Guidelines
Iraqi lawmakers to decide Thursday whether to use current voter records for Kirkuk or voter registry dating back to 2004

Iraq Arrests Security Personnel for Sunday's Deadly Explosions
About 155 people were killed and hundreds of others wounded in massive explosions that rocked Baghdad, gutting two government ministries

At Least 8 Killed in Iraq Bombings
Explosions in Mussayab, Ramadi and Karbala also wounded dozens of people; no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks

UN Envoy to Iraq Investigates Foreign Support for Terrorism
Oscar Fernandez-Taranco will investigate allegations of foreign involvement in recent suicide bombings that killed hundreds of people

Health Officials Report 7 Swine Flu Deaths in Iraq
Almost half of all infected are international forces, but no deaths among troops

Exxon Group Wins Major Iraq Oil Contract
Oil ministry announces agreement to give companies, which include Royal Dutch Shell, 20-year contract to develop West Qurna

VOA News: Iraq,Iraq
Up to the minute news from Voice of America

 

Pakistan Arrests Three Suspects in Iranian Bombing
Suicide attack last month in Sistan-Baluchistan province killed 42 people, including Revolutionary Guards' deputy commander General, Noor Ali Shooshtari

Israel Accuses Iran of War Crimes Over Arms-Laden Ship
Hezbollah denies having any connection to weapons on vessel intercepted by Israeli commandos near Cyprus

Abbas Threatens to Quit Over Stalled Peace Process
Mr. Abbas accuses US of backtracking on demands that Israel freeze settlement expansion

Saudi Arabia Resumes Livestock Trade with Somalia
Saudi Arabia removes an 11-year ban on livestock imports from Somalia after fears of Rift Valley Fever were allayed

Clinton Holds Emotional Meeting with Families of Hikers Held in Iran
Hikers were arrested for illegally entering Iran, being held at notorious Evin prison in Tehran

UN Endorses Israel-Palestinian War Crimes Report
During three-week-long Israeli military incursion into Gaza Strip, at least 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed

Syrian Novelist Talks About Impediments to Greater Democracy in the Arab World
Syrian novelist and democracy activist Ammar Abdulhamid talks about impediments to and incentives for greater democracy in the Arab world

Israel Rejects UN War Crimes Resolution
Israel calls accusation of war crimes during the Gaza conflict, in which 13 Israelis and nearly 1,400 Palestinians killed, 'completely detached from reality'   

Iran Lawmakers Say Tehran Will Reject UN-Backed Nuclear Deal
ISNA news agency quotes prominent conservative lawmaker, laeddin Boroujerdi, saying Iran will not send abroad any of its 1,200 kilograms of enriched uranium

Lebanon Opposition Agrees to Unity Government
New Cabinet could be formed within next two days

VOA News: Middle East
Up to the minute news from Voice of America

 

Saudis and Yemenis versus jihadists: A bloody border

Trouble on the frontier between Saudi Arabia and Yemen is getting out of hand

TWO separate incidents underline the growing shakiness of Yemen’s government and the increasing fear of Saudi rulers that their own fairly successful campaign to quash Islamist terrorism may be undermined by neighbouring Yemen’s feared descent into chaos. On November 3rd suspected al-Qaeda fighters ambushed a Yemeni government convoy in the remote Hadramawt region, near the border with Saudi Arabia, killing three senior security men. A day later Yemeni rebels at the other end of the country crossed the frontier into Saudi Arabia, killed a Saudi officer and claimed to have captured a strategic mountaintop inside the kingdom. The very next day, Saudi aircraft were reported to have bombed rebel positions in Yemen.

In the first attack the Yemeni officers were targeted in what may be an emerging strategy by al-Qaeda’s resilient local branch to hit local security forces rather than symbols of “crusader” influence, such as Western embassies. The attack on Saudi Arabia, by contrast, was a spillover from the civil war in northern Yemen between government forces and rebel tribesmen loyal to a powerful local clan, the Houthis. The government accuses Shia Iran of backing the Houthis, most of whose supporters are Zaydis, a Yemeni branch of the Shia faith, whereas the rebels say Sunni Saudi Arabia is backing the government’s ferocious counter-insurgency. ...

Protests in Iran: Green November

The opposition takes to the streets again

THIRTY years ago, the world was mesmerised by pictures of 52 blindfolded Americans being taken hostage in their embassy in Tehran by Iranian students. This week’s anniversary provided more gripping scenes, as Iranians used the official celebration of that event to take to the streets once again, this time to protest against their own government and their country’s controversial president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose re-election in June they still hotly dispute.

The green movement, as the opposition calls itself, had held no big rally since Jerusalem Day in mid-September, when protesters turned an officially sponsored event into an anti-government one. On November 4th they did it again. Thousands came on to the streets, despite dark warnings from the authorities. There were big demonstrations in Tehran, and reports of others in provincial cities such as Arak, Isfahan, Mazandaran, Rasht, Shiraz and Tabriz. The internet hummed with tales of opposition protests, replete with videos and photographs. It was hard, however, to assess the size of the crowds. ...

The flagging peace process: Is Israel too strong for Barack Obama?

As America drops its demand for a total freeze on the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, angry Palestinians say there is no scope for resuming talks

FIVE months after Barack Obama went to Cairo and persuaded most of the Arab world, in a ringing declaration of even-handedness, that he would face down Israel in his quest for a Palestinian state, American policy seems to have run into the sand. The American president’s mediating hand is weaker, his charisma damagingly faded. From the Palestinian and Arab point of view, his administration—after grandly setting out to force the Jewish state to stop the building of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land as an early token of good faith, intended to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to negotiation—has meekly capitulated to Israel.

The upshot is that hopes for an early resumption of talks between the main protagonists seem to have been dashed. Indeed, no one seems to know how they can be restarted. The mood among moderates on both sides is as glum as ever. ...

Guinea's strife: Don't let it be contagious

The neighbours of a shaky west African state fear that its instability could spread

WHEN Moussa Dadis Camara, a 45-year-old captain, seized power at the end of last year, many Guineans and foreigners were by no means unhappy. He seemed sure to be better than his corrupt and dictatorial predecessor, President Lansana Conte, who had just died after 25 years in charge. But hope evaporated at the end of September, when security forces smashed up an opposition rally in a stadium in Conakry, the capital. Soldiers and police killed at least 150 demonstrators and raped scores of women, says Human Rights Watch, a lobby based in New York.

A worldwide storm of outrage ensued. The African Union has frozen the assets held abroad by junta members. The European Union has imposed an arms embargo and has also, along with the United States, stopped giving visas to Guineans close to the regime. France, the former colonial ruler, has cut military ties. Its foreign minister has called for “international intervention”, so far unspecified. ...

Iraq's coming election: The region's liveliest system

Amid the bickering and chicanery, people are engaging in democracy

SOMETIMES it seems as if Iraqi politicians cannot agree on anything. Parliament has taken months debating a bill to pave the way to elections on January 16th, though at least 296 parties have declared their intention to compete at the polls. Yet outside the chamber many members say they want the same things. The era of sectarian division, they all insist, is over. Shias and Sunnis embrace at press conferences as they present electoral alliances. In the name of reconciliation, politicians disavow the militias that once killed on their behalf. Banners proclaim the goal of “national unity”. Is there any sign that such fine dreams might ever come true?

For all the backbiting, progress is plain. After months of negotiations, six main electoral blocks have emerged to meet a looming deadline for registering alliances. The three that look most genuinely post-sectarian may well be the strongest. The rest sport fig-leaves of diversity but are tainted with past sectarian violence. ...

Baghdad's Green Zone goes dry: Stop that naughty Western habit

Life for Westerners in Iraq’s capital becomes less bearable

RESIDENTS of Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where nearly all Western civilians in the capital still live in around 100 compounds, along with several thousand soldiers, have long enjoyed a relatively privileged life. Unlike just about everyone else in Iraq, they have electricity that keeps them permanently cool, lights their rooms, plays their music, and runs their fridges around the clock. Their water is clean; loos flush. Above all, suicide-bombers and other insurgents are generally kept out by a maze of high concrete walls and stringently checked entry points, though the occasional lethal bomb has gone off and in bad times rockets and mortars have rained down. Compared with the rest of Baghdad, fatalities have been rare.

Now, however, the residents of the Green Zone are taking a big hit. Many of its diplomats, security people, lobbyists and aid workers have been used to whiling away their evenings at cocktail parties or in bars. But the Iraqi government is banning the transport and sale of alcohol inside the zone even though alcohol will remain legal in other parts of the country. Liquor stores must close after selling off their stock. Restaurants have been told to go dry. ...

Riots in Jerusalem: Just like old times?

Not quite. But the riots afflicting Jerusalem are worrying, all the same

BLACK smoke again rose over the al-Aqsa mosque on October 25th, as Palestinian rioters and Israeli security forces clashed after two weeks of quiet. Just as they had earlier in the month, Palestinian youths set tyres and piles of rubbish on fire in the Old City and threw stones at Israeli policemen storming the holy compound. Three Israeli policemen and about 30 Palestinians were injured.

The clashes were sparked by rumours that extremist Jewish groups planned to harm al-Aqsa, which sits atop a compound that Jews call the Temple Mount and Muslims Haram al-Sharif. In biblical times two Jewish temples stood here. Since then the rabbis have ruled that the precinct is too holy for Jews to enter, let alone pray in. The ban on Jewish worship was enforced by the Israeli government after the country took East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967. In recent years, however, some nationalist rabbis have urged a reversal of the religious proscription and led Jewish worshippers onto the Mount. On the fanatical fringes, some believe that the mosque must be destroyed in order for the “third temple” to be built. Imams urged Muslim worshippers to defend a site that is as holy to Islam as it is to Judaism. ...

Turkey and the Middle East: Looking east and south

Frustrated by European equivocation, Turkey is reversing years of antagonism with its Arab neighbours

IT IS a thousand years since the Turks arrived in the Middle East, migrating from Central Asia to Anatolia. For half of that millennium they ruled much of the region. But when the Ottoman Empire fizzled out and the Turkish Republic was born in 1923, they all but sealed themselves off from their former dominions, turning instead to Europe and tightly embracing America in its cold war with the Soviet Union.

The Turks are now back in the Middle East, in the benign guise of traders and diplomats. The move is natural, considering proximity, the strength of the Turkish economy, the revival of Islamic feeling in Turkey after decades of enforced secularism, and frustration with the sluggishness of talks to join the European Union. Indeed, Turkey’s Middle East offensive has taken on something of the scale and momentum of an invasion, albeit a peaceful one. ...

Tunisia's durable president: One-man show

Another meaningless election

THERE were no surprises at the polls on October 25th. President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was re-elected for a fifth five-year term with 90% of the vote. Not bad—although surely something of a let-down after previous results in 1989, 1994 and 1999 when he got 99%. The slump began in 2004, when the president got a mere 95%.

Despite the opposition gaining a further five percentage points, the election results can hardly be described as a step towards democracy. Since he took power in 1987, Mr Ben Ali and his Constitutional and Democratic Union party have kept a firm grip. Though the constitution originally limited the presidency to two terms, Mr Ben Ali has twice amended it to let himself stay on. Opposition is rigorously controlled; the only candidates allowed to run against Mr Ben Ali were the leaders of parties authorised by the Constitutional Council, an institution close to the ruling party. Ahmed Brahim, the only candidate critical of the regime, won just 1.6% of the vote. ...

Protecting displaced Africans: Selective rescue

A new treaty promises much, but will not help those who need help most urgently

AFRICA contains half of the world’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)—those who have fled their homes but continue to live in their own countries. Sudan alone has over 4m of them, about the same number as the whole of Asia. Congo has another 2m or so, Somalia at least 1.3m. A score of other countries including Uganda, Zimbabwe and Kenya have hundreds of thousands more. In sum, there are about 12m IDPs across the continent.

On top of that, Africa has 3m refugees, who, by crossing an international border, have rights and can expect assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). IDPs, however, are not so fortunate. No binding agreements protect them. UNHCR will help out, but generally they have to rely on the generosity of foreign-aid organisations and, occasionally, the goodwill of their own governments. Sometimes though, as in the Darfur region of Sudan, those very same governments have driven the IDPs from their homes in the first place. ...

Bombs and politics in Iraq: No end in sight

Another “spectacular” raises doubts about American troop withdrawals

TWO car bombs that exploded on October 25th in the centre of Baghdad claimed the lives of at least 155 people and injured more than 700. The main targets were the Ministry of Justice and the office of the governor of Baghdad province. Almost simultaneously the explosions blew windows and their frames several hundred metres along Haifa Street, near the fortified Green Zone. Burst water mains flooded parts of the area, washing over charred bodies and through burned cars. This was the second such attack in two months and the bloodiest in two years. On August 19th bombs destroyed several government buildings, including the ministries of finance and foreign affairs, killing about 100 people.

Since then, a new sense of crisis has enveloped the Iraqi capital. The overall number of attacks has decreased in the past year, but spectacular assaults are on the rise. This is affecting politics. Elections are due in January and security is now a big issue. Within hours of the bombings, some politicians were pointing fingers. “Voters know these are manipulations by the Saddamists,” says Ammar al-Hakim, the new leader of the largest Shia party. Many other Iraqis blame the same Sunni insurgents, including al-Qaeda and members of Saddam Hussein’s former regime. On October 27th a group calling itself Islamic State in Iraq, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the bombings, saying it had attacked “dens of infidelity” in the capital. ...

Nigeria's hopeful amnesty: A chance to end the Delta rebellion

An amnesty for thousands of militants in the Niger Delta is raising hopes that reconciliation in the region may benefit the whole country

IN HIS former life as leader of the self-styled Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, he was known as General Adenkunle. Now the gangly ex-guerrilla prefers to be called plain Prince Wisdom Amackree. His civilian name denotes his new status as one of thousands of militants who have accepted a Nigerian government amnesty and surrendered in exchange for a pardon, some cash and the prospect of a better life. The amnesty officially expired on October 4th. A fortnight later Mr Amackree and a hundred or so of his former foot-soldiers turned up at the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre at Aluu, on the outskirts of Port Harcourt, the Delta’s biggest city, to start the next phase: classes on how to reintegrate into society.

If this works, it will be a big turning-point for the oil-producing Delta region and for Nigeria as a whole. For six years dozens of heavily armed, well-organised groups have terrorised the creeks and jungle of the Delta, sabotaging oil production and kidnapping foreign oil workers. The fighters said they were acting on behalf of communities whose lands had been horribly polluted by oil spills, flaring and so on. The locals, they complained, were still among Africa’s sickest and poorest, reaping no benefit from the oil bonanza. These idealistic fighters were joined by petty criminals and gangsters who just wanted to make money out of kidnapping. ...

Turkey's tantalising television: Happy Arabs, outraged Israelis

Turkey is selling its televisual wares all over the region

BAD vibrations between Turkey and Israel have been worsened by a series on one of Turkey’s state-run television channels showing Israeli soldiers shooting Palestinian babies in a place that looks like Gaza. Yet anti-Jewish propaganda has long been a staple of a popular series called “Valley of the Wolves”. In a recent episode two Turkish scientists on the verge of building weapons that Turkey usually buys from Israel get bumped off by Kurds on Israel’s payroll.

But it is unfettered romance rather than Jew-bashing that is catching the imagination of millions of Arab viewers. Particularly alluring is a soap opera called “Noor” that has been dubbed in Arabic and was broadcast last year by a pan-Arab, Saudi-owned satellite network, MBC. Starring an emancipated woman and a blue-eyed blonde former male model, “Noor” has been credited with a recent surge in Arab tourists to Turkey. Many head straight for a Bosporus villa (now rented by tour operators) where the drama was filmed. ...

Nuclear talks with Iran: Deal or no deal?

And still no end to Iran’s nuclear story

IRAN doesn’t usually do deadlines. It has been evading them in the seven years since an opposition group first outed its extensive covert nuclear programme, despite five UN Security Council resolutions that have told it to halt its suspect nuclear work. Yet after talks that ended in Vienna on October 21st, Iran and the three countries trying to strike a side-deal over new fuel for a Tehran-based nuclear reactor were told by Mohamed ElBaradei, outgoing chief of the UN’s nuclear guardian, that they had just two days to take his draft agreement or leave it.

As The Economist went to press it was unclear whether Iran would accept or haggle over the deal, which would keep in operation a research reactor that makes medical isotopes. Meanwhile, after a three- week delay at Iran’s insistence, UN nuclear inspectors were due to visit a uranium-enrichment plant which until recently had been concealed. It is built deep in a mountainside on a military compound near the city of Qom. ...

Botswana's impatient president: Diamonds are not for ever

Ian Khama, newly re-elected as president, wants to shake things up

THE inauguration of the leader of the world’s biggest diamond-producer after a landslide election victory was by no means a glittering affair. There was a bit of bunting in blue, white and black, Botswana’s national colours; a mounted guard in plumed pith-helmets, incongruous relics of the country’s British colonial past; no visiting foreign dignitaries, no banquet, no alcohol; some scantily clad youngsters, who sang and danced; and a couple of short speeches, all over in barely an hour.

Plainly, with Botswana sunk into its first recession since independence in 1966, President Ian Khama wanted nothing fancy. In any case, the smartly dressed 56-year-old bachelor and former army commander is a teetotaller who has never been fond of socialising. Indeed, he decided, after taking over the presidency last year from the retiring Festus Mogae, to slap a 30% tax on alcohol and severely curtailed opening hours for bars. This helped earn him a reputation for being a disciplinarian with an authoritarian streak, perhaps even a low regard for civil liberties. ...

Iraq's fragile security: Jangling nerves

As the Americans prepare to go and an election looms, anxiety is rising again

THE outlook remains far rosier than two years ago. Violence has dropped to the level of a few months after the American invasion in 2003. Voters are likely to turn out in large numbers for a general election scheduled for January 16th. So far, the main electoral alliances are being drawn from across the sectarian spectrum. It has yet to be determined whether Iraq will be Islamist, federal or centralised in character and constitution. But most politicians seem sincere in insisting that this will be decided by parliament and not by force. The insurgents are too weak to overthrow the newly emerging order. They control no swathes of Iraq, as they once did. There are some dangerous areas, but the Iraqi forces can go more or less where they please.

Even so, the continuing presence of 120,000 American soldiers still underpins security, though they stopped patrolling the streets in July. But Barack Obama this week reassured Iraq’s prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, who was visiting Washington, that all American combat troops would be out by the end of next August and that all troops would have left by the end of 2011. ...

Somalia's embattled Christians: Almost expunged

Even Somalia’s supposedly moderate government is loth to protect them

WHERE is the hardest place in the world to be a Christian citizen? North Korea, perhaps? Saudi Arabia? Try Somalia. There are thought to be no more than a thousand Christians in a resident population of 8m people, with perhaps a few thousand more in the diaspora. The Islamist Shabab militia, which controls most of southern Somalia, is dedicated to hunting them down.

Christian men attend mosques on Fridays, so as not to arouse suspicion. Bibles are kept hidden. There are no public meetings, let alone a church. Catholic churches and cemeteries have been destroyed. The last nuns in the smashed capital, Mogadishu, were chased out in 2007. The year before, an elderly nun working in a hospital there was murdered. The only Christian believers left are local Somalis. ...

Palestinian farmers: Not much of an olive branch

The plight of rural Palestinians on the West Bank is as grim as ever

“WHAT did the trees do?” says Muhammad Abu Awad, a retired teacher of agriculture and father of 14 children, as he looks gloomily at his ravaged field. Twisted, silvery stubs are all that remain of a lush grove that once offered up a yearly abundance of fat green olives.

The vandals came at night from Adei Ad, a Jewish settlers’ outpost deemed “illegal” even by the Israeli government, near Shvut Rachel, an established West Bank settlement that is judged illegal in international but not Israeli law. Working fast, unnoticed by Palestinian landowners in the nearby Arab village of al-Mughayir, the settlers cut down nearly 200 olive trees, of which 70 belonged to Mr Abu Awad. As a result, he reckons to have lost income worth around $3,400 that he would have earned from this year’s harvest. But that is not all. “I planted these trees with my own hands 35 years ago”, he says, wistfully touching the stumps, now wrapped in sackcloth to protect them from the sun. Mr Abu Awad hopes his trees will recover and one day bear fruit again. ...

Education in the Arab world: Laggards trying to catch up

One reason that too many Arabs are poor is rotten education

A RECENT issue of Science, the weekly journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was devoted to research into “Ardi” or Ardipithecus ramidus, a 4.4m-year-old hominid species whose discovery deepens the understanding of human evolution. These latest studies suggest, among other things, that rather than descending from a closely related species such as the chimpanzee, the hominid branch parted earlier than previously thought from the common ancestral tree.

In much of the Arab world, coverage of the research took a different spin. “American Scientists Debunk Darwin”, exclaimed the headline in al-Masry al-Youm, Egypt’s leading independent daily. “Ardi Refutes Darwin’s Theory”, chimed the website of al-Jazeera, the region’s most-watched television channel. Scores of comments from readers celebrated this news as a blow to Western materialism and a triumph for Islam. Two or three lonely readers wrote in to complain that the report had inaccurately presented the findings of the research. ...

The Economist: Middle East and Africa
Middle East and Africa

 

Baghdad's Green Zone goes dry: Stop that naughty Western habit

Life for Westerners in Iraq’s capital becomes less bearable

RESIDENTS of Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where nearly all Western civilians in the capital still live in around 100 compounds, along with several thousand soldiers, have long enjoyed a relatively privileged life. Unlike just about everyone else in Iraq, they have electricity that keeps them permanently cool, lights their rooms, plays their music, and runs their fridges around the clock. Their water is clean; loos flush. Above all, suicide-bombers and other insurgents are generally kept out by a maze of high concrete walls and stringently checked entry points, though the occasional lethal bomb has gone off and in bad times rockets and mortars have rained down. Compared with the rest of Baghdad, fatalities have been rare.

Now, however, the residents of the Green Zone are taking a big hit. Many of its diplomats, security people, lobbyists and aid workers have been used to whiling away their evenings at cocktail parties or in bars. But the Iraqi government is banning the transport and sale of alcohol inside the zone even though alcohol will remain legal in other parts of the country. Liquor stores must close after selling off their stock. Restaurants have been told to go dry. ...

Iraq's coming election: The region's liveliest system

Amid the bickering and chicanery, people are engaging in democracy

SOMETIMES it seems as if Iraqi politicians cannot agree on anything. Parliament has taken months debating a bill to pave the way to elections on January 16th, though at least 296 parties have declared their intention to compete at the polls. Yet outside the chamber many members say they want the same things. The era of sectarian division, they all insist, is over. Shias and Sunnis embrace at press conferences as they present electoral alliances. In the name of reconciliation, politicians disavow the militias that once killed on their behalf. Banners proclaim the goal of “national unity”. Is there any sign that such fine dreams might ever come true?

For all the backbiting, progress is plain. After months of negotiations, six main electoral blocks have emerged to meet a looming deadline for registering alliances. The three that look most genuinely post-sectarian may well be the strongest. The rest sport fig-leaves of diversity but are tainted with past sectarian violence. ...

Bombs and politics in Iraq: No end in sight

Another “spectacular” raises doubts about American troop withdrawals

TWO car bombs that exploded on October 25th in the centre of Baghdad claimed the lives of at least 155 people and injured more than 700. The main targets were the Ministry of Justice and the office of the governor of Baghdad province. Almost simultaneously the explosions blew windows and their frames several hundred metres along Haifa Street, near the fortified Green Zone. Burst water mains flooded parts of the area, washing over charred bodies and through burned cars. This was the second such attack in two months and the bloodiest in two years. On August 19th bombs destroyed several government buildings, including the ministries of finance and foreign affairs, killing about 100 people.

Since then, a new sense of crisis has enveloped the Iraqi capital. The overall number of attacks has decreased in the past year, but spectacular assaults are on the rise. This is affecting politics. Elections are due in January and security is now a big issue. Within hours of the bombings, some politicians were pointing fingers. “Voters know these are manipulations by the Saddamists,” says Ammar al-Hakim, the new leader of the largest Shia party. Many other Iraqis blame the same Sunni insurgents, including al-Qaeda and members of Saddam Hussein’s former regime. On October 27th a group calling itself Islamic State in Iraq, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the bombings, saying it had attacked “dens of infidelity” in the capital. ...

Baghdad bombs: Bloodbath in Baghdad

At least 155 die in the worst bombings in Iraq of the past two years

TWO car bombs turned Baghdad into a killing field on Sunday October 25th, claiming the lives of at least 155 people and injuring hundreds more. The main targets were the ministry of justice and public works and the office of the governor of Baghdad province. Almost simultaneously the explosions sent windows and their frames several hundred metres along Haifa Street, near the fortified Green Zone. Burst water mains flooded parts of the area, washing over charred bodies and through burned cars. This was the second such attack in two months, but the bloodiest in two years. On August 19th bombs destroyed several government buildings including the ministries of finance and foreign affairs, killing perhaps 100 people.

The new attack has heightened the sense of crisis in the Iraqi capital. The past two years have seen fewer bombings and fewer people killed than in the years before. But insurgents are now focusing on spectacular assaults in an effort to affect the political situation. Elections are due in January and security is a big issue. As in Afghanistan, where the Taliban stepped up attacks during the election campaign, more bombings are likely in the coming months. Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, had been claiming credit for ending the descent into civil war and is therefore vulnerable. Voters might also punish political parties with their own militias, if they are seen to be associating with terrorists. ...

Iraq's fragile security: Jangling nerves

As the Americans prepare to go and an election looms, anxiety is rising again

THE outlook remains far rosier than two years ago. Violence has dropped to the level of a few months after the American invasion in 2003. Voters are likely to turn out in large numbers for a general election scheduled for January 16th. So far, the main electoral alliances are being drawn from across the sectarian spectrum. It has yet to be determined whether Iraq will be Islamist, federal or centralised in character and constitution. But most politicians seem sincere in insisting that this will be decided by parliament and not by force. The insurgents are too weak to overthrow the newly emerging order. They control no swathes of Iraq, as they once did. There are some dangerous areas, but the Iraqi forces can go more or less where they please.

Even so, the continuing presence of 120,000 American soldiers still underpins security, though they stopped patrolling the streets in July. But Barack Obama this week reassured Iraq’s prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, who was visiting Washington, that all American combat troops would be out by the end of next August and that all troops would have left by the end of 2011. ...

Afghanistan and Iraq: Blood and treasure

The costs of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars

EIGHT years after the toppling of the Taliban, the prospects for the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan seem worse than ever. Battered by mounting casualties, Western support for the war has been further dented by a wildly rigged presidential election in favour of the incumbent, Hamid Karzai. But against this gloomy backdrop it is worth remembering that in 2006, before the American surge, prospects in Iraq looked far bleaker than they do now in Afghanistan, even though the allies had many more foreign and local troops. America still spends more on Iraq but it is decreasing as the focus switches to Afghanistan. Barack Obama is faced with a request from the American and NATO commander in the country, General Stanley McChrystal, for large numbers of extra soldiers.

...

Iraq and its oil: Deterring foreign investors

Iraq’s ramshackle oil ministry is not encouraging foreign investment

SUITORS keep knocking on the door of Iraq’s oil ministry but the people inside are still coyly loth to say “come in”. Licences to develop oil fields are being awarded at tortoise speed. The ministry has been telling companies looking for exploration and drilling contracts to give unusually large upfront loans before they can be considered for long-term deals. Iraq’s parliament, still full of MPs who are wary of foreigners coming to “steal Iraq’s oil”, have obstructed progress by failing to pass the required laws. Still, Iraq has the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world behind Saudi Arabia, Canada and Iran. With MPs in recess for the summer, technocrats in the ministry have quietly been taking some cautious steps towards turning Iraq into the global hydrocarbon giant it says it wants to be.

Oil-ministry officials have recently tweaked plans for a long-awaited licence auction in December, to make it more attractive. International bidders will be able to take part in several—rather than just one—of the ten greenfield projects on offer, including Majnoon in the south-east, one of the country’s two largest fields. Officials met an array of oil bigwigs from around the world last month in Istanbul to discuss terms. Most of the prospective buyers were persuaded that they have a chance of winning contracts, with more than one-third of Iraq’s reserves up for grabs. The United States Energy Information Administration, a statistical agency in the US Department of Energy, reckons that oil in those ten undeveloped Iraqi fields would fill about 41 billion barrels, worth nearly $3 trillion at today’s price. ...

Iraq's freedoms under threat: Could a police state return?

Iraqis are increasingly worried that their new freedoms are under threat

THE main book market, in Baghdad’s Mutanabi Street, was a hive of angry chatter this week. Bespectacled traders, complaining about new censorship laws, shouted, “This is not freedom of expression,” and talked of holding a demonstration like one last month, when journalists protested against new restrictions.

But would the booksellers dare? They said they were already worried that plainclothes policemen had been taking their names. Perhaps they should go instead to court and fight censorship with the help of lawyers. “Not a chance,” said one book-dealer. “This is the new Iraq.” Legal protections, he noted, count for little. “Power”, he added, “is held by the men with the guns.” ...

The reshaping of Iraqi politics: Blowing a hole in the political landscape

The prime minister's political career is the latest casualty of the upsurge in violence

LIKE a hormonal teenager, Iraqi politics evolves in spurts. Just take these past weeks. The insurgency has revived, culminating in a series of audacious and bloody attacks in the heart of Baghdad. And that has turned the fortunes of the prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, on their head. From being a shoo-in at the next election, the man who was supposed to have tamed the terrorists is now looking more like a has-been. Rivals are lining up to take him on and old alliances are unravelling. All that Iraqis know for sure is that they have reached another turning-point in their turbulent post-invasion history.

The biggest surprise is the fracturing of the Shia political establishment. Oppressed under Saddam Hussein, the majority Shias grabbed power in the first free elections and held on despite endless crises. Their governments benefited from sectarian unity, which they maintained through bullying and haggling. But on August 24th the leading Shia party, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, and some of its allies dumped Mr Maliki, another Shia. They formed a new slate, the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), that will oppose his Dawa party in national elections due to be held in January. ...

More bombings in Iraq: Lethal and relentless

Militants strike at the heart of the capital

AT 10am on August 19th simultaneous car bombs and rocket attacks targeted half-a-dozen government offices. The foreign ministry was destroyed by an explosives-filled lorry that also set ablaze the surrounding buildings. A bomb smuggled into the education ministry narrowly missed killing the minister in his office, and a mortar landed near the home of the environment minister. Rockets fell across the heavily fortified Green Zone, destroying parts of the parliament building and damaging a neighbouring luxury hotel minutes before the prime minister was due to visit. At least 95 people were killed and over 500 more injured, among them many officials from the foreign ministry.

This was the worst act of violence in Iraq since American troops started withdrawing in June. For a few hours it took the capital back to the chaos and fear that reigned three or more years ago. Clouds of black smoke hung over the airless city. The Iraqi government says Sunni extremist groups including al-Qaeda are responsible, and they are indeed the most likely suspects. ...

Bombs in Baghdad: Blasted, again

A series of bomb attacks on government buildings in Baghdad leaves at least 95 dead

BAGHDAD has not seen a day as violent as Wednesday August 19th for a long while. At ten in the morning, simultaneous car bombs and rocket attacks struck half a dozen ministries and the cabinet office. A lorry exploded beside the foreign ministry, destroying it and leaving a large crater outside. Nearby high-rise apartment buildings were also set ablaze. A bomb smuggled into the education ministry narrowly failed to kill the minister in his office, according to Iraqi television reports, and a mortar just missed the home of the environment minister. Rockets fell across the heavily fortified green zone, destroying parts of the parliament building and damaging a neighbouring hotel a few minutes before the prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, was expected to visit.

At least 95 people were killed and more than 300 more were injured in the attacks. Many of the victims were officials in the foreign ministry. It was the worst act of violence in Iraq since American soldiers started withdrawing last year. For many in the city, the chaos and fear caused by the bombs is a painful reminder of the horror the city endured between two and three years ago. Roads were closed, hospitals overflowed with the injured, shopkeepers shut their doors for fear of more violence and black clouds of smoke hung over the city. ...

Smoking in Iraq: Butt out, please

Imposing the mother of all cigarette bans

IT’S the health and safety measure Iraqis have not been waiting for. The government in Baghdad last week banned smoking in public buildings. Anyone found lighting up will have to pay a fine equivalent to $4,300, enough to buy 17,200 packs of cigarettes at the local price of about 25 cents. “Do the politicians have nothing better to do?” asks Abu Yasser, as he takes a drag while filling up his car at a petrol station. “My cousin was recently murdered by terrorists, my neighbour was tortured by the police, my electricity is cut for most of the day, the same is true in most hospitals in the city. And they are worried about smoking?”

As soon as parliament ratifies the cabinet-imposed ban, Iraqi smokers will be forced to loiter on street corners exposed to car bombs and 45-degree heat in the summer. But according to a recent study, smoking kills an average of 55 Iraqis a day, compared to a current average of ten deaths daily from terrorist shootings or bombings. So the government argues that it is perfectly reasonable to outlaw smoking on public-health grounds. ...

Security in Iraq: A return to the bad old days?

A worrying surge in bombings as the Americans plot their departure

CHAIRMAN MAO laid down the rules for modern guerrilla warfare during the Chinese civil war. “When the enemy advances, withdraw; when he stops, harass; when he tires, strike; when he retreats, pursue,” he instructed. Iraqi insurgents seem to be following his advice all too closely. During the American “surge” two years ago they melted away. After the surge peaked they renewed their attacks. And barely a month after Iraqi troops took control of the main towns from the slowly departing Americans, blood is once again gushing down the boulevards.

More than 100 civilians were killed in a four-day period this week and hundreds wounded. Two lorries packed with several thousand pounds of high-grade explosives levelled most of a settlement on the edge of Mosul in northern Iraq. Residents were sleeping on their roofs to escape the summer heat when their houses collapsed beneath them. Meanwhile, bombs in Baghdad targeted day-labourers and pilgrims. Altogether this has been the worst spasm of violence in recent memory. Although the attacks were all confined to the capital and the north, while the rest of the country remained relatively calm, they demonstrated a degree of sophistication that American officials thought the insurgents could no longer muster. The truck bombings are reminiscent of the spectacular attacks staged during the early years of the American occupation. ...

Bombs in Iraq: Another bloody mess

The latest bombings in Iraq suggest that Sunni extremists are trying, afresh, to whip up war

“WHEN the enemy advances, withdraw; when he stops, harass; when he tires, strike; when he retreats, pursue,” suggested Chairman Mao during the Chinese civil war that eventually won him power. Iraqi insurgents are following his advice. During the American “surge” two years ago they retreated. After the passing of its peak they renewed their attacks. And barely a month after Iraqi troops took control of the main towns from the slowly departing Americans, blood is again gushing down boulevards.

Over 100 civilians were killed and hundreds wounded in a four-day period this week. Two lorries packed with explosives levelled most of a settlement on the edge of Mosul in northern Iraq. Residents were sleeping on rooftops to escape the summer heat when their houses collapsed beneath them. In Baghdad bombers aimed for day labourers and pilgrims, making this the worst spasm of violence in recent memory. The attacks have been centred on the north and the capital and are proving to be increasingly sophisticated. The lorry bombings are reminiscent of spectacular attacks staged during the early part of the American occupation. ...

Iraq and America: We don't need you any more

Iraqi commanders say they can run the show on their own. Really?

AMERICAN commanders in Baghdad have been here before. In 2004, a year after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, they handed the reins of security to freshly trained forces of a once-again sovereign Iraq and encouraged them to take control of the main towns. But the Iraqis proved unable or unwilling to hold the line against the insurgents. The Americans delayed their exit and set about retraining the Iraqis. This time will it be different?

Probably yes. Since they again took control of the urban areas early last month, Iraqi security forces, now numbering 274,000-plus regulars and interior-ministry troops along with 277,000 police, have surprised American commanders with their new assertiveness. If anything, the Americans now find their former understudies too aggressive. “They’re like kids with a brand-new muscle car, out there burning rubber,” says an American officer. “It almost scares you.” ...

The Economist: Iraq's troubles
Iraq's troubles

 

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