By ROBERT BURNS WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has made several incorrect or misleading statements about the five-year battle against the Islamic State group as he seeks to end what he calls “endless wars” and explain an abrupt abandonment of America’s Kurdish partners in the face of a Turkish offensive. He has gotten […]
Who is paying Rudy Giuliani ?
Rudy Giuliani is not the secretary of state. In fact, he has no official position in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet or administration. Yet he is traveling the world holding himself out as a U.S. government operative, engaging in some unknown amount of “unofficial” diplomacy and insisting his work is not only officially sanctioned by the […]
The ISIS prisoners no-one wants
As United States forces withdraw from their positions in northern Syria, and Turkish forces move in, the fate of thousands of Islamic State group prisoners remains unclear. The detainees and their families – held by Kurdish-led forces – include foreigners from various parts of the world. The US has called on foreign states to repatriate […]
Are we seeing the end of a close Israel-US relationship?
There was an element of the bizarre in the swearing-in ceremony of Israel’s Knesset (parliament) last week. Only five months had passed since the last time newly elected members took the oath and, given continued political paralysis after another round of inconclusive elections, they may have to do it all over again soon. Added to […]
Don’t Abandon Lebanon to Hezbollah and Iran
By Hussein Ibish Lebanon is transfixed by reports that Prime Minister Saad Hariri gave $16 million to a South African model with whom he was romantically linked. The money transfers began in 2013, when Hariri was not in office, and no laws appear to have been broken. For some, it is a welcome diversion from a […]
The REAL reason behind Iran drone attack on two Saudi oil plants
IRAN was behind the Saudi Arabia drone attacks on two oil plants, a shock new report claims – but the real reason behind the strike may actually be to stem a political uprising. By VICKIIE OLIPHANT Two oil plants in Saudi Arabia were targeted in a series of devastating drone strikes in September. A total […]
Impeachment Is designed for Presidents like Trump
Should the House vote to impeach Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans will be left with two choices, neither of which is likely to boost Trump’s reelection chances. by Bill Blum It’s easy to understand why a majority of House Democrats have finally gone on record to call for an impeachment inquiry of […]
Kushner’s real purpose has little to do with a peace plan. Failure is the goal
Hussein Ibish The Middle East envoy, on a tour of the region, champions a shift away from a two-state solution to wholesale support of Israeli annexation The charade continues and the circus is in town. Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East emissary, is visiting Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Morocco to try […]
Kushner’s Mideast peace plan doomed to failure without Palestinians’ consent: experts
U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner is currently touring the Middle East to drum up support for Washington’s plan for the Israeli-Palestinian peace, better known as the “Deal of the Century.” The U.S. envoy’s regional tour has already taken him to Jordan and Israel to discuss the controversial peace plan that […]
Send Me Back to the Country I Came From
Ireland, the country of my ancestors, has become what America used to be. By Timothy Egan He’s right, this angry old man in melting bronzer shouting in the July heat: Those of us who don’t like what’s going on in this country should get the hell out. “Go back,” as he said, to the “crime-infested […]