Iran nuclear deal: Why Empire blinked first

We’ve now spent three weeks watching American politicians argue needlessly over the Iran nuclear deal. For or against, they all Continue reading →

As Iran nuclear deadline passes, narrative battle heats up

June 30, 2015, Vienna –  It’s D-Day in Vienna, and the parties sitting across the negotiating table still haven’t ironed Continue reading →

To Beat ISIS, Kick Out US-Led Coalition

Read this article in French and Turkish too. It has been a bad week or two for foes of ISIS. The Continue reading →

The Mideast’s S-U-N-N-I Problem

This needs to be spelled out: The biggest threat to Middle East stability today is a Sunni one – and Continue reading →

In Yemen, and Middle East, U.S. Needs to Learn When to Quit

This essay is part of a New York Times opinion-page debate on whether “Yemen is America’s fight.” Six years before Continue reading →

Will Yemen kick-off the “War of the Two Blocs?”

There is a lot of media confusion about what is going on in Yemen – and the broader Middle East Continue reading →

An Obituary on Lebanon’s ‘Cedar Revolution’

Ten years ago this week, one million Lebanese – a quarter of Lebanon’s population – congregated in downtown Beirut at Continue reading →

Stealing Palestine: Who dragged Palestinians into Syria’s conflict?

Read this article in Arabic, French and Bosnian.   My first visit to Yarmouk took place a few days after 20 Continue reading →