Another promise that isn’t coming to pass… “Iraq is safe and able to defend itself….” B Obama ======= In 2004, Iraqis fled Fallujah in droves as the US military destroyed parts of the city in its fight against Al Qaeda. Now the Iraqi Army is battling militants there. Christian Science Monitor By Jane Arraf 12 hours ago In a trailer relocated from Camp Victory, Eman... Read more
Archive for the ‘Countries’ Category
For Iraqis fleeing Fallujah, it’s 2004 again – only worse..
March 1 | Posted by mrossol | Middle East, Obama Tags: IraqFallout From Syria Conflict Takes Rising Toll on Mideast
January 6 | Posted by mrossol | Middle East, ObamaCertainly not! The world is a much better place; a safer place now that Obama has changed the “tone” of America’s engagement. ========== BEIRUT—Spiraling violence and advances by al Qaeda-linked fighters in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon are underscoring the cost of Syria’s civil war as it increasingly spills over the country’s borders. The rise of the Islamist forces in Iraq is particularly... Read more
A Letter to Rouhani From a Murdered Lebanese Patriot – WSJ.com
December 30 | Posted by mrossol | Middle East, Radical IslamI am not betting that Iran changes. It will continue to take power, externally, to hold Iran in check; or an internal change in power, for there to be fundamental change. ========= Mohamad Chatah, a former Lebanese finance minister and potential future prime minister, wrote an open letter last week to Hasan Rouhani, calling on the new Iranian president to end Tehran’s... Read more
Saudi Royal Blasts U.S.’s Mideast Policy
December 17 | Posted by mrossol | Middle East, ObamaI can’t believe that George Bush is still making the world hate us! ======= MONACO—A leading Saudi prince demanded a place for his country at talks with Iran, assailing the Obama administration for working behind Riyadh’s back and panning other recent U.S. steps in the Middle East. Prince Turki al-Faisal, an Arab royal and a brother of Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, said Saudi... Read more
Review: Days of God, by James Buchan
December 17 | Posted by mrossol | Middle East, Radical IslamSounds like a very good read. Maybe because the 1979 revolution happened as my “political being” started to mature, and I took interest? ========= In “Days of God,” James Buchan comes as close as anyone—certainly as close as any Westerner—to capturing the Iranian predicament of the past 34 years: “Those who make great revolutions forget that prisons and torture chambers survive into... Read more
Simple Questions Stump Obama Officials
December 16 | Posted by mrossol | Middle East, Obama, The LeftDon’t be surprised. Not sure they realize that governing takes real work. ========= Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R., Calif.) had a simple question Wednesday for three of the Obama administration’s top Afghanistan specialists: How many American troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year? None of the witnesses at the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Afghanistan had an answer. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R., Calif.)... Read more
