by Mohammed al-Qaisi Al-Qaeda in Iraq attacks places of worship, culture and education deeming them blasphemous, officials say. As tensions increase between Syrian citizens and members of extremist group Jabhat al-Nusra (JAN) Iraqi officials, researchers and security leaders warned of similarities between JAN and al-Qaeda in Iraq in terms of ideology and strategy. “We are Read more
Continue Readingby Heiko Wimmen The deep implications of Iran’s strategic and ideological investment in the Assad regime forces international efforts for a ‘grand bargain’ to face the stark and unpalatable reality of political compromise in Syria. As the Syrian crisis continues its descent into a protracted civil war, a ‘political solution’ remains the professed preference of Read more
Continue Readingby Rooh-ul-Amin* The killing of women’s affairs director in eastern Laghman province on Monday is a reminder to us all, that, how violence against women is making deep inroads in our society and how much numb we have become to respond to such oft-repeated cruel incidents. It is not the first ever incident of this Read more
Continue Readingby Jacob Havel The advent of the so called “Arab Spring” in the Middle East and North Africa has come about with incredible velocity and intensity. The world has seen dictators, who had been in power for decades, fall in the blink of an eye in both Tunisia and Egypt. Consequently, the possibility of revolution Read more
Continue ReadingAnd what do the P5+1 want from Iran? by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Iran and the P5+1 group (United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany) are to resume negotiations in Almaty, Kazakhstan on February 26. Their last meeting was eight-month ago in Moscow. That meeting did not produce a breakthrough and that was expected because, Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* The danger in Syria is not that it is a new kind of a crisis; the danger is that it is becoming a replication of another one. The twin terrorist bomb attack in the capital Damascus on February 21, 2013, which took the lives of at least 100 civilians and injured Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Casualties of Syria’s war Turkey’s zero-problem with its neighbors foreign policy doctrine did not survive the Arab Spring test. At first, Turkey’s Justice and Development Party leaders took a cautious position regarding the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings. Their confliction was especially on display during the Libyan armed rebellion when Turkey, a member of Read more
Continue ReadingThe Dead Sea Scrolls are the ancient manuscripts dating back to the time of Jesus that were found between 1947 and 1956 in caves by the Dead Sea. Since they were first discovered, they have been a source of fascination and debate over what they can teach — and have taught — about Judeo-Christian history. Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Representatives of 57 states, members of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), convened for their regular summit in Cairo this week. Among the notable attendees is the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The latter received a red-carpet welcome as Egypt’s new president, Mohammed Morsi, greeted him on the tarmac at Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Another massacre in Syria: click on image to view video In less than a month, peaceful Tunisian and Egyptian protesters ousted two of the most authoritarian rulers of the Arab world. The human and economic costs: a total of about 1100 people dead (300 in Tunisia and 800 in Egypt) and Read more
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